Why Shopify Alone Isn’t Enough: 5 E-commerce Questions Answered

Learn why out-of-the-box Shopify stores leave money on the table and how strategic tweaks can drive conversions

As fitness and wellness brands expand into e-commerce to unlock additional revenue streams, many are turning to platforms like Shopify for a seemingly simple, turnkey solution. But while Shopify offers a strong foundation, using it out of the box often leaves revenue on the table. Without the right expertise, brands can encounter a range of issues that can deter potential buyers, from poor user experience to complicated checkouts to logistical roadblocks.

Here, Chris Konieczki, Executive Account Strategist at Xivic, unpacks five essential questions every gym and wellness brand should consider when launching or optimizing their Shopify store.

Athletech News (ATN): Why isn’t Shopify alone sufficient for most fitness brands?

Chris Konieczki (CK): While Shopify offers a foundational platform, treating it as a standalone solution often leaves significant revenue on the table for ambitious fitness brands. Think of it this way: Shopify provides the raw materials, but Xivic experts are the craftspeople who tailor it into a high-converting, brand-aligned sales engine.

Out-of-the-box setups lack the nuanced understanding of the fitness consumer’s journey, and the strategic optimizations needed to maximize conversions. Brands easily miss critical opportunities to build trust, streamline the buying process, and ultimately, drive more sales. We specialize in transforming generic Shopify stores into powerful brand experiences that compel customers to purchase.

ATN: What logistical considerations should fitness brands address before setting up e-commerce? 

CK: Ignoring the logistical backbone of your e-commerce operation is akin to investing in top-of-the-line fitness equipment without ensuring you have a functional and accessible gym space for your members to use it. We guide fitness brands through these crucial considerations to prevent costly delays and customer dissatisfaction, ensuring a smooth path to increased revenue:

• Inventory Management & POS Integration: Seamlessly syncing your online and offline inventory (if applicable) is vital. We help you navigate complex integrations, ensuring accurate stock levels or overlapping services, which directly impact customer satisfaction and repeat business.
• Fulfillment & Shipping: A well-defined fulfillment strategy is non-negotiable for a positive customer experience. Establishing efficient picking, packing, and shipping workflows, as well as clear return policies, minimizing friction and maximizing customer loyalty.  Additionally, ensuring proper shipping setup is critical to avoid costly mistakes such as undercharging a customer for shipping a product.
• Payment Gateway & Tax: Ensuring secure and convenient payment options, along with accurate tax collection, builds trust and avoids legal headaches. Integrating the right payment gateways and tax systems is critical to ensuring a seamless and compliant checkout process that encourages conversions.

By addressing these logistics upfront with the right expertise, fitness brands lay the groundwork for a scalable and profitable e-commerce operation.

ATN: What common e-commerce challenges and mistakes cost fitness businesses revenue, and how can that be reversed?

CK: Many fitness brands unknowingly lose potential revenue due to common e-commerce challenges. Addressing these mistakes with expert guidance can unlock significant growth:

• Poor Mobile Experience: A clunky mobile site is a major revenue blocker. Investing in responsive, lightning-fast mobile experiences ensures that browsing customers can easily convert into buyers, regardless of their device.
• Complicated Checkout Process: Friction at checkout is a conversion killer. Streamlining the buying process by removing unnecessary steps and ensuring a smooth, intuitive experience minimizes abandoned carts and maximizes completed sales.
• Insufficient Product Information: Vague descriptions leave customers hesitant. Crafting compelling, benefit-driven product descriptions that answer questions and build confidence is crucial for driving conversions.
• Weak or Non-Existent Email Marketing: Failing to nurture leads and engage customers means missing out on potential sales. Developing targeted email campaigns can recover abandoned carts, promote new products and foster customer loyalty, directly boosting revenue.
• Not Tracking and Analyzing Data: Without data-driven insights, optimization is guesswork. Implementing robust analytics tracking and using those insights allows for continuous improvement and maximized return on investment.

ATN: What are the most important factors that will either make or break e-commerce sales?

CK: I think there are three.

First is a smooth user experience from start to finish. The user needs to have a seamless experience that offers no room for doubt or distraction. This sounds simple, but simplicity in e-commerce requires a lot of things to be done perfectly to make it a reality.

Next is design. The design needs to reflect the brand and make the right impression, with consistency and accuracy.

Finally, the UX/flow of the e-commerce system needs to allow for just the right amount of learning, to build consumer confidence, but not overwhelm the user to the point that desired conversions are unclear or you shake the user’s confidence that they are ready to make this purchase.

A good example is our client, Compana Pet Brands. We continuously update and optimize the user experience of their site through A/B testing. Our Xivic team analyzes data to synthesize hypotheses and tests.  We then implement a test on the site to confirm if the change we are proposing leads to more conversions.  Once we’ve collected statistically significant results,  the winning improvement is implemented on Compana’s site.

Even small reductions in user friction during checkout can drive significant results. For example, in one A/B test, we modified the “Add to Cart” button behavior to redirect users directly to the cart instead of keeping them on the product page. This change led to a 17.9% increase in completed checkouts.

ATN: How much money might businesses be leaving on the table with poorly optimized Shopify setups, and what ROI can they realistically expect from professional optimization?

CK: The amount of revenue lost due to a poorly optimized Shopify setup can be substantial, often representing a significant percentage of potential sales. Every point your conversion rate lags behind the industry average directly impacts your bottom line.

By partnering with e-commerce experts, fitness brands can realistically expect to see a significant return on investment. While the exact figures depend on your current sales volume and website performance, our clients experience conversion rate increases of 3-5% within the first year of professional optimization. This translates directly into increased revenue without necessarily increasing your marketing spend.

Consider this: if your current monthly revenue is $10,000 with a 1% conversion rate, a jump to 2% (achievable through expert optimization) doubles your revenue to $20,000. This is a 100% ROI on the increased sales alone.

A data-driven approach ensures that every optimization is based on analytics and user behavior, maximizing its impact on your bottom line. Working with a proven partner like Xivic to execute professional e-commerce optimization is a strategic investment in unlocking your fitness brand’s full revenue potential.