A Comprehensive Guide To Ecommerce CRO for Better Conversions

Many eCommerce businesses hit a plateau after experiencing some successful marketing campaigns, leaving them wondering what’s next. They may consider exploring new channels or hiring an ecommerce CRO agency, but before doing so, they should optimize their existing channels, starting with their own website. 

It’s crucial to examine the conversion rate and make necessary changes, such as using plugins or modifying the design, to significantly improve the site’s performance as part of the digital marketing strategy. By enhancing the conversion rate, all marketing channels – PPC, SEO, affiliates, influencers, social media, and more – can benefit. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is around us since the early 2000s and is a great way to enhance any eCommerce store’s performance this guide provides the right strategies, tools, and eCommerce platforms to help increase conversions. Let’s begin.

What Do You Understand By Ecommerce CRO? 

CRO, also known as conversion rate optimization, refers to the technique of making improvements to your online store to enhance sales. The strategies used for this purpose may include streamlining the checkout process, enhancing the product pages, and incorporating more popups and CTAs across the website.

Top Benefits to Invest in Conversion Rate Optimization

Improves the bottom line 

One of the most obvious benefits of CRO is that it can directly improve your bottom line. By increasing the number of website visitors who take the desired action, you can increase your revenue without having to spend more on advertising or acquiring new customers. Even small improvements in conversion rates can have a significant impact on your overall revenue. 

Enhance the Sales and Increase the Efficiency of Multiple Marketing Channels 

Investing in CRO not only improves the performance of your website, but it can also have a positive impact on multiple marketing channels at once. For example, if you’re running paid search ads, improving your landing page’s conversion rate can lead to a higher Quality Score, which can lower your cost-per-click and improve your ad rank. Similarly, if you’re running email marketing campaigns, improving the user experience on your website can lead to higher click-through rates from your emails. 

Empowers your Marketing Team and Saves Costs 

Investing in CRO can also have a positive impact on your marketing team. By focusing on improving the user experience on your website, you can empower your team to make data-driven decisions and prioritize improvements based on what will have the biggest impact on your bottom line. Additionally, by improving the conversion rate of your existing website traffic, you can reduce the need to spend more on advertising or acquiring new customers. So, what are some effective methods for increasing your conversion rate?

Best Ways to Rapidly Increase Your Ecommerce Conversion Rates 

Properly Examine Your Data 

All successful conversion rate optimization (CRO) campaigns must rely on data to make informed decisions. If you lack understanding of your users’ actions on your site or your current conversion rate, how can you measure improvement? Additionally, after making changes, it’s imperative to know whether they positively or negatively impacted conversions. To have a positive impact on your bottom line, every step of a CRO campaign must be based on data, which is how top eCommerce brands make decisions. While doubling your conversion rate isn’t as simple as writing about it, we’ll break down the complex process into bite-sized chunks. We’ll also provide you with top-notch tools to simplify the process further.

It’s essential to note that CRO won’t solve a specific problem – a lack of sufficient traction at the top of the marketing funnel.

Prioritize the Top of the Funnel 

If your website is not receiving sufficient traffic, then your conversion efforts won’t yield the expected results. The first step towards improving conversion rate optimization (CRO) is by focusing on the top of the funnel, which involves driving more traffic to your website and ensuring that enough visitors reach your category and product pages. If your website is not attracting enough visitors, then CRO efforts won’t be beneficial. For instance, if the majority of your sales come from other platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Wayfair, and your website has low visibility, it is recommended to concentrate on building your brand and driving more traffic to your site before implementing CRO strategies. And for this, you may take the help of some of the best. 

Enhance Your Category Pages 

Showcase customer reviews on every category page by adding user-generated content, influencer images, and videos. Streamline your navigation menu and options for each category to make it more user-friendly. Opt for a clean layout without sidebar navigation.

Try Boosting Your Product Pages Too 

Enhance the visual appeal of your product by incorporating captivating images that effectively showcase its features. Leverage user-generated photos and videos from satisfied customers and influencers to provide a relatable perspective on your product. Consider using a product video as the primary image to give potential customers a comprehensive view of what your product has to offer. Boost the credibility of your product by displaying a “certified” badge on the primary image. 

Additionally, make it easy for customers to make informed decisions by including product reviews for each item. Lastly, pack your product description with valuable information to help customers understand the benefits and unique features of your product.

Decrease the Abandonment of Shopping Carts 

After optimizing the top of the funnel, it’s essential to evaluate the cart abandonment rate. It’s worth knowing how many potential customers add products to their shopping cart but leave before finalizing the purchase. Industry research indicates that the average cart abandonment rate is 68.81%, although it varies depending on the niche or industry. 

