Updated on 26 October 2026. More tools or traffic do not guarantee growth. First investigate where your shop loses customers or contribution. Then choose one change with a spending cap and review date. These checks help a small Netherlands-based shop set priorities.
Start with a baseline
Record orders, cancellations, returns, revenue excluding VAT and labour hours over a useful period. Account for seasonality and promotions before comparing periods.
Choose one customer question
Group recent questions by product, size, delivery and ordering. Record missing information and how often each question appeared in your own period. Choose a recurring problem you can resolve; one angry response or compliment is not a representative customer study.
Assess the platform against tasks
Try a product edit, stock correction and refund. Do not migrate for a growth promise; calculate setup, transfer, maintenance and testing first.
Investigate friction
Give a tester a task without the solution, such as finding a bag that fits their laptop. Ask them to say which information they are looking for. Note the obstacle before helping. Repeat the task after one change; use the session to find problems, not forecast a conversion rate.
Make navigation understandable
Use categories customers recognise. Add filters when the catalogue and data justify them; incorrect filters can hide suitable products.
Check mobile use and speed
Test readability, controls and checkout on an actual phone. Measure slow pages before choosing fixes. One universal speed threshold does not explain revenue changes.
Provide decision information
Show genuine photographs, dimensions, materials, use and limitations. Avoid minimum word counts: the information needed depends on the product.
Test complete checkout
Check delivery charges, payment status, errors and confirmation. Test failed payments and refunds too; one successful payment does not prove the full workflow.
Choose one acquisition experiment
Do not launch five channels at once. Choose an audience and offer for which you have information, time and budget.
Improve search fundamentals
Check accessibility, clear titles, product information and internal links. Structured data must reflect visible content and guarantees no search appearance.
Budget paid search
Set a loss limit and review relevant searches. Calculate contribution after returns; a high click-through rate does not prove profit.
Test social with one hypothesis
For example, compare a demonstration and product photograph for the same offer. There is no permanently winning format or guaranteed extra reach.
Use email lawfully and relevantly
Check consent or the applicable legal exception, provide easy unsubscribe and assess actual orders. There is no universally guaranteed email ROI.
Calculate the complete trial
Fictional example: €100 media plus four hours at €25 totals €200. Ten new buyers mean €20 acquisition per customer including labour, before overheads.
Reconcile reports with orders
Explain differences from consent, attribution, refunds and dates. Do not collect more personal data simply because analytics software allows it.
Choose an appropriate research method
With few orders, a moderated usability session may be more useful than an underpowered A/B test. Record limitations and changes.
Simplify before personalising
A use-case guide may suffice. Behavioural profiles require extra data, management and legal grounds; they are not a startup requirement.
Check operations behind the storefront
Revenue growth with more complaints or unaffordable workload is not a proven improvement. Include fulfilment in every trial.
Keep saleable stock accurate
Separate returns under inspection from saleable stock. Test integrations for error handling and synchronisation limits.
Promise feasible delivery
Use actual processing time and carrier agreements. Environmental or speed claims require evidence and a delay-handling process.
Check returns information
Make withdrawal, costs, address and process understandable. Check applicable exceptions rather than excluding everything made after ordering.
Measure service workload
Record questions and resolution time per order. Improve information for recurring questions and reserve time for genuine problems.
Assess new tools critically
Ask which existing problem a tool solves and what recurring costs apply. A roadmap is not an available feature.
Use AI with fact-checking
Do not let AI invent materials, certifications or reviews. Measure correction work before assuming time savings.
Justify architecture changes
Consider headless only for a concrete limitation with available maintenance capacity. Include upkeep and fallback in quotes.
Make claims specific
Keep evidence for origin and environmental claims. Smaller packaging does not establish that an entire product is sustainable.
AI search requires no special markup
Google specifies no additional technical AI requirements or special schema types for AI Overviews. Work on indexability and helpful content. FAQ schema is not required for a shop and does not guarantee visibility.
Plan the next decision
Record continue, change or stop, with reasons and costs. Read the advertising test plan if paid reach is your chosen next step.
Sources and checks
Primary sources checked on 26 October 2026: Google: AI features and your website; Google: helpful content; Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens: tracking cookies; ACM: informatie vóór en na de koop.
