How To Increase Ecommerce Conversion Rates

Do you want to know how to increase the conversion rate on your ecommerce store without having to redesign the entire thing?

Today I want to walk you through the exact framework you should be applying to improve overall conversion rates on your ecommerce store.

1) Phase I: Implement the basics FIRST (Understand the Framework)

When discussing optimizing conversions, we often use the analogy of building a Formula One race car. 

When working on these cars, there is a lot of time and energy poured into fine tuning the engine to optimize performance.

But all of this effort is pointless if the car is missing two of the tires. 

You can run all of the CRO tests in the world, but it won’t make sense, or be effective, if you are missing the foundational elements for your store. 

Focus first on the foundational steps in your customers’ purchase journey with you. 

Dial in branding and messaging and the elements that will increase overall brand and product desirability. 

Get all of the foundational information in place to help your customers understand you, your brand, and your product. 

2) Phase II: Conversion Rate Optimization Testing (CRO) 

When you’ve covered the “blocking and tackling” of the foundational elements of your site, then it’s time to look at CRO. 

A lot of people talk about testing arbitrary elements of ecommerce stores. 

(ie. button colors or icons) 

But at the end of the day, unless you can back that up by answering the following questions, it doesn’t make sense to test it.

All initial CRO testing should address these two foundational questions:

      C. Does this increase product desirability? 

 The sale is made first through your customer’s emotions. 

 Your first step with CRO is to create an emotional response to increase the customer’s desire to buy your product.  

 These elements include copy, imagery, video, etc. 

 Anything that will help develop a stronger emotional connection with your brand.

Help your customer understand your brand, what you sell, and visualize living a better life with your product.

      D. Does this reduce customer friction?

Once you’ve sold the customer emotionally, it’s important to reduce all of the barriers that would cause them to step away from the buying experience. 

 Address the logical questions they will ask that will determine whether or not they purchase. 

 This includes questions about shipping, returns, warranties, materials. 

Anything that could pose a logical concern is something you should be testing to determine if you should be including more or less information. 

To increase conversion rates on your store, without a complete overhaul of your site, first make sure you’ve implemented the basic fundamentals of your purchase funnel. Then, start doing conversion rate optimization (CRO) testing developing a thesis to test based on product desirability and reducing customer friction.