Tom Banner is a UX designer with 8 years of experience specialising in ecommerce conversion optimisation. He has audited and redesigned product pages, checkout flows, and mobile experiences for hundreds of Shopify stores, including brands like Wahl, Vionic, and Farer. His audit methodology is grounded in Baymard Institute research and Nielsen Norman Group usability principles, with a focus on identifying the specific friction points costing stores the most revenue. Every audit, redesign, and annotated report that leaves Uxitt has Tom's eye behind it.
Articles by Tom Banner
19 May 2026 · 11 min read
The Best Shopify UX Audit Services in 2026 (Honestly Compared)
Eight Shopify UX audit services compared on price, turnaround, deliverable quality, and whether they can actually implement what they find. A straightforward comparison for store owners who want more than a PDF.
19 May 2026 · 7 min read
How to Choose a Shopify UX Audit Service: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Not all Shopify UX audit services deliver the same thing. These 7 questions will tell you whether a service is worth buying, before you hand over your money.
19 May 2026 · 7 min read
Oddit Alternatives for Shopify UX Audits (2026)
Oddit has pivoted toward AI shopping optimization and raised prices significantly. If you're looking for a traditional Shopify UX audit, here are five services that now cover that ground more directly.
19 May 2026 · 9 min read
Productized Audit vs CRO Agency Retainer: Which Is Right for Your Shopify Store?
CRO agency retainers cost £3,000–£15,000 per month. Productized audits cost £370–£1,500 once. Here's how to decide which model makes sense for your Shopify store right now, and when the answer changes.
19 May 2026 · 8 min read
Red Flags When Hiring a Shopify CRO Agency (And What to Look for Instead)
Most Shopify CRO agencies sell a service that is mismatched to most stores' actual needs. These eight red flags will help you spot the ones to avoid before you commit to a costly retainer.
19 May 2026 · 8 min read
Shopify UX Audit vs CRO Audit: What's the Difference and Which Do You Need?
UX audit and CRO audit are used interchangeably, but they describe different things. This guide explains what each one actually covers, where they overlap, and how to decide which is the right starting point for your Shopify store.
10 May 2026 · 10 min read
The Best Shopify CRO Tools in 2026 (and What Each One Actually Does)
A no-fluff guide to the Shopify CRO tools worth using in 2026. Heatmaps, session recording, A/B testing, review platforms, and checkout optimization — what each tool does and when to use it.
10 May 2026 · 8 min read
How Much Does a Shopify UX Audit Cost? (2026 Pricing Guide)
Shopify UX audit pricing ranges from £0 to £25,000+ depending on what you're actually buying. This guide breaks down every tier, what you get at each price point, and how to decide what's right for your store.
10 May 2026 · 7 min read
Shopify Conversion Rate Benchmarks: What's a Good CVR in 2026?
What conversion rate should your Shopify store be hitting? Real benchmarks by industry, traffic source, and device — and what separates 1.5% stores from 3%+ stores.
10 May 2026 · 9 min read
Dawn vs Impulse vs Prestige: Which Shopify Theme Has the Best UX?
Comparing the UX of Shopify's most popular themes: Dawn, Impulse, and Prestige. Variant selectors, mobile experience, product page layout, checkout readiness, and speed — side by side.
10 May 2026 · 7 min read
Shopify UX Audit vs A/B Testing: Which Should You Do First?
A/B testing and UX audits both improve conversions — but they work very differently. Here's why most Shopify stores do it in the wrong order, and how to decide which approach to use first.
10 May 2026 · 7 min read
What to Do After a Shopify UX Audit: A Step-by-Step Action Plan
Most stores receive a UX audit and then do very little with it. Here's the exact sequence to follow — from reading the report to measuring results — so your audit actually moves the needle.
8 May 2026 ·
Shopify Mobile UX: Why Slow and Clunky Mobile Experiences Kill Sales
Fix your Shopify mobile UX with actionable tips on touch targets, page speed, layout, and navigation that directly improve mobile conversion rates.
30 April 2026 · 7 min read
How to Test Your Shopify Store's UX Without a Designer
You don't need a UX agency to find the biggest problems on your Shopify store. These practical techniques will surface friction points quickly and for free.
29 April 2026 · 5 min read
Typography and Shopify Conversions: What Your Fonts Are Saying About Your Brand
Typography is one of the most overlooked conversion variables on Shopify stores. The wrong fonts, sizes, or spacing can undermine trust and make your store harder to use.
28 April 2026 · 6 min read
Shopify Cart UX: The Small Changes That Reduce Abandonment
Cart abandonment sits at around 70% across ecommerce. Much of that is caused by UX friction that's entirely fixable. Here's where to look and what to change.
27 April 2026 · 7 min read
5 UX Principles Every Shopify Store Owner Should Understand
You don't need a design degree to make good UX decisions. These five principles will help you think more clearly about your Shopify store and catch problems before they cost you.
24 April 2026 · 6 min read
How to Design a High-Converting Shopify Sale Page
Sale pages are some of the highest-traffic pages on a Shopify store — and some of the worst designed. Here's how to build a sale page that actually converts.
