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Charlie Semmence

<p>In ecommerce, your conversion rate is more than a metric; it's a reflection of your site's ability to engage and convert visitors effectively. That where CRO (conversion rate optimisation) comes in. </p>
<p>CRO works to enhance your conversion rate by diving deep into your customer journey to identify and eliminate friction.  </p>
<p>However, many ecommerce businesses make crucial mistakes that can limit the strategy's impact. From an over-reliance on best practices to choosing the wrong primary metric, here are some of the most common CRO mistakes you might be making, and how you can avoid them going forward.</p>
<h2><strong>1. Lack of adequate research</strong></h2>
<p>The foundation of any <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/conversion-rate-optimisation" target="_blank">successful CRO strategy</a> is thorough research, informed by a comprehensive mix of qualitative and quantitative data, including heat maps, scroll maps, web analytics and user surveys.<br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">Understanding your audience, competitors and market trends is crucial as it provides a solid foundation for targeted strategies that address friction on your site. Skipping this step often leads to misguided efforts that don’t resonate with your target audience.</p>
<h2><strong>2. Operating without a clear hypothesis</strong></h2>
<p>Once you’ve gained an in-depth understanding of your audience, the next step is to formulate hypotheses to tackle your site's unique challenges. A hypothesis brings structure, direction, and purpose to your optimisation efforts.<br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">A common CRO mistake is implementing changes without a clear hypothesis, which can lead to disorganised efforts, misguided strategies and random tweaks based on guesswork, rather than data-driven decision-making.<br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">For effective conversion rate optimisation, each test should begin with a specific, measurable hypothesis that guides your testing strategy and helps in interpreting the results effectively.</p>
<h2><strong>3. Choosing the wrong primary metric</strong></h2>
<p>Your primary metric is a key indicator used to measure the success of a particular campaign or test. It should align with your specific ecommerce objectives, such as increasing sales or boosting shopping cart completions. <br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">For example, if your goal is to enhance sales, a primary metric like 'completed purchases' would be more relevant than 'page views' or 'time on site'.<br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">Selecting an inappropriate metric can lead to misleading conclusions, like prioritising traffic over actual conversions. This misalignment might result in strategies that look successful on paper but don't translate into tangible sales improvements.</p>
<h2><strong>4. Over-reliance on best practices</strong></h2>
<p>A CRO mistake we see time and time again is an over-reliance on UX best practices, while underestimating the value of regular testing. <br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">Although best practices are a good starting point, they are not one-size-fits-all solutions, especially when it comes to CRO. Each ecommerce site and audience is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. <br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">The key to effectively optimising your site lies in embracing a culture of continuous testing to gain insights specific to your audience and your site. This approach allows you to tailor your strategies to what resonates most with your customers, leading to more effective and personalised CRO efforts.</p>
<h2><strong>5. Insufficient quality assurance</strong></h2>
<p>Quality assurance (QA) is a critical step in ensuring that any new features, design changes, or functional updates on your ecommerce site work flawlessly. It involves thorough testing across various devices and browsers to guarantee compatibility and functionality. Skipping this step or doing it half-heartedly can result in glitches, slow loading times, or navigation issues, which can frustrate users and drive them away. <br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">A rigorous QA process ensures that every aspect of the site functions as intended, providing a seamless and satisfying experience for users, which is essential for maintaining and improving conversion rates.</p>
<h2><strong>6. Ignoring the impact of existing customers</strong></h2>
<p>In some cases, your existing customers might make up a large proportion of your site’s traffic. These individuals are already familiar with and convinced of the value of your product, so their visits are often for the purpose of reordering, not browsing. <br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">If this is the case for your site, the tweaks and changes you implement may not significantly influence their purchasing decisions, as they’re likely to complete their purchase regardless.<br data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1">A common oversight in this context is combining existing customers and new visitors in the same test group. When your returning customers constitute a large chunk of your traffic, this approach can cloud your test results, making it challenging to draw clear conclusions. To effectively gauge the impact of website changes, it's crucial to segregate new visitors.</p>
<h2><strong>7. Lack of CRO expertise</strong></h2>
<p>CRO is a complex field requiring a specific set of skills and knowledge. Without this precise expertise, it's challenging to implement effective CRO strategies, meaning ecommerce brands repeatedly miss opportunities to drive conversions, sales and profit.</p>
<p>Avoiding these common CRO mistakes can help to optimise your online presence more effectively. However, engaging with <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/conversion-rate-optimisation" target="_blank">CRO experts</a> ensures that your ecommerce strategies are not just implemented, but are crafted to deliver the best possible return on investment.</p>
<p>That’s where we come in. At <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/" target="_blank">Underwaterpistol</a>, we develop tailored CRO strategies that help brands like yours discover exactly what converts, enabling you to achieve increased revenue, higher profitability and dominance in the market. <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/contact" target="_blank"><strong>Talk to us</strong></a> today to take the first step towards conversion success.</p>
<h2><strong>Ready to refine your CRO strategy?</strong></h2>
<p>Our new guide helps ecommerce brands get the most out of CRO. Inside, we debunk myths, reveal what makes CRO such a powerful growth tool, and provide step by step instructions for how to get it right. </p>
<p><a href="https://plus.underwaterpistol.com/rethinking-cro-guide?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=uwp&amp;utm_campaign=cro-guide" target="_blank"><strong>Get your free copy</strong></a> to unlock the full potential of your CRO strategy. </p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://plus.underwaterpistol.com/rethinking-cro-guide?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=uwp&amp;utm_campaign=cro-guide" target="_blank"><img style="float: none;" alt="Download ecommerce Shopify CRO ebook" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/CRO_guide_page_spread_compressed_1024x1024.png?v=1712312414"></a></div>

7 costly CRO mistakes and how to avoid them