Many e-commerce businesses struggle to get the kind of profit and sales they dream of,
And they don’t really know why that is.
To begin with, optimizing everything about your store to make it most conducive for conversions is a viable solution to this struggle.
And that’s where CRO — Conversion Rate Optimization — comes in.
In case you aren’t familiar with the term, it is trying to increase the number of visitors that carry out a desired action in your store(or convert),
By using systematic processes.
Sounds simple if read like that, but most businesses struggle with CRO and can’t find a way to optimize many of their marketing efforts for maximum conversions.
There are many ways to go about CRO,
But one of the best ways to optimize for the best content, ads, copy, etc. for your store is to carry out what we call: A/B Tests.
This is just testing one idea against another to see which performs/converts better.
Many e-commerce business owners don’t know what to test for, or they leave important factors out of the optimization phase.
That’s why this blog will cover the top factors in your store to A/B test so you can max out your CVR.
So let’s get into it…
1. Product Descriptions and Copywriting
Improving your product description can significantly boost your CVR,
As well as your MRR(Monthly Recurring Revenue) and sales in eCommerce.
Coming up with a ‘winning product description’ involves loads and loads of testing,
As well as refining(sometimes revamping) based on cold hard data, and this is a process that truly never ends.
To come up with a compelling product description to even test in the first place, consider:
Starting with a concise description that paints a vivid picture of how your product solves a problem or fulfills a need.
Highlighting the benefits using bullet points for clarity.
Providing clear instructions on how to use the product.
Detailing what comes in the package.
Addressing potential doubts or objections that the customer might have.
Sharing a brief story about the product or founder.
Additionally, ensure your copy is simple, specific, and emotionally resonant, aiming to appeal to both the buyer’s emotions and reason.
When testing your product description, focus on the main unique aspect of your product rather than mentioning every single detail that the customer might not even care about.
Instead, you should focus on your unique mechanism.
If your product touches a clear pain point, acknowledge that customers may have tried similar solutions before and address their primary objection:
“Will it work this time?”
“Why?”
Your unique mechanism should address two key points:
Why existing solutions fall short, providing specific examples.
How your product differs and offers a better solution.
By emphasizing your unique selling proposition(USP) and effectively addressing your customer’s concerns, you can create a product description that drives a ton of conversions and sales.
2. Test Images, Videos & Autoplay
Visual content like images are undeniably impactful on your customers,
But video is often seen as a better form of visual content, and that’s mostly because of its dynamic nature.
However, the value of images should not be overlooked.
Although photos possess inherent limitations, video emerges as the next evolution in effectively demonstrating products and conveying their essence.
Images have obvious limitations as they’re static and can not effectively communicate the use and feel of your product.
Unlike videos, which are dynamic and can effectively communicate this with ease.
Many e-commerce brands incorporate some sort of video description of the product use and feel at the very beginning of the site,
While others use these “VSL style” videos instead that could depict maybe their customer reviews, or an explanation of the product’s Unique mechanism.
If you haven’t ventured into product videos yet, it’s worth conducting A/B tests comparing multiple videos to see which performs best,
Testing whether autoplay is ideal for your store’s page or not,
And testing them against static photos to gauge their impact.
However, it’s important to note that certain products may still resonate better with static imagery than with videos.
So consider experimenting with both formats to ascertain which resonates best with your audience. Otherwise, you risk missing out on valuable insights.
3. Opt-ins & Email Promotion
To cater to first-time website visitors effectively, you should explore various email promotion strategies or alternative email opt-in methods.
Note that not every visitor will immediately convert and become a customer, and that’s fine, even normal.
That’s why it is essential to maintain communication with these “yet-to-convert” customers.
And the best way to do this is to find a way to get their email addresses and/or phone numbers.
One method involves offering customers a flat discount on their next purchase in exchange for their email address,
Thereby using their emails for future marketing communication that will eventually yield sales.
Customers receive a discount code, while you get a potential purchase, whether immediately or in the future.
