E-commerce CRO Optimization Guide

Ecommerce

Boosting your e-commerce conversion rate can mean big changes for your bottom line. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is how you can start turning more visitors into customers without spending more on ads or bringing in extra traffic.

From streamlining your checkout to tweaking product pages, CRO strategies help you get more out of your existing website.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to improve your e-commerce conversion rate today. Here’s a quick look at what’s inside:

  • What is CRO? How improving your site’s experience can impact your revenue, customer acquisition costs, and overall growth.
  • Industry standards: See where your conversion rate stacks up against the competition.
  • A step-by-step CRO process that covers gathering data, spotting weak points, testing changes, and more.
  • Actionable tips on making your site faster, more trustworthy, and easier to use.
  • Best CRO tools: Get the details on the top tools to simplify your optimization efforts.

Introduction to e-commerce CRO

CRO is the art and science of getting more visitors to take action on your website. In the e-commerce world, this usually means increasing the number of people who complete purchases, sign up for newsletters, or engage in other valuable actions.

CRO is all about maximizing the potential of your existing traffic – no need to increase ad spend or pull in new visitors when you’re converting more of the people who already show up.

Why does CRO matter? Because it impacts your bottom line. By improving your conversion rate, you’re boosting revenue without additional acquisition costs, helping you make the most out of every visitor. 

This also improves your return on investment (ROI) and reduces the amount you need to spend to bring in new customers.

In recent years, CRO strategies have become even more sophisticated. With tools like heatmaps, A/B testing, and user feedback loops, brands now have a clearer understanding of user behavior and preferences, which makes CRO essential for any e-commerce business that wants to keep up with the competition.

Ready to get into it? Let’s start by understanding conversion rates, how they’re calculated, and what benchmarks you should aim for.

Understanding conversion rates

To optimize conversion rates, you first need to know how they work. Your conversion rate shows how well your site is turning visitors into customers, subscribers, or engaged users, depending on your goals.

How to calculate conversion rates

To calculate your conversion rate, use this simple formula:

Conversion rate = (Number of conversions / Total number of visitors)×100

For example, if you had 100 conversions from 2,000 visitors in a given period, your conversion rate would be 5%.

Pro tip: Track your conversion rate across different actions (product purchases, email signups, etc.) to get a more detailed view of user engagement. You can also calculate conversion rates for each stage of the funnel, like product page visits to cart additions, to identify areas where users may be dropping off.

Industry benchmarks & what they mean

Conversion rates vary widely across industries, so understanding where your business falls within these benchmarks can help you set realistic, achievable goals for growth. 

Here are some industry-specific averages and insights to help guide your expectations and shape your CRO strategy.

Industry Average Conversion Rate (%)
Food & Beverage 6.11%
Multi-brand Retail 4.90%
Beauty & Personal Care 4.55%
Consumer Goods 3.01%
Fashion, Accessories, and Apparel 3.01%
Pet Care & Veterinary Services 2.50%
Home & Furniture 1.24%
Luxury & Jewelry 1.19%

Source: Oberlo

These averages provide a useful baseline, but businesses must recognize that high-performing sites often surpass these benchmarks through continuous refinement and targeted CRO strategies. 

Conversion rates differ widely among industries because of unique customer behaviors, decision-making processes, and specific challenges:

