Benchmark Your Ecommerce

The average ecommerce conversion rate is 2-3% across all categories according to Statista 2025. Top-quartile stores achieve 4-6%. Fashion averages 1.5% due to high browse-to-buy ratios, electronics averages 2.5%, and food and grocery reaches 3.5-5% because of repeat purchase behavior.

The global average cart abandonment rate is 70% according to Baymard Institute research across 49 studies. Below 60% is strong performance, indicating optimized checkout flow and upfront pricing. Above 80% typically signals checkout friction, hidden shipping costs, or forced account creation that needs immediate attention.

The four highest-ROI tactics for increasing average order value are product bundles (lifts AOV 15-20%), checkout upsells for complementary items (lifts AOV 10-15%), free shipping thresholds set 20-30% above current AOV, and post-purchase offers for consumables. Stores using all four see AOV increases of 25-40% according to Shopify Commerce Trends data.

Benchmarks are sourced from Statista 2025 ecommerce category reports, Baymard Institute checkout usability research covering 49 independent studies, and Shopify Commerce Trends covering data from 4 million or more online stores. Benchmarks are updated annually.

A good ecommerce customer retention rate is 25 to 30% for year one with top performers reaching 40% or higher according to Metrilo data. Repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers and cost 5 to 7 times less to retain than to acquire. Email marketing and loyalty programs are the highest ROI retention tactics for small ecommerce businesses.

A healthy ecommerce repeat purchase rate is 25-30% per Metrilo data, with top brands achieving 40-60% through strong loyalty programs and post-purchase communication. Below 15% indicates weak post-purchase experience, poor product-market fit, or a missing automated email sequence. Consumable categories like beauty and supplements should target 40%+ due to natural replenishment cycles.

Better product descriptions and sizing guides reduce returns by 30%. High-quality photos from multiple angles reduce returns by 22%. Video product demos reduce returns by 25%.

The five factors that drive a high ecommerce readiness score are professional product photography, seamless mobile checkout with a guest option, transparent upfront shipping costs, strong social proof with 10+ reviews per product, and automated abandoned cart recovery.

Cart abandonment occurs when shoppers add items to their cart but leave before completing purchase. The average abandonment rate is 69.8% across ecommerce according to Baymard Institute research.

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (purchase, sign-up, form submission), calculated as (Conversions divided by Visitors) times 100. The average website converts 2.35% of visitors according to WordStream data, with the top 25% converting above 5.31%.

Typical bulk order discounts are 5-10% for 100+ units, 10-20% for 500+ units, and 15-30% for 1,000+ units. Discounts vary significantly by industry and supplier.

There is no single best strategy, the right approach depends on your order volume, average order value, product dimensions, and geography. Shopify Commerce Trends data shows stores with a free shipping threshold typically see 10-30% higher AOV, but flat rate shipping is simpler for low-volume stores, real-time carrier rates suit variable product sizes, and 3PL fulfillment unlocks scale above 500-1,000 orders per month.