Additionally, you can conduct A/B testing on different email collection forms, such as:
Pop-up offers
Email signup forms
Lead magnets (e.g., free ebook)
Exit-intent pop-ups
Gamification techniques (e.g., “spin the wheel for X% discount”)
Offering special discounts or creating a sense of urgency (e.g., FOMO sales) for those who provide their email within a specific timeframe
However, it’s worth noting that some users may perceive the “spin the wheel” discount opt-in as overly common or gimmicky.
The popup is one of the most used email collection forms overall time and is something you could consider using in your store,
But to determine its effectiveness for your specific audience and website, thorough A/B testing is essential.
4. Website Format/Layout
You should also consider A/B testing your store’s design and format.
We’ve run multiple e-commerce stores and we found that our most converting websites followed a particular format.
We call this format “Message Hierarchy” and you can set up a website that’s fully optimized with this format,
And also get a store that’s generating over 6 and 7 figures in revenue by clicking here.
You should test different website formats and designs and see which converts best.
Note that A/B testing your website doesn’t mean taking down your current website to run a totally new one,
It means coming up with a new design and format for your website and building it out,
Then you share the visitors that come to your page evenly between the two websites.
Funny enough, the change that will skyrocket your conversions could be as small as moving the testimonials section elsewhere on your page.
5. Easy & Ordered Checkout Process
Not so many things are as frustrating as enduring a checkout process that seems to stretch endlessly.
People crave a sense of control, and it’s your responsibility to provide it.
That’s why most checkout pages show the remaining steps in the checkout process so the customers have a sense of what’s to come,
And don’t get bombarded with surprise steps.
Another thing to note is that numbered lists usually outperform unordered lists(as you already know by now).
That’s why A/B testing multiple progress indicators on your checkout page is important as it could easily increase your CVR.
Different security badges and trust signals can wield significant influence over your customers’ trust.
While there may be several reasons why a customer might want to purchase your product, there are countless reasons why they might hesitate.
Thus, it’s vital to address any objections and instill confidence in your brand.
Security badges serve as potent trust signals, assuring customers of the safety of their transactions.
Consider A/B testing a range of badges and credibility signals like:
Safe checkout badges
Free shipping and return badges
Accepted payment methods
Third-party endorsements
Money-back guarantees
Product guarantees (e.g., vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.)
6. Test Multiple Value Propositions
Your value proposition is a way to resonate with your customers in very few sentences.
Hence, it is only reasonable to experiment with different iterations until you discover the one that connects the most with your target demographic.
You should understand that your brand’s value proposition, or even your tagline, may go through lots and lots of revisions.
Essentially, your goal is to convey — as concisely as possible — what you offer and why you’re good at it.
Testing various wordings is also important for pinpointing the most effective version of your value proposition.
Beneath your value proposition, experimentation with explanatory text can further refine your message.
7. A/B Test Your Emails
Email testing provides valuable insights that are similar to testing your organic content or your ads.
It helps you better understand your audience and identify which offers lead to higher conversion rates.
However, the possibilities for testing within email marketing are extensive, and listing them all would be more tiring to read for you than it is to type.
Here are several ideas for elements you can test in your emails:
Subject lines
Email length
Word order (affects your CTR)
Content
Personalization
Visuals
Use of images
Style
Copywriting
etc.
Although testing all these elements may seem daunting, it’s well worth your while to conduct A/B tests and refine your eCommerce email strategies.
When executed effectively, email marketing can generate over 40% of your revenue in eCommerce.
Start by establishing essential eCommerce email flows, including:
Welcome emails
Cart abandonment emails
Browse abandonment emails
Product replenishment emails
Post-purchase follow-up emails
Re-engagement or farewell emails
Flash sales or FOMO email campaigns
Then, proceed to A/B test each email with corresponding KPIs (e.g., CTR for cart abandonment emails).
To walk you through email flows, here is a blog post on must-have email flows for your store.
8. Page Load Time
Improving your website’s speed is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of optimization.
By enhancing your site’s loading speed, you can expect to witness a tangible uptick in conversions.