  • Food & beverage (6.11%): This industry enjoys some of the highest average conversion rates, driven by frequent, lower-cost purchases that simplify decision-making. High-performing brands may exceed this average by making the buying process simpler and quicker, offering subscriptions, and using promotions to encourage repeat purchases.
  • Multi-brand retail (4.90%): Multi-brand retailers benefit from offering varied products, which can attract diverse customer bases. Optimizing cross-sells and personalized recommendations can push conversion rates above this industry average.
  • Beauty & personal care (4.55%): Conversion rates in this industry reflect a high level of consumer interest and regular purchases. To achieve top-tier results, businesses should focus on high-quality visuals, user reviews, and strong product descriptions that instill trust and showcase benefits.
  • Consumer goods (3.01%): While the conversion rates for consumer goods are relatively average, brands that prioritize customer experience, easy navigation, and loyalty incentives can see quite a bit of growth. The competitive nature of this space emphasizes the importance of strategic upsells and personalized email follow-ups.
  • Fashion, accessories, and apparel (3.01%): This sector often experiences browsing-heavy traffic, with shoppers comparing options and waiting for sales. Successful brands focus on building trust through clear return policies, customer reviews, and user-generated content to drive higher conversions.
  • Pet care & veterinary services (2.50%): Though lower on the scale, conversion rates for pet care reflect thoughtful, need-based shopping. Brands can optimize by providing educational content, personalized recommendations, and quick reordering for repeat purchases.
  • Home & furniture (1.24%): Home and furniture purchases often mean higher costs and longer decision cycles, which contribute to lower conversion rates. High-performing sites achieve better results by including room visualizers, detailed product specs, and flexible financing options to reassure buyers.
  • Luxury & Jewelry (1.19%): The lower rates in this industry stem from its reliance on significant financial commitment and careful deliberation. Top-performing luxury sites often excel through superior customer service, high-quality imagery, trust signals, and compelling stories that emphasize exclusivity and craftsmanship.

How to use benchmarks to guide your strategy

Benchmarks can give you a clearer view into whether you’re in a healthy range or if there’s room for improvement. Here’s how to apply this data:

  • Regular comparisons: Periodically assess your conversion rate against these benchmarks, especially after implementing new strategies or CRO tools.
  • Targeted goals: Set short and long-term goals for increasing your conversion rate relative to your industry average.
  • Understand seasonality: If your industry sees fluctuations due to seasonal factors, factor that in when comparing your rates.

Continuous improvements and a focus on industry best practices are key to closing the gap between your current performance and top-performing rates.

Factors influencing conversion rates & tips to help

Understanding the various factors that impact your conversion rate is key to pinpointing areas for improvement. 

top reasons for a visitor to leave a website

Source: Business Dasher

While each website and industry will have unique challenges, several universal factors consistently influence conversion rates across the board:

Website speed and performance

A delay of just one second in page load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions, meaning that having a fast-loading website is vital. When a page takes too long to load, users are likely to abandon it, impacting not only your conversion rate but also your bounce rate and SEO.

Tip: Optimize images, minimize HTTP requests, and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to improve website speed speed up delivery for users worldwide.

User experience (UX)

An intuitive, clean design makes it easier for visitors to find what they need, making them more likely to complete an action. Key elements include clear navigation, a logical layout, and user-friendly interfaces.

Tip: Put CTAs at strategic, visible locations and make them stand out with pops of color. Consider using heatmaps to see how users interact with your site and make necessary adjustments. Check out this SEO UX guide to learn more

Trust signals and social proof

With 93% of customers saying that online reviews influence their purchase decisions, building credibility is absolutely necessary for gaining the trust of potential customers.

Trust signals such as reviews, testimonials, and trust badges reassure users about the quality and security of your site.

Tip: Showcase user-generated content (UGC) like customer photos, videos, or in-house written case studies to boost authenticity and relatability.

Mobile optimization

E-commerce platforms that prioritize mobile-first design often see a large lift in mobile conversion rates, and with over half of all online traffic coming from mobile devices, having your website fully optimized for mobile is non-negotiable. 

Tip: Implement responsive design principles and test your site on multiple devices to identify and fix potential issues. You can also use a mobile viewing tool.

Content quality and relevance

According to Demand Metric, content marketing generates approximately 3x more leads than traditional marketing while costing 62% less.

So, high-quality, targeted content that speaks to user pain points and needs has a big role in customer conversions. This includes product descriptions, blog posts, and landing page copy.

Tip: Use data-driven insights to create content that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take action.

Visual content

The use of high-quality images, videos, and infographics not only makes your site more engaging but also improves user retention. Videos, in particular, can be a powerful tool – landing pages with videos can increase conversions by up to 80%!

Tip: Invest in professional visuals and consider adding 360-degree product views or tutorial videos.

Here’s a view of our homepage, complete with trust badges, personalized content, and a video!

