How to Use Heatmaps for UX Audits in E-commerce

Heatmaps show how people behave on a website — where they click, how far they scroll, and which parts of the page get ignored. In e-commerce, this helps identify what draws attention, what gets missed, and where users drop off.

During a UX audit, heatmaps are often used to support design decisions. They reveal hidden friction points: missed buttons, weak visual hierarchy, or content placed too far down the page.

This article explains how to use heatmaps in UX audits for e-commerce. You’ll learn which types to focus on, what patterns to look for, and how to apply the insights to improve usability and increase conversions.

Why Use Heatmaps in UX Audits

Heatmaps give quick visual answers to common UX questions. Instead of guessing why users leave or miss something, you can see what they interact with and what they ignore.

In e-commerce, even small UX issues can affect conversions. A misplaced button, a confusing filter, or a product detail placed too far down the page can lead users to drop off before completing a purchase. Heatmaps help spot these problems early.

They are especially useful for mid to large e-commerce businesses with steady traffic. If your website gets thousands or even hundreds of thousands of visits, heatmaps can quickly reveal patterns that would be hard to catch manually.

Here’s what heatmaps can help you detect:

• Missed or ignored CTAs
• Overlooked product details
• Unintended clicks on static elements
• Content that’s too far down the page
• Differences in mobile and desktop behavior
• When users use the site differently than intended

Used together with other tools like session recordings and analytics, heatmaps make it easier to understand how users move through a page and what’s stopping them from completing their journey.

Heatmap Views and What They Show

Different types of heatmaps highlight different aspects of user behavior. In a UX audit, each type plays a specific role in understanding how people interact with the interface.

Click maps show where users tap or click. They help identify which elements get the most attention, where users expect interaction, and whether buttons or links are placed effectively.

Scroll maps reveal how far down the page users go. This shows which content is seen by most visitors and which parts are missed because they are too low on the page.

Movement or attention maps track where the user’s cursor moves or pauses. These are often used as an indicator of what areas attract the most focus, especially on desktops.

Each of these heatmaps adds context to user behavior. Together, they show what people see, what they try to do, and where they lose interest.

How to Use Heatmaps During a UX Audit

Heatmaps are most useful when they’re not used in isolation. To get real insights, they should be part of a structured UX audit process — one that includes user flow analysis, session recordings, and analytics data.

The first step is to choose the right pages. In e-commerce, this usually means the product catalog, product detail pages, filters, cart, and checkout. These are the screens where users make key decisions and where friction often leads to lost sales.

Next, let the heatmaps collect data. Tools like Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar need time to gather enough sessions. For sites with decent traffic, a few days may be enough. For smaller projects, it may take a week or more. The more data you have, the clearer the patterns.

Once the maps are ready, start the analysis. Review the heatmaps alongside session recordings to understand what users are trying to do. Focus on areas where user behavior suggests confusion or friction.

Here are a few things to look for:

• Clicks on non-interactive elements. This often means users think something is clickable, but nothing happens. It’s a common cause of frustration.
• Missed CTAs. If important buttons don’t get clicked, the problem may be with visibility, placement, or wording.
• Shallow scroll depth. If most users don’t reach key content, it may be too far down the page or the top content isn’t motivating them to keep going.
• Repeated actions. If people click the same element multiple times or scroll up and down frequently, it can indicate uncertainty or poor layout.
• Uneven interaction. If user attention is scattered with no clear focus, the hierarchy may need improvement.

During one audit, we noticed users constantly tapping a green product label, expecting it to be a link. It wasn’t. The visual styling implied interactivity. After adding a proper CTA there, drop-offs from that section decreased.

It’s also important to consider mobile and desktop separately. Behavior differs between the two, especially when it comes to scrolling, visibility, and interaction size.

After identifying patterns, group the issues into categories and connect them to specific design recommendations. For example, if people keep missing product configuration options, the UI may need better grouping, spacing, or labels.  

Finally, use heatmaps to support your recommendations visually. Screenshots with heatmap overlays are easy to understand, even for non-designers, and they help explain why a change is needed.

Typical UX Issues Revealed by Heatmaps

Heatmaps often highlight problems that aren’t visible in analytics tools. You may know users are leaving, but not what exactly makes them stop. Visual data helps connect the dots.

These are some of the most common issues we’ve seen during UX audits.

Users click on static elements

Sometimes labels, badges, or highlighted text look like buttons. If users click these repeatedly and nothing happens, it creates frustration. This is a common cause of drop-offs on product pages.