When you enhance your website’s loading speed, you will surely get a noticeable increase in conversions.
This is because people are mostly impatient, and no one wants to wait 20 seconds for a page to load up.
So to get faster loading times, consider implementing the following strategies:
Compress images using tools like TinyPNG to reduce file sizes without compromising quality.
Utilize caching mechanisms to store frequently accessed data, reducing the need for repeated requests to the server.
Minimize round-trips by consolidating files and resources, thereby streamlining the loading process.
Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices, as a significant portion of internet traffic originates from mobile users.
Audit and eliminate any unnecessary apps and JavaScript code that may be bogging down your site’s performance.
While some of these tasks may require the assistance of a website developer for thorough examination and implementation, the benefits are well worth the investment.
Remember, if your website takes longer than 3 seconds to load, you’re likely losing potential conversions.
Consider conducting tests to evaluate how varying image file sizes impact metrics such as bounce rate and engagement rate, thus giving you further insights for optimization.
9. A/B Test Multiple UGCs
UGC is the “in-thing” in the e-commerce space today, and if you as a brand haven’t gotten in on it, then you’re missing out on a ton of opportunities.
Brands are using anything and everything from customer testimonial videos to leveraging influencers.
However, there’s an additional strategy to leverage UGC more effectively: directly incorporating user-generated content from Instagram as social proof.
Here’s how you can implement this approach:
Encourage users to share photos of themselves wearing your products on Instagram, either by tagging your brand or using a specific hashtag (e.g., “share your looks #brandname”).
Link a section of your website to display UGC associated with the designated Instagram hashtag.
By incentivizing customers with the possibility of being featured, they become motivated to share their experiences with your products on social media, resulting in valuable free promotions for your brand.
This strategy offers a mutually beneficial arrangement: customers gain recognition, while the brand benefits from increased visibility.
Integrate this feature not only on your landing page but also under specific product pages, especially those where you actively encourage customers to share images of the respective products.
Then test and find out which UGCs resonate the most with your customers and utilize those.
This testing process is endless if you think about it as more and more UGCs will keep coming out each with the possibility of resonating better with your audience.
10. Experiment with Pricing Psychology
Pricing psychology is something that has elevated brands to the pinnacle of e-commerce success,
And has also brought others to their knees.
You need to test different pricing patterns and strategies to know which is best for your brand and the type of product you sell.
Charm pricing(i.e $9.99, $29.99) is the most commonly used pricing method out there,
But depending on your brand type, I urge you to check out this blog on different pricing psychologies so you can pick and test which is best for your brand.
11. Test Different Facebook Ads, Creatives, and Others…
You should be A/B testing your ads and creatives to maximize their effectiveness.
While going into each aspect extensively would be time-consuming, here are some of our standout creative angles:
Testimonial videos featuring influencers or user-generated content (UGC).
Story-driven video ads that captivate audiences.
Advertorials and video demonstrations illustrating product benefits.
Video ads comparing your offerings with competitors.
Promoting benefits without requiring sacrifices.
For your testimonials, you would want to test your UGC content(scroll up to #9)
You’ll also want to test different visual effects as well as different hooks for your video ads.
Make sure you get a good copywriter to write effective copy for your advertorials and ads, which will then be tested until it is maximally optimal.
Now, to summarize — what’s the next step for you?
You could embark on A/B testing every aspect of your eCommerce funnel to gauge its impact on sales.
However, this approach can be time-consuming, and you might not have the luxury of such extensive resources.
Instead, focus on running targeted A/B tests that have the potential to significantly enhance your sales figures and produce noticeable changes in your metrics and analytics.
Keep in mind that the key to improving your website’s conversion rate lies in continuous experimentation and testing of all elements.
By regularly conducting A/B tests, your site will undergo obvious improvements, potentially granting you a competitive advantage once you identify the one change that will skyrocket your CVR.
Also, if you need help with building a 6- and 7-figure e-commerce business, or you would like to scale way past your current amount in revenue,
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