Personalization

75% of customers state that personalized communication is a major factor in deciding which brand to choose and whether to make repeat purchases. Creating the user experience based on individual behavior or demographic information can make users feel seen and understood, driving conversions.

Tip: You can use tools like Geo Targetly to implement personalized CTAs and product recommendations based on users' locations and browsing behavior to have more relevance and encourage action.

Customer support accessibility

The availability of support channels such as live chat, chatbots, or easily accessible guides like we have, and FAQs can help reduce friction during the purchasing process and build trust.

For example, implementing live chat on high-intent pages, such as product detail or checkout pages, can provide real-time answers to questions and cut down abandonment rates.

Pricing transparency

48% of consumers abandon a purchase due to unexpected fees at checkout, making hidden costs or unclear pricing structures one of the leading causes of cart abandonment.

Being upfront about prices, taxes, and shipping can go a long way in improving user trust and conversion rates.

Tip: Use tools like cost calculators and provide clear, comprehensive pricing breakdowns to reduce surprises at checkout.

Outdated software and security measures

Running outdated software can slow down response times and make your site more vulnerable to security risks, which erodes user trust and impacts conversion rates.

Tip: Regularly update your CMS, plugins, and server software to provide the best performance and security. Also, you can think about SSL certificate monitoring for better security and UX.

The CRO process explained

Conversion Rate Optimization is a lot more than just tweaking a button color or rephrasing a headline; it’s an ongoing, strategic, and at times complex process that helps you identify barriers and make data-driven improvements. 

Here’s how to break down the CRO process effectively:

Step 0: Goal setting and benchmarking

Before diving into data collection, set clear goals and benchmarks. Define what success looks like for your business. Are you aiming for a 20% increase in completed purchases or a higher average order value (AOV)? 

Establishing KPIs, such as conversion rate targets and customer acquisition costs (CAC), provides a baseline against which to measure your improvements.

Pro tip: Document your current metrics and use them as a starting point to track your progress as you create and launch CRO strategies.

Step 1: Data collection and analysis

The first major step in any CRO process is gathering information about how users interact with your site. 

Use tools like Google Analytics, heatmaps, and session recordings to capture both quantitative data (page views, bounce rates, etc.) and qualitative data (such as where users click, how they scroll).

Data to gather:

  • Visitor demographics (age, location, device type)
  • Behavior flow (how visitors navigate your site)
  • Drop-off points (where users leave before converting)
  • User feedback (surveys, exit-intent pop-ups)

Quick tip: Combine data from different sources to get a more comprehensive view of user behavior.

Step 2: Identifying conversion barriers

Armed with data, start looking for issues that may be deterring users from converting. Are users abandoning their carts at the payment step? Are product pages missing key details? Heatmaps and user feedback can help you zero in on pain points.

Focus on high-impact areas first: Prioritize addressing issues on the checkout page, key product pages, or landing pages with high traffic. Changes here are more likely to lead to noticeable improvements.

Step 3: Formulating hypotheses

The next step is to turn your insights into actionable, testable hypotheses. Each hypothesis should clearly state the issue, the change you plan to make, and the expected outcome.

Be specific with your goals to make measuring results straightforward. Example: “If we simplify the checkout form by removing unnecessary fields, we expect a 15% increase in completed purchases.”

Step 4: A/B testing and experimentation

Testing is where your hypotheses meet the real world. A/B testing allows you to create two versions of a page – one with the proposed change and one without – and see which performs better. 

By splitting traffic between the two versions, you can determine which one converts more effectively.

Types of tests:

  • A/B tests: Compare two versions of a single element, such as a headline or a CTA button.
  • Multivariate tests: Test multiple elements simultaneously to find the best-performing combination.

Reminder: For A/B tests, change only one element at a time to keep results clear and actionable.

Step 5: Implementation and monitoring

Once you’ve found a winning variant, it’s time to roll out those changes permanently. Dispatch successful updates site-wide, but don’t stop there – monitor their performance over time to ensure the changes continue to deliver results.

Tip: Use automated tools to track key metrics post-implementation and identify any future tweaks that might be needed.

