Reversed 49% Revenue Drop For Ornamental Dishware Store

Situation

Revenue had dropped by 49% year-over-year, despite a 79% increase in product visibility. This decline persisted when comparing Q3 to Q2, highlighting potential issues with the site’s conversion effectiveness.

Further analysis revealed significant user experience challenges on the homepage, category pages, and product pages, which were reducing engagement and conversions. Key issues included friction caused by the search bar design, poorly organized category pages, and multiple usability problems on both the cart and product pages.

Task

The next goal was to optimize user interactions across these pages, reduce friction, and improve key performance metrics like Add-to-Cart and Cart-to-Checkout progression.

Actions

Homepage Optimization

• Identified Issue: The search bar accounted for 16% of homepage clicks but caused user frustration due to a modal window that trapped users, leading to dead and rage clicks.
• Interventions
  1. Centrally positioned the search bar, following best practices seen on Amazon and Etsy.
  2. Introduced autosuggestions to help users find relevant products faster.
  3. Removed the modal window entirely for a smoother search experience.

Category Page Improvements

• Identified Issue: Pagination was the most clicked element, indicating users were scrolling through 22 products without finding relevant items. Product organization was not based on popularity or relevance.
• Interventions
  1. Dynamically reorder products based on sales popularity, updating every 60 days.
  2. Add installment prices and rating stars to product image cards to encourage clicks and improve discoverability.

Product Page Enhancements

• Identified Issue: Size variations (which impacted pricing) were difficult to interact with, and preload animations disrupted usability.
• Interventions
  1. Turn size variations into clickable icons for a better user experience.
  2. Eliminate unnecessary preload animations to reduce page load friction.

Cart Page Usability Fixes

• Identified Issues
  1. The cart notification lacked a visible “Checkout” button, leading to cart abandonment.
  2. The coupon field’s prominence distracted users, increasing price sensitivity.
  3. The cart required a manual update for quantity changes, adding unnecessary steps.
  4. Users spent too much time on the cart page without completing checkout.
• Interventions
  1. Added a prominent “Checkout” button to the cart notification and ensure it displays fully on all devices.
  2. Removed the coupon field from the cart page or reposition it to reduce its impact on decision-making.
  3. Enabled automatic cart updates when quantity selectors are used.
  4. Introduced urgency elements like stock quantities, cart reservation timers, and indicators of shopper interest.

Results

1. We significantly reduced user frustration on the homepage by improving search clickthrough rates and session durations.
2. We enhanced engagement on category pages by aligning product visibility with user preferences, resulting in increased clicks and reduced reliance on pagination.
3. We streamlined the product page experience, enabling faster decision-making and greater user satisfaction.
4. Key friction points on the cart page were resolved, leading to fewer cart abandonments and higher checkout conversions.

Within 90 days of implementing our CRO interventions—and before the year’s end—the persistent revenue drop, despite an increase in product views, was reversed. This resulted in a 93% increase in items purchased and a 70% increase in e-commerce revenue.