CRO, conversion rate optimisation, means getting more of the visitors you already have to buy, book or enquire, by fixing the page rather than buying traffic. The average UK ecommerce conversion rate was 1.51% in January 2026.
The number: UK Website Conversion Rate Benchmarks.
What it means in practice
The mistake is buying more traffic for a page that does not convert. Doubling paid clicks to a page converting at 0.5% buys the same extra sales as lifting it to 1%, at twice the ad bill.
The move is to fix the obvious first: a price or from-price on the page, one clear call to action, a phone number that works on mobile, and a page that loads fast. Then test one change at a time.
Whito stage: Build. Fix conversion before you pay for more visitors.
The numbers to hold onto
- The average UK ecommerce conversion rate was 1.51% in January 2026. UK conversion rate benchmarks.
- A year earlier it was 1.75%. UK conversion rate benchmarks.
- Category rates ran from 0.53% for electrical and commercial equipment to 4.82% for arts and crafts. UK conversion rate benchmarks.
Where to go next
- UK conversion rate benchmarks
- Conversion optimisation for UK businesses
- More enquiries without more traffic
Related: Cost per lead, Cost per click, Advertising ROI