Step 6: Iteration and retesting

CRO is not a one-time task, it’s an ongoing process. Reevaluate your metrics, learn from your results, and formulate new hypotheses to test. Building a roadmap for future tests helps you stay proactive and maintain a cycle of continuous improvement.

Feedback loop integration

Collect user feedback post-implementation to understand how changes are being received. This can reveal areas for further optimization that data alone might not catch. 

You can also use exit-intent surveys or follow-up emails to gain thoughts and opinions from users who experienced the changes.

Cross-functional collaboration

CRO often involves multiple teams, such as marketing, design, and development. Effective collaboration ensures that changes align with your broader business goals and are implemented efficiently.

Tip: Regular meetings and shared dashboards can keep everyone on the same page and speed up the decision-making process.

Use of AI and automation

Incorporating AI-driven tools can help your CRO efforts by automating data collection, running tests, and even making real-time adjustments based on user behavior. 

Tools like Optimizely’s AI personalization can help you adapt on the fly and maximize conversions.

Tip: Explore machine learning algorithms that can predict user actions and offer personalized content or product recommendations.

With the help of this road map and your own ingenuity, your CRO process will be structured, data-driven, and effective. CRO is a cycle that evolves with user behavior and market changes, making continuous optimization necessary for staying ahead.

How to implement CRO effectively

We’ve got even more tips! Let’s dig into how to optimize specific areas of your e-commerce site for maximum conversions, with plenty of examples, strategies, and expert tips.

Website design and user experience

An intuitive layout means that visitors can easily find what they’re looking for without confusion. Brands like Apple have set the gold standard for clean, user-friendly navigation, which prioritizes simplicity and efficiency.

website design and user experience

  • Use a clear, hierarchical navigation structure: Organize your main menu into distinct, well-labeled categories. Adding a search bar and using breadcrumbs can further enhance the browsing experience by letting users trace their paths.
  • Sticky headers for accessibility: Implement sticky headers so that your navigation menu is accessible, even as users scroll down the page. This feature reduces the friction of needing to scroll back up to find important links.

Optimize for mobile users

With mobile traffic making up a large portion of e-commerce visits, optimizing your site for mobile is no longer optional. Be sure that your mobile site mirrors the ease of navigation and speed of your desktop version.

  • Responsive design: Make sure all images, buttons, and text resize appropriately on different devices.
  • Mobile-friendly CTAs: Place CTAs in thumb-friendly areas and make them large enough to be clicked easily without zooming.

Reduce clutter

A cluttered design overwhelms visitors and can make it harder for them to focus on key elements like product information and CTAs. Keep your layout clean and simple, removing unnecessary distractions that could lead to decision fatigue.

Nike uses plenty of white space, bold visuals, and a straightforward design to showcase their products without overwhelming the visitor.

Nike products UI example

Incorporate color to guide user attention

Colors play a large part in user perception. For example, using a contrasting color for CTAs like "Add to Cart" can draw attention and encourage action. Amazon effectively employs contrasting buttons and bold colors for CTAs to make them stand out.

Tip: Stick to a consistent color scheme across your site, but choose one bright accent color for important buttons or CTAs to make them stand out against the background.

Product page enhancements

Your product page is one of the most critical areas for conversion. Small, strategic changes can make a substantial impact on how users engage with your products and, ultimately, whether they decide to buy.

Use high-quality images and videos

High-quality visuals give customers a better sense of the product and reduce hesitation. Images should be clear, detailed, and show multiple angles, while videos can demonstrate the product in action to build trust and engagement.

ASOS uses high-resolution images and short videos of models wearing their clothes. This approach allows customers to see how items fit and move, giving them a better idea of what to expect.

product images example

Tip: Include zoom-in functionality and 360-degree views to enhance the shopping experience further.

Write descriptive and persuasive copy

Your product description should go beyond just listing features – it should connect with the customer by highlighting benefits and addressing potential pain points. Use language that is easy to understand and speaks directly to your audience.

IKEA excels at writing product descriptions that are both descriptive and relatable. They emphasize how their products fit into a customer's lifestyle and provide details on materials and care instructions.