On one project, a green label that said “Available in showroom” caused hundreds of rage clicks. Users thought it would open a list of showrooms. It didn’t. Turning it into an actual button reduced frustration and improved flow.

Important buttons are ignored

When calls to action don’t get attention, the issue is often with placement or visual priority. Heatmaps make it clear when CTAs are too low, too small, or competing with other elements.

We’ve seen “Add to cart” buttons placed so low on the mobile view that users never scrolled to them.

Content is placed too far down the page

Scroll maps often show that users don’t reach key product information, shipping details, or add-to-cart sections. On mobile, this is especially common when the layout pushes content down.

Interaction feels scattered

If clicks are spread across the page with no clear focus, it may mean the layout lacks hierarchy. The user doesn’t know what to look at or where to go next.

Repeated clicks on the same element

This usually means one of two things. Either the element looks interactive but isn’t, or it’s not working as expected. In both cases, the design needs to be clearer or more responsive.

One common case: tapping price-related text, expecting it to expand with more info.

Filter sections are too complex

In product catalogs, poorly designed filters often lead to shallow interaction. Users open dropdowns, try to apply filters, and leave without finding results. Heatmaps reveal where they give up.

These issues aren’t always obvious at first. But once you spot the patterns, they’re hard to unsee. Fixing them doesn’t always require a full redesign. Sometimes it’s enough to move a button, reduce noise, or change the layout on mobile.

Mobile vs Desktop: Key Differences in Heatmap Behavior

User behavior changes a lot between mobile and desktop. Heatmaps make these differences easy to spot and important to consider when planning UX updates.

Less space means less visibility

On desktop, most key elements like product titles, prices, and CTAs can fit above the fold. On mobile, those same elements often get pushed down. Scroll maps usually show a sharper drop off on mobile screens. Important content may never be seen unless it is placed high.

Taps are less precise than clicks

Buttons that are close together or too small often cause mistaps on mobile. Heatmaps sometimes show scattered or overlapping tap patterns, especially around filters, product configurations, or delivery options. On desktop, clicks are usually more accurate and focused.

Sticky elements work better on mobile

Users on mobile tend to scroll more and switch between sections. Keeping actions like Add to cart or price details fixed to the screen helps reduce friction. In one case, we added a sticky CTA to a product page and saw users stop scrolling up and down just to check the price.

Hover effects do not apply

Elements that rely on hover states, like showing extra info or buttons, do not work the same way on mobile. If key actions are only visible on hover, mobile users will not find them. Heatmaps can reveal when buttons are simply not being tapped on touch devices.

Touch-friendly design matters more

Small clickable areas on desktop may still work, but they fail on mobile. If multiple taps land near the same spot or rage clicks appear on mobile but not desktop, that is usually a sign that buttons need more space and padding.

Always review mobile and desktop heatmaps separately. A layout that performs well on one can cause serious issues on the other. It is not just about screen size. It is about how users move, scroll, and interact.

How to Apply Heatmap Insights to Design Improvements

Once patterns are clear, the next step is turning them into changes. Heatmaps show what needs attention. The goal is to adjust the layout so users can move through the site without friction.

If users miss a button, move it higher. If they click static text, turn it into something interactive. If they stop scrolling too early, shorten the page or improve the first visible content to keep them engaged.

Start with the pages that drive revenue. In e-commerce, that is usually the product page, catalog, and checkout. A small change in one of these areas can have a big impact on conversions.

Check if problems appear on both desktop and mobile. If they do, solve them for each layout separately. What works on a large screen may need a different solution on a small one.

Make changes that are easy to test. Updating button styles, rearranging content, or fixing spacing can often be done without a full redesign. Track user behavior after updates to see if the change worked.

Support your design suggestions with visuals. Use screenshots from heatmaps to explain what users are doing and why something needs to change. This helps everyone on the team understand the reasoning behind your decisions.

Wrap-up

Heatmaps help identify friction in the user journey and support design decisions with visual data. Used together with session recordings and analytics, they give a clearer view of how people interact with your site.

Focus on high-impact pages. Start with simple changes. Track behavior after updates. 

We recently took part in a UX research study by GoodFirms, which revealed that 50.4% of startup businesses revamp their mobile UX every few months. This shows how important regular design updates are for growth.

If you are planning a UX audit or want to improve conversions, we can help. At Stubbs, we use heatmaps and behavioral data to design better e-commerce experiences.