By Ted Parry
11 November 2024 
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is crucial for eCommerce success. It’s not just about getting traffic to your site—it’s about turning visitors into customers, especially with rising ad costs in this macro environment. Even though at Amore Digital our focus is performance marketing, we often see brands who invest in solid UX and CRO see higher return on ad spend, and thus more potential to grow revenue through core channels.
With so many factors impacting conversions, from user experience to trust signals, we reached out to 14 experts to share their insights on optimising an eCommerce store. Below, they provide advice on auditing processes, impactful strategies, how to recover abandoned carts, tools they use and much more …
1. When Doing a CRO/UX Audit for an eCommerce Brand, What Is Your Process?
A well-executed CRO/UX audit is essential for identifying friction points in the customer journey. These audits help eCommerce brands uncover weaknesses that might be preventing users from converting. Experts rely on data, user testing, and a structured analysis of the customer journey to identify these pain points. Audits typically focus on aspects such as site speed, product page layout, checkout processes, and mobile responsiveness, all of which can drastically affect conversion rates. Let’s see what the experts say …
Bridget Louile from ITQ Digital says a top-down systematic approach is important:
“ITQs approach is to systematically go through the key user journey pages focusing on possible friction points on search, product listing page, product detail page, add to cart and check out pages. We would also draw up a list of competitors (Best in class) and compare what they do to the client in question to draw up a list of improvements and best practices.”
Chris Longfellow from We Take Flight has a process based on the data available:
“We have to review as much data as is available to us and if there isn't enough there to start with, we start to gather it by installing tracking tools like Microsoft Clarity & GA4.
Once we have access to this, we go through a 300+ point checklist across the site to track how the site performs against best practices, we then create and anxiety analysis for the site to find all the reasons why users wouldn’t buy, conduct a reviews analysis to spot common praise or weaknesses, we view session recordings, check GA4 to see where users are dropping off. The outcomes of each then inform our first round of hypotheses to test on site.”
Vicky Bell focuses on key drop off points:
“I start by digging into their data using any tools they have available such as GA4, user journey recordings, etc. It's important to identify the key drop-off points on the website and be able to see if this is for a particular device or from a particular marketing channel. Once armed with the data, this helps to focus the audit on key areas that will have the greatest impact once optimised.”
Omar Lovert from Polaris Growth follows his diamond framework when it comes to CRO audits:
“Before starting I always want to understand where the brand is at. What are their year goals, where are they now, why did they choose CRO as a solution for improving whatever metric they want to fix. How do they see CRO? Do they expect magic - some redesigns without any testing or research or do they know how a good CRO process looks like? Also I always try to understand if they've done any "CRO" activities in the past, and if so what exactly.
As for our CRO/UX audit it mostly follows the double diamond framework.
We love to start with looking at the data to spot interesting behaviors patterns, possible devices issues, understand where the biggest drop-off rates are, understand the various performance differences from different channels (email, organic, socials, paid ads etc).
After we have a good understanding where they're might be issues we start including additional type of researches. Polls, Surveys, Helpdesk survey/interviews, Heat/click maps, session recordings, user-testing, heuristic research or cross-devices testing to name a few. In short we want to understand these drop-offs. Data might tell is that something is off - qualitative research helps us understand the why behind it.
So first we try to find differences between segments, groups etc. Once we spot those we can start to calculate what the potential improvements can contribute to the business.
If time allows for it - JTBD research!”
2. What Have You Found to Be the Most Impactful Towards Conversion Rates?
When it comes to increasing conversion rates, several key factors come into play. Experts highlight that a seamless user experience, fast load times, and personalised shopping experiences can significantly improve a site’s performance. From simple fixes to complex strategies, optimising conversion rates often means improving the overall customer journey.
Emma Forward from eforward.digital keeps it sweet and simple by stating a broad selection of payment methods are vital to maintaining a solid conversion rate.
Mat O’Connor from Acutate focuses on speed and add to cart rates:
“Speed but then everyone will say that. Also looking further up the funnel. A lot of CRO focuses on abandoned cart rates where as we move up and start this at the add-to-basket level allow us to identify and remedy more high-level issues which will ultimately reduce abandonment rates.”
Charles Sellers from CharlesSellers.com says:
“Adding a smart search and optimising the product page to allow the end user to make a quick decision. Often, brands can add too much or too little information. Ensuring size guides are on the PDP means the customer doesn't need to navigate away. Similarly, using a smart search allows them to navigate to the correct product quicker.”