IKEA banner example

Tip: Break up longer text with bullet points to make key information scannable and easy to digest.

Incorporate social proof directly on product pages

Social proof reassures potential buyers by showing them that others have had positive experiences with your product. Include user reviews, ratings, and labels like "Best Seller" or "Top Choice" to build credibility.

Amazon features a comprehensive review section with star ratings, customer photos, and verified purchase badges, helping new customers feel confident about their buying decisions.

social proof example reviews

Tip: Highlight positive reviews that mention specific benefits or use cases to make the feedback relatable and informative.

Use a strong, clear CTA

The call-to-action button is the ultimate gateway to conversion. Make your CTA prominent, action-oriented, and easy to find. Phrases like “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” work better than vague terms like “Submit.”

Shopify stores often use bold, contrasting colors for their “Add to Cart” buttons, making them immediately noticeable.

order summary

Tip: Experiment with CTA button colors and placement through A/B testing to find what works best for your audience.

Shopping cart & checkout process

The checkout process is often where many e-commerce transactions fall apart, making it a critical point to optimize for conversions. 

Simplifying and this process can help cut down on cart abandonment and encourage users to complete their purchases.

Minimize required information

Keep the checkout process as simple as possible by asking for only the essential information needed to complete the purchase. 

The fewer the form fields, the quicker the checkout process becomes, improving the likelihood of conversion.

Amazon's “One-Click Purchase” option exemplifies a pain-free checkout process by reducing steps and making repeat purchases effortless.

amazon checkout delivery

Tip: Implement autofill capabilities for address and payment information to speed up the process for returning customers.

Offer multiple payment options

Providing a variety of payment methods can help cater to different customer preferences and reduce checkout friction. 

Include popular options like credit/debit cards, PayPal, and mobile payment solutions such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

For example, Shopify stores support over 100 different payment gateways, ensuring customers can use their preferred method with ease.

Tip: Highlight the different payment methods you accept right at the beginning of the checkout page to reassure customers.

Add a progress indicator

For multi-step checkouts, a progress bar can show users how far they are into the process, reducing uncertainty and abandonment. When customers see that they are only a step or two away from completion, they’re more likely to continue.

Air France uses a clean and simple progress bar at the top of its flight booking page, letting customers know how many steps remain.

airfrance process

Tip: Break down the checkout into manageable stages like “Shipping,” “Payment,” and “Review,” and use clear labels for each step.

Implement exit-intent pop-ups

Exit-intent pop-ups can capture the attention of customers who are about to leave the checkout page without completing their purchase. These pop-ups can offer a last-minute incentive like a discount or free shipping to encourage them to stay and finalize the transaction.

Tip: Make sure your pop-ups are well-designed, non-intrusive, and relevant to the checkout process for maximum effectiveness.

Simplify the navigation at checkout

Remove unnecessary links and navigation menus during checkout to keep users focused on completing their purchases. Extra elements can distract customers and lead them to abandon their carts.

Apple removes all navigation options except for the essential checkout steps when users are making a purchase, keeping the focus on the task at hand.

checkou summary example

Tip: Make sure your checkout page only has options related to completing the purchase, like “Edit Cart” or “Return to Shop.”

Provide a clear summary and total cost

Display a clear summary of the items being purchased and any associated costs, including taxes and shipping. Transparency helps build trust and avoids the shock of unexpected fees at the last step, which is a common cause of cart abandonment.

Etsy displays an itemized breakdown of costs, including taxes and shipping, to let buyers know what they’re paying for.

order summary payment

Tip: Add an estimated delivery date to the summary to further reassure customers and boost conversions.

Top 5 CRO tools

The right tools can make CRO smoother and more insightful, helping you to test, analyze, and optimize at every stage of the user journey. Here’s a roundup of some of the top CRO tools available, including their standout features, pros and cons, community ratings, and pricing.

1. Optimizely

Optimizely is an excellent platform for A/B testing and personalization, and is designed for businesses wanting to make better user experiences and conduct high-level experiments.

