With 67% of millennials saying they prefer to shop online, and online buying increasing by 65% during the coronavirus lockdown, ecommerce continues to expand into peoples’ lives.
So, providing a clear, smooth and joined-up ecommerce experience for your customers has never been more important.
Below, we take a look at how you can align store performance with customer expectations, boost sales, and build a high-performance ecommerce operation for 2026 and beyond.
The problem with starter platforms
If you’ve been operating for some time but are struggling with slow load times, poor search rankings, and low conversions, chances are, your ecommerce platform is holding you back.
With so many to choose from, many retailers tend to start out on entry-level platforms that rely heavily on plugins. While they can be great for getting online quickly, as you grow, these can become costly and restrictive whilst making your store slow and sluggish.
Platforms like Shopify, for example, may limit your ability to optimise site structure and SEO as your product catalogue grows, reducing your visibility in organic search and increasing long-term operating costs.
On the other hand, a modern, flexible platform like Aero gives you complete control over your performance, SEO, and user experience, helping you improve speed, manage content effectively, and stay competitive as you scale.
Optimise for search
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) remains one of the most powerful drivers of ecommerce success.
93% of web traffic comes through search engines, with less than 5% of people ever making it to page two. So, getting your SEO right is key.
However, your store needs to do more than just rank - it needs to convert visitors once they land on your page.
Keyword-rich meta titles, structured URLs, and optimised product descriptions help ensure you attract the right audience while keeping them engaged.
This doesn't mean stuffing your page with keywords, but creating content that actually resonates and adds value to customers, and organically introducing your keywords where it makes sense.
Using a platform that gives you full control of your SEO - from meta fields to sitemap generation - means you can test, refine, and continually improve your rankings without being limited by rigid templates or locked-down systems.
Site speed
While nailing the layout and descriptions is important, all this will have been for nothing if your store is slow.
When it comes to ecommerce, speed equals sales. If your website takes longer than 3 seconds to load, you could lose up to 50% of potential customers.
The ideal load time is under 2 seconds, where conversion rates are highest (8.11%). Anything slower can hurt both your conversions and search visibility, especially with Google's Core Web Vitals now being a ranking factor.
Choosing a platform built with performance in mind is a great place to start.
Ben Sheppard, Lead Developer at Big Eye Deers, explains the benefits the agency has seen while using Aero:
“With the structure of Aero being so trim it means building websites are naturally faster than on some other ecommerce platforms that we use. Out of the box Aero shows off instant page loads with a fast admin experience. This is a huge benefit compared to other ecommerce platforms where we end up spending months and months trying to speed up core code.
We’re able to create quick demos locally, move changes onto a small development site and show off within a matter of minutes. At Big Eye Deers, we collaborate as a team on everything we make so being able to bring in another dev and get them up to speed ready to add their own flair is very important.”
Designing for simplicity and clarity
Great user experience blends appearance and usability.
First impressions matters: 75% of shoppers say the look and feel of a website influences whether they'll spend or not, while 38% will leave if they don't like the design.
Clean, minimalist layouts help spotlight your products and messaging, but usability is key.
Navigation should be effortless, helping customers can find what they're looking for as quickly as possible:
Keep a visible search bar on every page
Use clear categories and descriptive menu labels
Avoid menu clutter: the fewer items the better
Making it easy to move from one page to another: pages should be no more than 4 clicks away from the homepage
Offer multiple, secure payment options
These simple changes help create a more intuitive shopping experience - and boost your conversion rates in the process.
Reduce friction and cart abandonment
Cart abandonment remains one of ecommerce's biggest challenges. Roughly 68% of baskets are left behind before checkout, with 27% due to a complicated checkout process:
23% abandon their basket if they have to create a new user account.
28% abandon their basket if presented with unexpected shipping costs.
However, there are simple fixes you can implement to help prevent this.
More ways to pay: PayPal, Apple Pay and new ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ services like Klarna, as well as local payment providers for overseas customers.
Guest checkout for customers that don't want to create an account. Ensure the option to sign up remains accessible and provide an incentive for customers that do so, as this gives you with useful data and promote loyalty.
Shipping clarity: make sure shipping costs are clearly displayed on product pages.
Samantha McCarthy, Marketing Manager at Klarna, highlights why convenience and flexibility are non-negotiable:
“Shoppers require convenience, flexibility, and security from their shopping experiences - whether this is flexible payment options so they're able to “try before you buy” and better manage cash flow, or a choice of delivery options.
Klarna data shows that Gen X was the age segment that grew at the fastest rate during the lockdown period, at twice that of Gen Z (18-23). Gen X now accounts for the second largest segment of Klarna’s UK consumer spend, just behind tech-native Millennials (24-39), who have long-embraced digital payment solutions.
However, no matter their age they are looking at how they can optimise their shopping and purchasing experience.
Retailers need to prioritise shoppers’ needs for the sake of their bottom line and make sure they embrace the latest technology trends to deliver the best experience.”
Modern ecommerce platforms like Aero, allow you to integrate seamlessly with payment providers and shipping providers as you see fit, ensuring a seamless checkout experience for both retailers and their customers, and consistent performance as you grow.
Better for you and your business
Upgrading to a modern ecommerce platform doesn't just create a better destination for your customers - it simplifies your own operations too.
Aero's intuitive admin and lean architecture help your team:
Upload and update products faster
Manage orders and returns more efficiently
Sync inventory across channels in real-time
Built and test new site features with ease
The future of retail
Ecommerce is no longer just abut having a website. It's about creating a consistent, unified experience across every touchpoint.
With Aero, you get the performance, flexibility, and control needed to deliver a seamless ecommerce experience that drives loyalty and sales.
Book a personalised demo to learn how Aero Commerce can help you build faster, sell smarter, and scale with confidence.