3. Any Quick Wins You Would Advise eCommerce Owners for Improving Conversion Rates?
While CRO is often a long-term strategy, there are several quick wins that can lead to immediate improvements in conversion rates. These quick adjustments, whether to the checkout process or site speed, can remove common barriers that prevent users from completing their purchase.
Josh Wilkins from Adjust Studio recommends implementing video content and reviews:
"Reviews are good, as long as they are good reviews of course. Having video content on your product pages is a huge convincer for consumers."
Omar Lovert says there is no magic bullet but has a couple of key areas they look at:
“There's no magic bullet that always work. We've seen removing the USP bars increasing conversion rates with 10+%. Having those USP's on the product pages around the area people take action is yet another important part.
There is however one tactic we've seen to always get a conversion boost. Popups to join the mailinglist. We've ran various tests and have seen it increases conversion every time! Sometimes with 2 digit improvements for those that see the popup.”
Andre De Freitas from thails.com succinctly breaks down what they find to be quick wins:
“Some quick wins we've identified include:
- Decluttering apps to improve site speed
- Adding quantity buttons with visible savings on product pages
- Implementing upsells in the side cart and on product detail pages
- Using exit-intent popups to capture leads before they leave
- Ensuring clear and prominent display of customer reviews
- Optimizing product descriptions and FAQs for clarity”
Tom from squashedpixel.co.uk also notes he’s a fan of the sticky add to cart:
“Almost across the board, improving the visibility of customer reviews and including details around shipping times / estimated shipping costs are one of the quickest ways to help improve conversion rate. A sticky add to cart on mobiles whilst may feel gimmicky makes purchasing much quicker and easier.”
David from Kanukadigital.com states:
“Identify circling behaviours. i.e. pages where people stop a journey / flow, but don't leave the site. Usually this is someone going from a product page, basket page or checkout page, back to search, or the homepage. These are not site exits, so are often hidden. And the actual exit page is less relevant than the last step in the core journey, before the circle happened.
Another core win is identifying product conversion rate. i.e. the conversion rate of product page views to product level conversions. This identifies products which are being identified / targeted by customers, but they fail to purchase.”
4. What Are the Main Reasons for Cart Abandonment, and What Are Successful Strategies for Recovering Abandoned Carts?
Cart abandonment is a major issue for eCommerce businesses, with rates often exceeding 60%. The reasons for abandonment vary, but they often include unexpected costs, complicated checkout processes, and lack of payment options. Recovery strategies focus on retargeting efforts, simplified checkout, and personalized follow-up emails.
Chris Longfellow says you need to blame the dog or the postman for cart abandonment .. but there are steps to get them back ;) :
“This could be something as simple as being distracted by something else going on in their life, the dog needed letting out or someone knocking on the door could completely disrupt a cart.
A well-structured, personalised abandoned cart email flow should be sufficient, coupled with retargeting campaigns across socials to remind customers where they go to.”
Dan Nistor from Vevol Media notes triggered emails can make all the difference to getting people back:
One major reason for cart abandonment is the absence of effective abandoned cart strategies. Setting up triggered emails that offer a small discount can convert potential losses into recoverable sales.
Vicky Bell emphasises not to make the checkout process too lengthy on mobile:
“Main reasons include a complicated, lengthy checkout process (especially on a mobile device), hidden charges (or high delivery fees that were unexpected) or long delivery times (if they weren't stated earlier in the journey). Sending out an abandoned cart email 24 hours after they abandoned also helps. Lots of brands send it 1 hour or immediately after which in my opinion is too quick. 24 hours later guarantees it is at a time when they may be browsing again (and not in the middle of the night).”
5. What is your approach to A/B testing and how do you prove statistical significance?
Emma forward puts her focus on qualitative rather than quantitative data:
“In reality, many sites just don't have the traffic for statistically relevant A/B testing. Where this is the case, I consult exit surveys, product/service reviews and remote user testing instead for qualitative rather than quantitative data.”
Chris Longfellow states it’s key to analyse the specific user journey:
“When approaching A/B testing, we focus on ensuring sufficient traffic volume, as testing with fewer than 10k visitors per month can yield inconclusive results. It’s also critical to allow tests to run long enough to gather reliable data. The metrics we track, such as conversion rates, AOV, or bounce rates, vary depending on the specific user journey being analyzed. We typically use VWO to run our tests, and once a test proves successful, we implement a long-term solution. Statistical significance is ensured by letting the test run for an appropriate duration.”
