Keep it simple stoopid!
So before the eCom journey potentially get's completely compressed in to you just asking your personal AI Shopper to do it for you, here’s a solid framework to spot the bloat in your purchase journies and make sure you only include exactly what's required.
In it's simplest form every online sale is just a customer travelling from Need → Discovery → Purchase. If your purchase journey isn’t removing friction at each step, you’re leaving revenue on the table.
Why This Matters
Shopify merchants now have thousands of apps, channels and tactics at their fingertips. Yet global conversion rates still average < 2 % and nearly 70 % of carts are abandoned. It seems complexity, not capability, is killing growth.
When we advise brands at Inspira, we start with first principles: what is the prospective customer really trying to do? In our opinion it’s deceptively simple:
- Need – recognise a problem or desire.
- Discovery – find credible solutions.
- Purchase – complete a friction‑free transaction.
While these all unpack into large topics the top line is that if any of these aspects are slow, irrelevant or out of context the sale can evaporate.
A step‑by‑step audit
Ask yourself the following across your entire eCom operation and if anything doesn't add value to the journey, remove or improve!
What's the Need?
Make the spark obvious!
- Create compelling Funnels.
Use landing pages and ads that talk like your customer thinks. State the pain‑points in the first line. - Know your customers.
Collect zero‑party data (quizzes, preference centres) so you can speak to individual needs later. - Capitalise on AI discovery.
Make sure your product data is brilliantly structured and rich with valuable meaning.
How are you Discovered
Shorten the search!
- Avoid info overload.
Strip navigation to a handful of clear categories. Over‑categorising forces users into choice paralysis. - Forgiving/helpful search.
Invest in on‑site search that forgives typos and surfaces best‑sellers fast. - Get out of the way.
Let shoppers buy where they discover: Shopify helps with this via integrations with TikTok Shop, Instagram Checkout, Google Shopping
Easy to Purchase
Remove every ounce of friction!
- Kill extra clicks.
Migrate to Shopify’s one‑page checkout (or Shop Pay) and watch conversion lift. - Don't create unjustified barriers.
Extra required steps, no! brilliently sign posted convenience yes! - Be upfront!
Prequalify customer concerns before checkout. Surprises are the #1 cart‑killer.
Quick wins you could ship this week!
Tip: run a before/after split test—20 % of traffic on the old flow, 80 % on the simplified one. Even tiny UX tweaks often deliver double‑digit uplifts.
Beyond the first order
Yes, post purchase, loyalty, referrals and LTV matter, (read more here) but none of it happens without a clean first purchase.
Once you crack the Need → Discovery → Purchase loop, you can layer retention tactics on a solid base.
Get them in, then keep them.
Take away questions...
- Need: Can a new visitor answer “Is this for people like me?” in five seconds?
- Discovery: How many clicks (or swipes) to the most relevant product?
- Purchase: What exactly is the last piece of friction before Pay Now, and why does it still exist?
Are you ready to simplify?
If you’d like a rapid teardown of your NDP flow and a prioritised punch‑list of fixes, reach out. The Inspira team can turn optimisation insights into live revenue inside of 30 days.
Complexity is expensive. Simplicity converts.
Part of the "Everything from A to Buy & Beyond series"