Who it’s best for: Large-scale enterprises or mid-sized companies with robust experimentation needs.

Key features:

  • A/B and multivariate testing
  • Personalization tools for targeted experiences
  • Visual editor for design changes without coding
  • Seamless integration with major analytics tools like Google Analytics
Pros Cons
Excellent analytics capabilities Expensive for smaller businesses
Integrates easily with other major tools Steep learning curve for new users
Ideal for enterprise-level testing

Pricing: With many different functions available, pricing plans are available upon request.

2. VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)

VWO is a comprehensive experience optimization platform that covers everything from A/B testing to user behavior analysis through session recordings and heatmaps.

Who it’s best for: Companies seeking an all-in-one optimization suite that caters to both front-end and back-end testing.

Key features:

  • Heatmaps and session recordings
  • A/B and server-side testing for backend optimization
  • Behavior analysis visualizations
  • Conversion rate optimization tools
Pros Cons
All-in-one platform with extensive testing options Can become costly as business scales
Strong visualizations for user behavior Processing times can be longer for large datasets
Suitable for in-depth analysis

Pricing: They offer a generous free plan, with paid plans starting at $393/month.

3. Hotjar

Hotjar is a behavior analytics tool that focuses on visualizing user interactions with heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback forms.

Who it’s best for: Small to medium-sized businesses wanting straightforward visual insights without the high costs.

Key features:

  • Heatmaps for interaction visualization
  • Session recordings to track user paths
  • Conversion funnels to pinpoint drop-off points
  • On-site feedback forms for real-time user feedback
Pros Cons
Intuitive, user-friendly interface Limited advanced A/B testing features
Affordable for smaller businesses Not suited for extensive large-scale experiments
Great visual insights

Pricing: You can start with a forever free plan and upgrade to paid plans starting at $32/month.

4. Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg provides visual tools like heatmaps, scroll maps, and basic A/B testing to help businesses understand user interactions and optimize website performance.

Who it’s best for: Small to mid-sized businesses needing easy-to-use visualization tools.

Key features:

  • Heatmaps and scroll maps for interaction analysis
  • A/B testing for basic experimentation
  • Confetti reports for detailed breakdowns of user clicks
  • Simple, fast setup process
Pros Cons
Easy setup and user-friendly design Limited A/B testing compared to more advanced tools
Perfect for small to mid-sized businesses Integrations with analytics platforms are not as deep
Fast to implement

Pricing: Offers a variety of pricing plans to fit different business sizes; contact for details.

5. AB Tasty

AB Tasty is a versatile CRO platform that combines A/B testing with personalization and engagement tools to improve user experience and boost conversion rates.

Who it’s best for: Mid-sized to large businesses that want a flexible tool with a range of testing and personalization features.

Key features:

  • A/B and multivariate testing
  • Personalization options for tailored user experiences
  • Visual editor for no-code changes
  • Advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities
  • User journey analysis and behavior insights
Pros Cons
Comprehensive feature set for testing and personalization Pricing may be high for smaller businesses
Easy-to-use visual editor Advanced features have a learning curve
Strong segmentation tools for targeting

Pricing: Custom pricing based on company size and needs; contact AB Tasty for detailed plan information.

Community CRO strategies and insights

Below, we’ve gathered community-driven strategies and expert tips to help give more meat your CRO efforts.

Understand your consumers first

"I once worked with a very famous French designer. She said, 'A fool with a tool is still a fool.' If you want to increase conversion, first understand why your consumers are not converting. Shadow them, watch them, research them, question them. 

Really digest every step they take, frustrations they go through, unanswered questions they have, work-arounds they create. Then break these down into tangible improvements. They will be your most valuable conversion optimizations. The rest of the crappy things like changing colours, CTAs, etc., can be automated. 

Don’t bother with them before you truly understand why your consumers are not converting."

Source: Reddit – Best Tools for CRO

Search intent matters

"The search intent is REALLY important. I am targeting keywords that predominantly have transactional search intent. In combination, 

I'm planning on using shoppable images like these to increase the click-through rate. They haven't made it so that you can embed them on your own Shopify website yet, but from the website it seems like a feature that is coming soon."

