Shopify Growth
International shipping is killing your conversion rate: how to diagnose it
International traffic can look promising until customers see delivery cost, delivery time or duties. If the funnel collapses late, shipping is one of the first areas to inspect.
Compare funnel stages by country
Country A:
- Product view → cart: strong
- Cart → checkout: strong
- Checkout → purchase: weak
That suggests the product is attractive and the late-stage offer may be the problem.
Check shipping cost
A $25 shipping charge on a $40 order can make the purchase uneconomic.
Check delivery time
Two-week delivery can be acceptable for a unique product and unacceptable for an easily available alternative.
Check duties
Unexpected import charges create both abandonment and unhappy customers. That's a topic covered in more depth in how import duties affect international Shopify conversion rates.
Check whether ads mention availability honestly
Running "free delivery" creative globally when the offer applies only domestically creates instant trust problems.
Consider thresholds or local fulfilment
For strong international markets, local warehousing, market-specific free-shipping thresholds or different product bundles may improve economics.
International traffic disappears at checkout?
If international Meta or Google traffic gets as far as checkout and disappears, send us an inquiry. We can help determine whether shipping is the real reason.