Moreover, the rate varies by the device used. To improve the cart page and checkout process, begin by analyzing the add-to-cart button and the cart page, then move to the checkout process and identify areas to simplify. Aggregate data can be obtained using heat maps. They provide insights into where users click the most and what items catch their attention.

Increase Your Add-to-Cart Rate 

– Feature time-limited deals prominently 

– Implement real-time notifications showcasing recent purchases (e.g., “Megan just purchased X product 2 hours ago”) 

– Utilize scarcity notifications to heighten urgency (e.g., “Only 5 left of this product”) 

– Optimize page load speeds across your site 

– Display badges and logos that establish trust, such as credit card logos and trust banners 

– Highlight your warranties and certifications as additional trust signals 

– Provide clear shipping cost information before customers reach the cart page.

Check for the Enhancement of Your Checkout Experience 

Streamline your checkout menu for easier navigation.

Simplify your shipping choices to avoid confusion.

Eliminate any extraneous fields to make the process more efficient.

Pay Attention to the User Experience 

Examine the complete journey of a user, starting from the moment they land on your website until they complete their purchase. Identify areas that require improvement. Once you have done that, what steps can you take to enhance your conversion rates?

3-Step Instructions On How to Conduct an A/B Test 

For any CRO campaign, there are three fundamental stages that must be followed.

Design Your Test with a Goal in Mind 

After obtaining the necessary data from the page or section of the marketing funnel that requires optimization, the next step is to conduct an A/B test. To do this, you will require the use of specialized software such as Google Optimizer, Optimizely, or any other alternative (which will be discussed in detail later in this article).

Go for the A/B Test 

It’s time to initiate the A/B test. As you set it in motion, ensure that ample time is allocated for data collection, which in turn relies on the overall traffic to your website.

Review the Results and Then Continue with the A/B Testings 

If you’ve tried a variation in your A/B test and it didn’t work out, don’t be disheartened. Remember, A/B testing is a way of learning, and by conducting the test, you now have more valuable data about your visitors. Use this data to create the next iteration and run the test again. To determine the significance of your A/B test results, you can use an A/B testing calculator.

If you do not see meaningful outcomes, it’s possible that you haven’t pinpointed the right pain point for your customers. To address this, you might need to reassess your strategy and revisit the customer journey map to determine if there are more significant issues that need to be addressed. For instance, you may have been focusing on testing your product pages, but it turns out that your customers are having difficulty navigating the category page. In such a case, you would need to prioritize the optimization of the category pages before moving further down the funnel.

Top 3 Ways to Accelerate Your Ecommerce Conversion Rates 

Do Trails with Your Grid Layouts 

The design of your category pages is a crucial aspect of your website. Although it may seem insignificant, the number of products displayed in each row can have a significant impact on your revenue. Initially, it was thought that there was no difference between displaying three or four products in each row. However, after conducting a test, the results showed otherwise. The original layout had one product displayed prominently, while the rest were smaller. In the modified version, a standard grid was used, and all products were the same size. This minor alteration resulted in a 17% increase in average revenue per visitor.

Optimize Your Site Speed for Mobile Users 

The significance of catering to mobile users cannot be overstated. It’s alarming to see the number of websites that neglect this aspect. Research indicates that mobile users account for 54% of all eCommerce sales. Therefore, it’s essential not only to have a responsive website but also to verify its functionality across multiple devices, such as desktops, mobiles, and tablets. It’s vital to ensure that your website appears flawless on all platforms and to enhance the speed of your website, and you can seek assistance from speed optimization services. These ecommerce speed optimization services can greatly improve your website’s performance and speed.

Show Your Customer Testimonials 

We previously discussed boosting the social proof placement on your website, and the most impactful area for this is on your product pages. Consider placing the customer testimonials directly below the product headline, preceding the description that includes important keywords.

Takeaway! 

In conclusion, implementing ecommerce CRO strategies is crucial for achieving better conversions and increasing revenue. By understanding the needs and behaviors of your target audience, conducting thorough research, and continuously testing and optimizing your website and marketing efforts, you can significantly improve your ecommerce performance. With the tips and techniques outlined in this comprehensive guide, you can take your ecommerce business to the next level and achieve greater success.

If you’re searching for an ecommerce CRO agency, Makkpress Technologies should definitely be on your list. This agency is renowned for its ability to instantly boost businesses’ conversion rates, making it one of the best agencies around.