Key takeaways
- Images and JavaScript are the usual culprits. Optimise both.
- Checkout speed is critical. Don't let it be the bottleneck.
- CDN and proper hosting matter for traffic spikes.
Slow e-commerce sites lose sales. Every second of delay costs conversions. Yet most stores still load heavy images, run too much JavaScript, and treat performance as an afterthought.
Image bloat
Product images are often huge. Use WebP or AVIF, compress aggressively, lazy load below the fold. Serve appropriately sized images—no 4K thumbnails.
JavaScript overload
Third-party scripts—analytics, chat, reviews, ads—add up. Audit what you need. Defer non-critical scripts. Consider a tag manager to control loading.
Checkout friction
Slow checkout pages kill conversions. Optimise the critical path. Reduce redirects. Consider a headless or edge-rendered checkout for speed.
Hosting and CDN
Cheap shared hosting often can't handle traffic spikes. Use a CDN for static assets. Consider edge caching for product pages.
FAQs
Often 30–50% faster with image optimisation, script deferral, and caching. More may need architectural changes.
Yes. Some platforms are faster by default. But any platform can be optimised.