Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out and telling me about your situation with the handmade candle store and the Meta Ads performance. I've had a read through, and happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on what you've shared, specifically looking at that frustrating drop-off you're seeing after people add items to their cart.
It's completely understandable to feel stuck when you're putting budget into ads and not seeing the return you expect. That ROAS of 0.85x is indeed tough, especially for a new store. But the fact that people are adding to cart (5% rate is actually pretty decent!) tells us a few important things. It suggests your ads are reaching *some* potentially relevant audience, your product photos and initial descriptions are appealing enough to get someone interested, and your site isn't scaring everyone away immediately. The critical bottleneck, as you've rightly identified, is happening right at the final hurdle.
Based on my experience helping eCommerce businesses, particularly those selling unique or handmade items where trust is a big factor, that significant drop-off between add-to-cart and completed purchase almost always points to issues within the final checkout flow or a lack of sufficient trust signals on the site at that crucial point. It's the 'last mile' where potential customers get cold feet.
Let's look at the Offer and Checkout Process...
When someone gets to the cart or initiates checkout, they are often presented with the final costs and options. Are there any unexpected surprises lurking there? For example, are the shipping costs suddenly much higher than they anticipated? This is a super common killer of sales. People add items expecting a certain total, and if shipping adds significantly to that, many will abandon the cart immediately. You need to make sure your shipping policy and costs are clear and visible well before they get to the checkout summary page. Maybe a shipping calculator or a note about free shipping over a certain amount (if applicable) could help earlier in the journey.
Also, consider the payment options you offer. Are they standard and convenient for your target audience? Do you accept major cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.? The more options you offer, the fewer reasons someone has to abandon because their preferred method isn't available.
The checkout process itself needs to be as smooth, fast, and frictionless as possible. Try going through the entire purchase process yourself, on both a desktop computer and a mobile phone. Is it clunky? Does it load slowly between steps? Does it require too many steps or too much information? The fewer clicks and fields someone has to fill out, the better. Any friction here can lead to drop-offs. Think about guest checkout options versus requiring account creation – guest checkout is often preferred for first-time buyers.
...and crucially, the Trust factor.
This is often underestimated, especially for newer online stores selling products like handmade candles. People are being asked to enter sensitive payment information onto a website they may have just discovered. They need to feel absolutely comfortable and secure doing so.
Think back to the cleaning products eCommerce client I mentioned previously. Getting their ROAS up required a significant focus on building trust on teh site, particularly at the point where people were considering making a purchase. For handmade items, this is even more vital as people are buying into the craftsmanship and the person/story behind the product, not just a generic manufactured item.
Here are some trust signals that can make a big difference, especially visible around the product pages, cart, and checkout area:
-> Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Social proof is powerful. Have a section for product reviews, and ideally, showcase some glowing testimonials prominently. If you've sold via other platforms like Etsy, mentioning that and perhaps linking to your profile there can add a layer of credibility, leveraging the trust people already have in those platforms. Even just a few genuine reviews can start to build confidence.
-> Clear Contact Information: Make it easy for people to contact you if they have questions. A clear email address, maybe a phone number (even if it's just for text or voicemail initially), and a physical address (if appropriate, like a studio address) can make the business feel more legitimate and accessible.
-> Social Media Presence: If you have active social media profiles (Instagram is likely great for candles!), link to them. Seeing an active community, behind-the-scenes posts, or photos of happy customers can build connection and trust. Even if your following is small, activity is key.
-> Transparent Policies: Your returns policy and shipping policy should be easy to find and clearly written. People want to know that if something goes wrong, they can return it or get help. Uncertainty here can be a barrier to purchase.
-> Trust Badges: Display logos of the payment providers you accept (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, etc.). Security badges (like SSL certificates, often shown as a padlock in the browser bar, but sometimes displayed on the page itself) can also reassure users that their data is secure. Even a simple statement about secure payment processing can help.
-> 'About Us' Story: For handmade products, your story is part of the appeal. Have a compelling 'About Us' page that tells the story behind your candles. Show photos of you making them, explain your passion, and highlight what makes them unique. This builds a personal connection and trust in you as the maker.
You mentioned looking at the basic website metrics and that they 'aren't great'. While the 5% add-to-cart is decent, there might be other issues affecting trust or the overall user experience even before the cart. Things like site speed (a slow site feels unprofessional and can cause impatience), or a cluttered layout (making it hard to find information or feel confident navigating) can also contribute to people dropping off, even if they initially like the product enough to add it to the cart. The general eCommerce critique example highlighted how a cluttered start page and lack of clear product descriptions/images can impact perceived trustworthiness.
So, while targeting *can* always be refined (and you should absolutely test different audiences), the fact that people are getting *to* the cart suggests the primary levers to pull right now are around the checkout process, the final offer presentation (especially shipping/taxes), and massively boosting trust signals throughout the site, particularly in the latter stages of the funnel.
Here's a quick overview of the actionable steps I'd recommend focusing on:
| Area | Recommended Action(s) |
|---|---|
| Offer/Pricing Clarity | Ensure shipping costs & tax are clearly displayed *before* the final checkout summary. Review your shipping pricing - is it competitive? Are there options for different shipping speeds/costs? Consider adding free shipping over a certain order value. |
| Checkout Process | Go through the checkout flow yourself on desktop & mobile - is it fast, smooth, and simple? Minimise the number of steps and required fields. Offer guest checkout. Ensure common payment methods are available. |
| Website Trust | Implement and prominently display customer reviews/testimonials. Add links to active social media profiles. If you sell on Etsy/other platforms, mention or link to them. Provide clear contact information and a physical address if appropriate. Display payment processor logos and security badges. Tell your brand/maker story ('About Us'). Ensure clear returns & shipping policies are easily found. Improve site speed and design clarity if needed (less clutter, professional look). |
Implementing these improvements won't necessarily solve everything overnight, but addressing the offer, checkout, and trust issues directly targets the point in the funnel where you're seeing the biggest drop-off. It's about converting the interest you're already generating with your ads and product appeal into actual sales.
Getting paid advertising to work consistently, especially for a new eCommerce brand, is definitely a journey that requires careful analysis, testing, and iteration. You're doing the right thing by looking at your metrics and trying to diagnose the problem areas.
Sometimes, having an experienced pair of eyes look at the entire setup – from the ad targeting and creative to the website experience, funnel flow, and offer – can uncover issues that aren't immediately obvious. We've seen with various clients, including in eCommerce and SaaS where funnel optimisation and trust are key, that seemingly small changes can lead to significant improvements in conversion rates and ultimately, ROAS. Whether it's refining targeting, improving ad creative, split testing landing page elements, or optimising the checkout flow and trust signals, each step contributes to bringing down that effective cost per acquisition.
If you'd like to delve deeper into this and get a more tailored analysis of your specific store and ad setup, we'd be happy to offer you a free consultation. We can take a look at your Meta Ads account structure, targeting, creative, and walk through your website together to identify the most impactful changes you could make.
Hope this initial guidance gives you a clear direction for tackling that post-add-to-cart drop-off.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