23 April 2026 · 5 min read
Shopify Footer UX: Why Your Footer Matters More Than You Think
Visitors who reach your footer are still engaged. Most Shopify footers waste that attention. Here's what your footer should be doing for conversions.
22 April 2026 · 5 min read
Pop-Up UX on Shopify: When They Work and When They Hurt
Pop-ups are one of the most debated tools in ecommerce. Used well, they capture leads and reduce abandonment. Used badly, they destroy UX and annoy your best customers.
21 April 2026 · 5 min read
White Space in Ecommerce UX: Why Less Is More for Shopify Conversions
Most Shopify stores are too busy. White space isn't wasted space — it's one of the most powerful tools for directing attention and improving conversions.
20 April 2026 · 8 min read
Shopify Product Image UX: The Visual Mistakes That Kill Conversions
Product images are the closest thing to a physical experience your visitors get. Here's where most DTC brands get image UX wrong — and what high-converting stores do instead.
17 April 2026 · 6 min read
Ecommerce Copywriting and UX: Why Your Words Are a Design Problem
Bad copy creates friction just like bad layout does. Here's how to think about the words on your Shopify store as a UX problem, and what to fix first.
16 April 2026 · 6 min read
Shopify Site Search UX: Why Poor Search Is Costing You Sales
Visitors who use site search are your most purchase-ready customers. Most Shopify stores serve them badly. Here's what good search UX looks like.
15 April 2026 · 5 min read
The Psychology of Colour in Shopify Store Design
Colour isn't decoration — it's a conversion tool. Here's how DTC brands use colour psychology to guide attention, build trust, and get more add-to-carts.
14 April 2026 · 6 min read
What Is a UX Audit? A Plain-English Guide for Shopify Store Owners
A UX audit is a systematic review of your store's user experience — identifying where visitors drop off, hesitate, or get confused before buying. Here's what it actually involves.
28 March 2026 · 5 min read
Variant Selector UX: Why Dropdowns Are Killing Your Add-to-Cart Rate
Swapping dropdowns for visual selectors is one of the highest-ROI UX changes a Shopify store can make. Here's the data, and exactly how to do it.
22 March 2026 · 6 min read
Mobile Checkout UX: Why 70% of Mobile Shoppers Abandon (And How to Stop It)
Mobile accounts for the majority of ecommerce traffic but sees far higher abandonment than desktop. These are the specific friction points responsible, and how to eliminate them.
18 March 2026 · 6 min read
Your store looks good. Here's why it's still not converting.
Low conversion rates aren't random. There are five friction points that kill almost every Shopify store, and most owners don't even know they're there.
10 March 2026 · 7 min read
The Shopify Product Page Audit: 10 Elements That Determine Whether Someone Buys
Your product page does the heaviest lifting in your store. These are the ten elements that most directly determine whether a visitor adds to cart, or leaves.
27 February 2026 · 5 min read
Most Shopify heroes waste the only scroll-free space you get
You have three seconds to convince a visitor they're in the right place. Here's what the first viewport of your Shopify store should and shouldn't be doing.
20 February 2026 · 5 min read
Shoppers decide whether to trust you in 3 seconds
Most stores know they need trust signals. Most have them in the wrong place, the wrong format, or the wrong specificity. Here's what the research actually shows.
10 February 2026 · 4 min read
The Hidden Cost of Surprise Fees: Why Checkout Transparency Boosts Conversions
Unexpected shipping and tax costs at checkout are the number one cause of cart abandonment. Surfacing them earlier is one of the quickest conversion wins available to Shopify stores.
30 January 2026 · 6 min read
Your collection page is losing sales before anyone clicks a product
Collection pages are where browsers become buyers, or leave. Here's what separates a collection page that converts from one that just displays products.
20 January 2026 · 5 min read
Shopify Site Speed and Conversion Rate: What the Data Actually Shows
A one-second delay in load time can cost you 7% of conversions. Here's how to audit your Shopify store's speed and which fixes deliver the fastest results.
12 January 2026 · 8 min read
Bad navigation is invisible until someone leaves without buying
Navigation problems rarely announce themselves with a sudden drop in conversions. They work quietly, making it harder for visitors to find products until they give up and leave.
5 January 2026 · 5 min read
How Reviews Are Displayed Matters as Much as Having Them
Most Shopify stores have reviews. Far fewer display them in a way that actually drives conversions. Here's the UX detail that separates effective social proof from decorative noise.
18 December 2025 · 4 min read
Guest Checkout vs. Forced Account Creation: The Data-Backed Answer
Forcing shoppers to create an account before checkout is one of the most common and damaging Shopify checkout mistakes. Here's what the data shows, and how to fix it.
5 December 2025 · 5 min read
Your homepage has one job - most Shopify stores fail it
Most Shopify homepages look fine. Few of them do their actual job: convincing a stranger they're in the right place and giving them a clear reason to explore. Here's how to fix that.
Find your conversion leaks.
A focused expert review of your store with Figma redesigns and a Loom walkthrough. Pick one page or get the full picture.