6. What Is the Most Overrated Tactic When It Comes to eCommerce CRO?
While many CRO strategies have their merits, some tactics are often overhyped and don’t always deliver the results businesses expect. Experts advise eCommerce owners to be cautious about certain strategies that may not provide lasting value or could even hurt the brand in the long run.
Joe Barr from Digitalfresh.co.uk states just changing your button colour isn’t going to cut it …
“For me, it's got to be changing the colour of a button. We've been asked to test this by so many brands because they saw a post about colour psychology and that orange or purple convert better! It's not to say the colour of a button or CTA isn't important - sometimes it makes a significant difference to conversion rates, but from my experience there are many other things that will make a bigger impact.”
Shivali Bennion from shadedthestudio.com thinks the about page is overrated and there are better things to focus on:
“Focusing on pages (like the about us page) because the brand cares about it, when the traffic to those pages is so low it doesn't matter to overall metrics - when they could be improving high traffic pages.”
Bridget Louile notes being able to attribute the specific change is super important:
“Making too many changes at once!
Launching a test at anytime or thinking its ok to launch it at anytime without considering the timing - a very common mistake - for instance, if your eCommerce business is seasonal and your site sees a drop in visitors during the summer.
Ignoring and testing pages that are already doing well - squeeze as much as possible out of existing pages doing well - you can never say CRO is done.”
7. What Is the Most Important Tools in Your CRO Arsenal?
Choosing the right tools can make or break your CRO efforts. From analytics platforms to heatmapping software, these tools help eCommerce owners better understand customer behavior and identify opportunities for improvement.
Joe Bar says:
- Shopify Analytics
- GA4
- Hotjar / or Microsoft Clarity
- For A/B tests - since Google Optimize was sunset then you're options are limited and more expensive, but Optimizely and VWO are probably options worth condering.
Shivali Bennion also mentions the importance of attribution software:
“Attribution software like Triple Whale and Revend.ai, alongside CRO performance software like ContentSquare and hotJar.”
8. What high-performing sites do you often reference from a CRO perspective?
Sometimes the best way to improve your own site is by learning from the best. Experts often look to leading eCommerce brands to see which sites are performing well and why. A few sites are referenced below:
- Amazon - Noted to be a more ‘ugly’ site, but works well.
- Decathlon - Referenced a few times from a user flow perspective.
- Nike
- John Lewis
- Sweaty Betty
- Asos
- Lands End
Outside of specific websites a couple of key resources were mentioned:
The inkey list - Great from a quiz perspective.
Baymard.com - tracks all the sites so you don't have to.
9. Any other tips you want to add?
To finalise this piece we wanted to ask the experts whether there was anything else noteworthy to add.
Omar Lovert states:
“Once you've got the basics down, you've ran multiple tests you'll start to see that not everyone is the same. In the beginning it's good to use a data driven approach to improve the website. But you'll realize that the customers goals for the same products might be completely different.
Doing Jobs to be done research will already make this extremely clear. Knowing who your best customers are, doing proper (JTBD) research to understand the different needs will allow you to create specific user journeys that really resonate. This will help to hone in on the right messaging both in ads as on product or landing pages and also in post-purchase or education journeys.
This goes further than most CRO programs.”
Bridget Loulie notes reviewing competitors and industry benchmarks is key:
“Always look at benchmarks - look at your competitors, look at the vertical you operate in and compare general industry trends going back 3 years on average. It's important to benchmark your business against the industry you operate in, and regularly review your competitors to ensure that realistic expectations are set for conversion rate and growth goals."
Mat O’Connor starts with the end in mind:
“Start at the beginning i.e. design, build and write for the customer. You will naturally tick off a whole host of CRO points by doing it this way.”
The above answers should hopefully give you some direction into how to start your CRO program or at least inspire you to start it! If you’ve seen your performance lagging or know you need to invest more into CRO but haven’t yet, feel free to reach out to those mentioned in the article.
If you also need to have a review of your Google Shopping / Pmax campaigns speak to me about a performance marketing growth plan by filling out the form on our website. Also, feel free to connect on Linkedin.
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