Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

What is conversion rate optimization?

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the process of improving the conversion rate that is the percentage of your store visitors that completed the purchase or any other required action which you consider a conversion.

The higher the conversion rate — the higher is the profit you get!

How to optimize conversion rate?

Optimization in its core means adding engaging things and getting rid of distracting things.

Things to add:

• Social proof. Add reviews and ratings to the product page to improve trust.
• Clear CTAs. Lead the customers to the purchase with visible buttons and clear messages.
• Live chat. Help your customers to find the answers if they get stuck in the middle of your website. Then, take them to the checkout by hand.
• Abandoned cart reminder. Return shoppers to the checkout if they get distracted in the real world. Reminders will show the products left in the cart and offer to complete the purchase.
• Sale. Nothing sells better than a good old discount. Run season, category, or bundle sales — you can’t be wrong with discounts if you want to improve conversion rate.
• Product categories. Make shopping easier by organizing different products by categories: by gender, by season, by type (dresses, jackets, etc.). Add highly converting categories: Sale, New arrivals, Trending.
• Money-back guarantee. Online consumers are on the alert, scared of possible fraud. Make them feel safe to spend money with you.
• Return policy. It’s also about safe shopping. Be honest with your customers and tell them how they can return your products (if they can).
• Stock info. A tiny thing that can make a difference. Low stock triggers the sense of scarcity and a fear of missing out (FOMO), pushing people to buy now, while the product is still available, instead of waiting and losing the opportunity.

Things to get rid of:

• Long checkout. Try to make your checkout fit one page with the field required for completing the order. If you chase other marketing goals, leave them for later.
• Distracting links. Make sure you don’t provide links when your visitors start a checkout process. If they’re doing this, they’ve had enough information and are ready to buy.
• Excessive pop-ups. Yes, pop-ups work, despite being irritating. However, you have to know when to stop, unless you want your visitors to run away from your store.
• Heavy design. Clear design always wins. Don’t focus on design uniqueness and fanciness too much — it distracts customer attention from the products.