eCommerce case studies show how regular audits and improvements to a website produce big results from seemingly small changes.
That’s because most of us now prefer to buy online, especially Millennials. And businesses that make the process easier, simpler and more seamless are going to see the benefits. Consider these facts:
- 85% of customers start a purchase on one device and finish it on another. (Google)
- 67% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Xers prefer to shop on online rather than in-store. (Big Commerce)
- 51% of Americans prefer to shop online. (Big Commerce)
Just what happens?
Here are 15 eCommerce case studies that show big results from small changes.
- BANDAGES PLUS: Is an eCommerce site that sells compression therapy supplies, bandages, tapes, ready-made kits and more. Bandages Plus serves a unique audience specifically looking for their products. They segmented products into categories that included best sellers, high-margin items and others. The segmentation was reflected in their Paid Search ad campaigns which targeted ads by user groups. The improvements resulted in a 50% increase in both transactions and revenue.
- COMPANY FOLDER: Makes custom folders and wanted to remedy their online quote function. This was a vital step in their marketing funnel, so making the process as smooth as possible was essential to ultimately driving more sales for the business. They took a cumbersome single step process with lots of options and broke it up into a multi-step bite size process. Doing this resulted in a whopping 67.68% increase in total quotes.
- DIAMOND CANDLES: Is a company that features rings beneath the wax of its candles. By utilizing customer-contributed photos on its Facebook page, Diamond Candles upped conversion rates and attracted more than 290,000 new Facebook fans.
- DIVA: Is a fashion retail chain based in Australia with more than 160 stores worldwide. Slow load times and functional obstacles created challenges for conversions among eCommerce case studies. Site improvements were implemented such as: 1) Removing obstacles and diversions to the Shopping Cart when the user wanted to keep shopping, 2) speeding up the site via site enhancements and Google Page Speed Service and 3) improving social sharing and proof. The results was average revenue per visitor was up 92%
- EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS: Offered customers a same-day delivery option but people weren’t taking advantage of the offer because they didn’t know about it. To educate customers about this option they significantly increased visibility with a large banner in an extremely prominent position on the homepage, just below the navigation bar and featured a countdown timer to the deadline for same day delivery. It was impossible to miss or misunderstand. What is the result of this simple countdown feature among our eCommerce case studies? An increase in same-day sales by 8%.
- ENVELOPES.COM: Wanted to see if they could “rekindle the flame” and land some sales from hot leads using target followups. So they tested out email sends at two alternate time lapses post cart abandonment; the first group sent the following morning at 11 am and the second group 48 hours post cart abandonment. Although both did well, the emails sent 48 hours later delivered the best conversion rate and sales with: 1) An open rate of 38.0%, 2) a click-through rate of 24.7% and 3) a conversion rate of 40.0%
- EXPRESS WATCHES: Debated whether to communicate a lowest price guarantee versus a stamp of authenticity on their website. They tested variants with both, each telling a different story about the clientele: bargain hunters vs aficionados. The results were pretty surprising. By labeling the site with a badge of authenticity, Express Watches saw an increase in online sales of 107%. A huge differential from the price based messaging, simply from a little seal of authenticity.
- HOUSEPLANS.NET: Is an eCommerce site that sells ready-designed house plans direct to consumers. The audit revealed some issues that could be addressed with a thorough link audit and cleanup. A Content Audit found opportunities to improve the site quality as a whole and clean up indexation in Google. That process involved pruning underperforming content on the site, which turned out to be close to 80% of all product pages. This resulted in a 434% increase in organic traffic revenue over the previous year.
- LILGADGETS HEADPHONES: Sold its headphones exclusively on Amazon. The idea was to offer parents a choice they didn’t previously have in the children headphones market — a simple and clean look with amazing sound and premium components. But to stand out and create a competitive advantage, Lilgadgets needed to build a brand, which meant developing a site of their own. They made sure to offer a custom checkout experience where customer could see where they were in the process and what was left to complete. The result was: 1) A 38.3% lift in peak conversions, 2) an average conversion rate of 8% and 3) conversions have risen despite advertising campaigns that have increased site traffic by 80%.
- MODERN COIN MART: The self-described “Modern Coin Superstore” added a simple trustmark to its eCommerce site to ease customers’ anxieties about the purchasing process. A tiny graphic produced monumental results among our eCommerce case studies, boosting sales conversions to 14%.
- PAPERSTONE: Is a small paper company that competes with large brand big box stores like Staples and Viking. With most people defaulting to the brands they know best, Paperstone needed to find a way to leverage their strengths against the competition; lower prices.
- RADICALGOLFCARTS.COM: Is an eCommerce store selling aftermarket golf cart parts and accessories. They overhauled their website with changes such as: 1) Fix a SSL Certificate Issue on the site, which caused some browsers to prompt users in the cart with a warning the site was susceptible to hackers, 2) use a Favicon, the little icon seen at the top of tabs and in browser bookmarks is the unsung hero on online branding and conversions, 3) increase the presence of Free Shipping on the site and 3) elevate the presence of Trust Factors in the Cart and Checkout. When the pieces came together, sales were up 66%,
- TOTAL HOME SUPPLY: Is an eCommerce site that specializes in selling products for private homes and businesses, such as air conditioners, heaters, fireplaces and appliances, as well as other home and business needs. There was no call tracking to determine where conversions were coming from, and lack of tracking made it hard to determine the full value of their ad campaigns. Call tracking was implemented to better understand conversion. The call tracked increased cost 9%, but revenue increased 199%.
- UNDERWATER AUDIO: Had a problem with visitors who were in the middle of their sales funnel, researching specific products but then dropping off at the comparison page. When they noticed this leak they decided to get to the bottom of it. The new version did away with the data tables, streamlined the text, and put everything above the fold. The redesigned page had an increase in online sales of 40.8%
- WINE ENTHUSIAST: Put content into play to earn trust with consumers. The company’s website features wine reviews, articles and videos to help build an audience. The content helped yield a 50% increase in monthly email opt-ins.
Do these eCommerce case studies convince you of the big results possible from small changes? Does your eCommerce business need to be examined to see you can improve?
