Solved: Low Sales Despite High Checkout Initiations on Meta Ads

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out and explaining the situation with your clothing brand's Meta ads. Getting a lot of initiated checkouts but very few actual sales is definitely frustrating and points to something specific going wrong late in the funnel. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on what you've shared.

What you're describing is quite common, especially for newer brands or campaigns. When you see a high number of people clicking through, adding items to their cart, and even starting the checkout process (Initiate Checkout event firing), but then they don't complete the purchase, it almost always means there's a problem right at that final stage. They've shown strong intent to buy – they like the product, the price seems okay initially – but something puts them off before they hit 'Pay Now'.

It's likely a trust or friction issue right at the end...

So, what could that 'something' be? Based on my experience with eCommerce clients seeing similar drop-offs, it often boils down to two main things: trust or unexpected friction/costs.

You mentioned you already addressed hidden fees, offering free shipping and ensuring no tax. That's excellent, as unexpected costs revealed at checkout are a massive conversion killer. People hate getting surprised by extra charges.

This leaves trust as the most probable culprit. Your point about people checking out your Instagram page and becoming skeptical due to low follower count and less activity is absolutely spot on. In today's world, especially for direct-to-consumer brands selling online, potential buyers aren't just buying the product; they're buying into the brand. Before they part with their money, particularly if they haven't heard of you before, they will likely do a quick check to see if you look legitimate, reliable, and like you'll actually deliver what you promise. A social media presence that looks inactive or has very few followers can raise big red flags for people. It makes them think, 'Is this a real business?', 'Will my order arrive?', 'Can I trust them with my card details?'. This is why they might abandon right before paying, even after getting excited enough to initiate checkout.

We've seen this with various eCommerce clients. For instance, one subscription box client struggled initially until we helped them significantly improve their website's trust signals and social media proof, alongside the ad targeting. It's not just about getting traffic; it's about converting that traffic into paying customers, which requires building confidence.

Why optimising for Purchase is key...

You also touched on the ad objective. It's completely understandable why you'd start with Initiate Checkout when the account is new and you want volume. Meta Ads thrives on data. For the algorithm to get smart at finding people likely to take a specific action, it needs lots of examples of that action happening. Initiate Checkout gives it more volume of events faster than Purchase does for a new account.

However, there's a fundamental difference between someone who *starts* the checkout process and someone who *completes* it. The intent, mindset, and user behaviour are different. Optimising for Initiate Checkout tells Meta to find people who are good at clicking 'add to cart' and starting checkout. Optimising for Purchase tells Meta to find people who are good at actually spending money.

If your ultimate goal is sales, you *must* optimise for Purchase. Yes, the initial cost per purchase might be high because Meta is learning, but you're giving it the right data to learn from. Over time, as it sees more purchases, it gets better at identifying the characteristics of users likely to convert into paying customers for your specific product. Sticking with Initiate Checkout can lead you to scale traffic and potential checkouts, but you'll likely continue seeing this high drop-off rate at the end because Meta isn't being trained to find the *right* kind of user – the one who trusts you enough to buy.

So, switching to the Purchase goal was the correct step. Give it time and budget to learn. You might see higher CPAs initially, but the goal is qualified buyers, not just checkout starters.

What you need to focus on now...

Given the situation, the most impactful areas to focus on are likely your website's final checkout process (double-check everything!) and, critically, building trust, particularly through your social media presence as you suspected.

Here are some actionable steps I'd recommend:

Refine your Instagram/Social Media Presence...

This seems like the most significant lever you can pull right now, based on your own intuition which is often right! You need to make your brand look established and trustworthy. Here’s how:

- Post more frequently: Aim for daily posts or stories if possible. This signals that you're an active, ongoing business. Even quick updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or showing how the shirts are made or worn can help.
- Maximise social proof: Make reviews, testimonials, and customer photos *really* visible. Create dedicated Instagram Story Highlights for 'Reviews', 'Customer Photos', 'Press' (if any), etc. Showcasing other happy customers is incredibly powerful for building trust with new visitors. People trust other people far more than they trust the brand itself.
- Professional look: Ensure your photos and videos are high quality. Your grid should look appealing and consistent. Professional imagery makes a huge difference.
- Engage: Respond to comments and DMs quickly. Show that there's a real person behind the brand who cares. This builds connection and trust.
- Transparency: Have clear contact information, FAQs, and return policies easily accessible. Knowing they can contact you or return an item reduces risk for the buyer.

Think of your Instagram page as a digital storefront and a trust-building tool. It needs to convince someone who just saw your ad for the first time that you are a legitimate and reputable brand worth buying from.

Double-check the Checkout Flow...

Although you mentioned sorting out hidden fees, just walk through the entire process yourself again as a customer on different devices (phone, desktop) and browsers. Look for any awkward steps, slow loading times, confusing forms, or anything that might make someone hesitate at the last moment. Sometimes, technical glitches only appear on certain setups.

Give the Purchase Campaign Time...

You've made the switch, which is good. Now you need to let it run and collect data. Meta recommends a certain number of conversion events per week (often 50) to exit the 'learning phase' and optimise effectively. If you're not getting that many purchases initially, the CPA might stay high, but it's the only way for the algorithm to learn who your actual buyers are. Don't chop and change the objective too quickly.

Overview of Recommended Actions:

Getting these foundational elements right – a trustworthy brand presence, a smooth checkout, and training the ad platform correctly – is crucial before thinking too much about scaling. You need to plug those leaks in your funnel first.

It sounds like you have a good handle on diagnosing the issue, which is a great start. Sometimes, getting an external perspective or having someone experienced with eCommerce funnels and Meta ads specifically can help identify those blind spots you might miss when you're working on it daily. It can also speed up the process of getting things working efficiently.

If you'd like to discuss this in more detail, perhaps look at your specific setup and website, we're happy to offer a free initial consultation to see if we can help further.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh