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How to Conduct CRO Tests to Improve Your eCommerce Store’s Performance
Updated:
9
minutes read
Once you have launched your official eCommerce store, it is not set in stone yet. Much like a brick-and-mortar, a digital storefront calls for constant adjustments and shifts to stay in the best shape. The experts have coined the term Conversion Rate Optimization, or CRO, to refer to the process of conducting tests that help you stay ahead of your competitors. Let us walk you through the ins and outs of CRO tests, including the types, how-to, and best practices for you to master this method.
What is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)?
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) refers to the process of running different tests on your eCommerce website or app to increase the conversion rates, which is presented by a visitor completing a desired action. CRO testing takes diverse forms, from making use of traditional A/B testing or assessing visual representations from heatmaps. Whichever approach an eCommerce seller opts for, the end goals are boiled down to boosting conversion rates, improving user experience, and being able to make data-driven decisions that lead to a well-performing website.
Types of CRO Tests for Your eCommerce Store
Employing a variety of CRO test models, whether simultaneously or at different stages of your business, is the secret to staying alert to the user behavior and the website’s performance. Let’s take a peep at the tried-and-true methods below.
A/B Testing
It comes as no surprise that A/B testing is considered the most common CRO test type, given its simple practice yet valuable result.
A/B testing, or split testing, is the most basic CRO test that many website owners know. As the name suggests, this method involves creating two versions of an element to ultimately decide which one performs better. These elements could be as minimal or elaborate as you wish, ranging from buttons, product titles, and product thumbnails, to layout and theme. Here is an example of how A/B testing is carried out:
- Version A has the thumbnail showing only the product in a studio setting, with a solid color background and no extra props.
- Version B has the thumbnail being a lifestyle photograph, where models are shown alongside the product in a casual, outdoor setting.
Merchants then proceed to run both versions at once to see which one resonates with your audience more, thus, having the ability to churn out the superior version that performs better. Thanks to its directness and non-faulty result, this CRO method is recommended for website owners across all industries.
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Multivariate Testing
Multivariate testing is built on the same premise as A/B testing, but the difference lies in the number of experiments one can do at the same time. This headway helps companies yield the best result by having deeper, more profound insights into their design choices. Furthermore, instead of running completely different versions at once, you are free to let your imagination run wild by creating various combinations. Mixing up the elements to arrive at different variables is a common multivariate testing practice, thus making this method an excellent medium for businesses to gain a deep understanding of their websites’ performances.
Split URL Testing
Split URL testing is another helpful CRO approach that provides you with practical insights. If putting this method and the traditional A/B testing on the scale, split URL testing stands out due to its large-scale emphasis. Instead of comparing two versions of the same web page where only certain elements are mixed up, this method entails the testing of two completely different page structures under different URLs.
To simply put, merchants will be tasked with creating two renditions of a page under subtly different URLs where traffic will be split between the two. They then keep a close eye on how these pages perform, with the criteria being conversion rates, engagement, and overall time spent on each page. While this is a brilliant method for testing crucial changes, more resources are required to ensure a worthwhile outcome.
Heatmaps
Implement heatmaps as one of your CRO testing tactics and identify the exact problems that need attention.
If you are seeking a visual representation of the user behavior on your website, heatmaps are the answer. For eCommerce stores, heatmaps are utilized to pinpoint the areas that attract the most attention and areas that underperform. Here are the 3 types of heatmaps to get you started:
- Click maps: show where people click or tap on a page
- Scroll maps: show how far down a user scroll
- Move maps: record mouse movement across the screen
With these tools, merchants can keep a record of the problem areas, optimize web page designs, improve user experience, and make informed decisions on future changes. All these reasons point to heatmaps being a powerful CRO testing approach.
The Importance of CRO Testing in eCommerce
Higher Conversion Rates
Conversion rates are the focal point of CRO testing, which means they will improve greatly if the tests are done right.
The term conversion rate optimization is pretty self-explanatory, as its spotlight is on your website’s conversion rates. A clear-cut CRO testing strategy is the key to giving your website’s performance the nudge it needs to maximize conversion rates without blindly implementing a wide range of marketing fads. Sales, traffic, and engagement are the big three goals that CRO testing can bring to your business.
Enhanced User Experience
When your store is in its best shape, so will the user experience. Sometimes less is more, but in other cases, explicit elements are what will elevate your customer journey. With CRO testing, it is easier to tell what and when to tone down, and vice versa. An intuitive navigation, broader accessibility, tailored shopping experience, and cross-device consistency are what your customers seek when it comes to a well-rounded website visit.
Data-driven Decisions
The nuts and bolts of CRO testing is to 86 all guesstimates, meaning merchants will have a solid data report to make informed decisions, rather than blindly shooting in the dark. Data-driven judgment is a major benefit, alongside future forecast capabilities for sellers in the long haul. Should it be sudden changes, they will be well prepared as these tests have provided great insights.
Improved Customer Retention
Trust and loyalty will naturally stem from a professional service, which sellers can obtain by perfecting their websites via CRO testing.
Ultimately, customers are what keep brands alive. By keeping customers at the core, a proficient CRO strategy will be easier to craft. A smooth navigation system, personalized experience, seamless checkout process, timely customer support, intuitive site elements, etc. are some of the perks one can gain through excellent CRO practices. Consequently, customer loyalty and retention will be boosted.
More from GemPages: 6 Best Shopify Loyalty Apps to Boost Customer Retention
Consistent Brand Growth
Growing your brand is a continuous process, in which CRO testing poses as a huge contribution.
When we mention brand growth, we don’t mean a sudden surge, but rather a consistency that benefits your business in the long run. CRO testing is a brilliant tool to accelerate your success, be it scalability, competitive advantages, or rebranding possibilities. When you feel a stagnation in your performance, a comprehensive CRO strategy is in order.
Not ready to commit but still want to kick the tires?
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Steps to Conduct CRO Testing for Your Store
CRO testing is an ongoing process that sellers ought to keep an eye on as their businesses progress.
Each business owner is fond of a specific checklist that caters to their goals. That said, having a staple how-to guide is always recommended.
Pinpoint Your Goals and Problems
Not every business’ goals are the same. Determine which actions you want your visitors to take upon arriving at your store. Is it checking out the blog, signing up for the newsletter, placing an order, providing their emails, or something else? Be precise and make a priority list for easy follow-ups.
Develop a Hypothesis
Before seeing real-time results, let’s use the power of assumptions to develop a hypothesis. Conduct a complete assessment of your website/web page and draw up possible problems and their respective solutions that lead to positive changes.
Create Test Variations Based on Your Chosen CRO Method
Whether it is A/B testing, multivariate testing, or some other methods, creating variations is a must. Based on your needs, it could be as trivial as changing the color of a button, or more intricate as in adopting a different layout. Make sure to organize and mark the contrasts among these versions.
Analyze the Result and Draw a Conclusion
These tests could take days or months for a definite conclusion to be drawn. Once you have had a winner, carefully analyze the performances and results of the test. Remember to circle back to your end goals and hypothesis to make the final decision on what changes need to be made.
The Most Common Practices in CRO Testing that Elevate Your Store
Call-to-Action Placement
The ‘Shop now’ CTA is strategically placed where 100% of Alo Yoga’s visitors will see, which has a huge payoff for the brand’s conversion rates.
Sometimes your visitors need a little push to know which direction to move forward, that is why Call-to-Actions (CTAs) are the MVP in a typical CRO testing.
CTAs can take various forms, most commonly buttons and links. When you land on an eCommerce site, it is guaranteed to come across a “Shop now” button, or a link to a separate web page that is marked as “Read our blog”. These are the telltale signs of CTAs.
That said, the placement is what will make or break your efforts. For instance, Alo Yoga wants to guide their visitors toward the new collection, so they put an explicit ‘Shop now’ button right on the hero banner. Different goals will determine the purpose of each CTA placement.
Product Image Optimization
Everyone is a consumer first before we become business owners. Thus, a good rule of thumb is to put yourself in the shoes of an average online shopper. With virtual shopping becoming increasingly popular, the need to perfect user experience is more prevalent than ever. Product image is an important, but sometimes overlooked, element that transforms a customer’s experience. High-quality, consistent, and fast-loading photographs are the key to enhancing SEO and the overall customer experience on your website.
Social Proof
Honest Paws’ social proof segment is presented proudly on its homepage.
It’s proven that buyers tend to trust other buyers more than what a brand is trying to tell them. Knowing this, brands like Honest Paws revolve their stores around showcasing social proof that highlights their products and instills trust in first-time buyers. Instead of incorporating simple star ratings on the product page, try dedicating a customer review segment on your homepage and watch how your store performs.
Key Takeaways
By implementing these conversion-focused tactics, you will be able to establish an ideal benchmark for your website’s performance. If the marketing efforts are designed to amass more visits, regular CRO testing is the key to keeping these prospects engaged with your store. Once you have gotten a grasp of what to do, the ability to steer your brand into the right path will naturally emerge.
Learn more: Mastering GemPages Sales Funnel Statistics: Key Metrics for Boosting Your Upsell Strategy
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FAQ about CRO Tests in eCommerce
What is CRO testing?
CRO testing refers to the process of doing experiments on numerous elements on one’s website with the main goals being boosting conversation rates and enhancing customer experience.
When do I need to conduct CRO testing?
CRO testing is an integral part of any website, especially eCommerce, below are some of the highlights of what benefits frequent CRO testing can do for your store:Higher Conversion Rates Enhanced User Experience Data-driven Decisions Improved Customer Retention Consistent Brand Growth Get the detailed analysis here.
Who should conduct CRO testing?
CRO is an important practice that can benefit a wide variety of individuals. That said, not all business owners possess the needed skillsets to efficiently perform CRO tests for their websites. For stores with more than 50,000 visits per month, the assistance of reliable CRO agencies and specialists is paramount.
Which page types should be tested?
When it comes to CRO tests, the focus should be on the pages that visitors frequent during their shopping journey, which are the home page, product page, collection page, and landing page. Conducting regular tests on these pages is the key to maintaining a well-rounded user experience and growing your conversion rates.
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