Source: Reddit – Shopify CRO Discussion

Continuous testing is key

"First look at how users behave on the website to find where they leave or get stuck. Then, I test different versions of pages to see what works better. I also make sure the site loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and has clear buttons that tell users what to do next. 

The hardest part is understanding what users really want and dealing with any tech issues. I solve these by always learning and working closely with clients to meet their goals. We use VWO to run multivariate and A/B tests showing different versions of the same page to the customer. 

Then, we wait for the better one to come back statistically significant, implement the change across the site and then start all over again with a new test.

Example: we theorized that a red add to cart button might increase purchases instead of a blue one. We test both and find out the hypothesis was correct, and 10% more people add to cart when the button is red. We implement the change and now our add to cart button is red. 

VWO is free btw so def worth using if you’re looking for a guaranteed way to increase revenue."

Source: Reddit – Shopify CRO Discussion

Avoid random testing without hypotheses

"Simple terms, the biggest mistake people/agencies make in CRO is testing a bunch of random ideas without forming an alternative hypothesis that challenges the null hypothesis that has data to back it up."

Source: LinkedIn – Common CRO Myths

CRO is not a one-time project

"Businesses who think of CRO as a one-off project that can be 'completed' every couple of years are missing out on the true benefits of site optimisation. Firstly, this is because your customers are changing all the time. As new devices, browsers, and operating systems come onto the market, users will be approaching your site in new ways, and finding new pain points. User preferences will also be changing as they are exposed to different UX journeys across the web. What might have worked 6 months ago, might not work now. The second point is that a well-researched, testing roadmap can never be completed. Even if you aren't adding new ideas, iterations and next steps on the existing items will keep your roadmap full for months and years!"

Source: LinkedIn – CRO Insights

Learn from competitors through usability tests

"You can get great insights by conducting usability tests on your competitor's website. There are two types of usability tests you can conduct. 

1. Direct comparison test: Let participants complete a task on your website and a competitor’s website. For instance, participants could buy an item on your website and a competitor’s website. 

2. Isolated test: Let participants complete a task on one website. For instance, one participant buys an item in your webshop and another on a competitor’s website. With this information you can analyze which website works best at what stage in the buying process. If your visitors get stuck at a certain point on your website, but at your competitor’s website there is no problem, use it to improve your flow."

Source: LinkedIn – CRO Insights

Oftentimes, community is our best resource. Be sure to check out LinkedIn groups or subreddits about marketing and CRO for more tips from users like you.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen, CRO impacts every aspect of e-commerce success, from reducing customer acquisition costs to boosting revenue and increasing ROI. Each element, whether it’s improving site speed, refining product pages, or utilizing trust signals, plays a role in convincing users to take action.

To get the most out of CRO, keep testing, learning, and iterating. The tools and strategies covered here offer a strong foundation, but the real value comes from adapting these insights to your unique business and audience. 

With consistent effort, you’ll transform your site into a high-converting powerhouse, maximizing every opportunity to engage and convert.

If you’re ready to elevate your e-commerce strategy, start implementing these CRO techniques today and see firsthand how impactful even small optimizations can be.

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Laura Clayton
March 7th 2025
Written by

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Laura Clayton is a copywriter with a BA in fiction writing from Columbia College Chicago. From holding a position as a background investigator retained by the United States government, to teaching English, and writing about real estate, Laura has a diverse and varied background. She has been writing for SaaS companies since 2019 in a wide range of industries.

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Jan 12, 2021

"Geo Redirects Made Easy" - Great Tool And Very Attentive Support

I really liked how easy it was to integrate the geo redirects into our Shopify website with a single block of code. The user interface also made it simple to define our business rules with regard to how we want users to be directed around our 3 sites.
Daan D.

Digital Marketing Manager

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oct 4, 2021

We Have Seen a Great Increase In Our Traffic

Very easy to set up and run. We use Geo Targetly to set up redirections for our specific geo based versions of our website. We have seen a great increase in our traffic and it has been a helpful addition to our tool stack. It's very useful and does what it says.

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