Improve Your Conversions By 39% - Reduce
Visitors' Options
by: Karen
Scharf
Recently, a client who is an online merchant decided to run a few tests to see
if we could improve his website conversions. His product page presented four
different options, and while his sales were acceptable, he thought they could
be better.
He wasn't exactly sure, however, what needed to be done to increase his website
conversions. He thought offering four products was a good idea, since he had a
price range to meet every budget. Each product description clearly outlined all
the features and benefits, so there was more than enough information for his
site visitors to use in their decision making process.
I was concerned, though, that there might be a bit too much information. In
marketing, the old adage says a confused mind makes no decision. And internet
marketing is no different. So we designed a split test.
We tested three different product pages – the original page with four products,
a new page with three products and a new page with two products. In the
original test, everything about the pages was the same, i.e. headlines, copy,
graphics, etc. The only difference was the number of products. (We later tested
the individual elements, but that's another topic.)
We found that the page with three products actually increased conversions by
39%. Turns out his site visitors had been overwhelmed by all the information
presented on the four-product page. However, site visitors did want to feel
like they had a choice; in fact, conversions dropped on the page with only two
products.
How can you apply this to your own website? Take a look at each of your pages,
especially your product pages. Are you offering too much information? Not enough
information? Are you making it difficult for your visitors to make a decision?
Design a few split tests to help you determine a happy medium.
Are you wondering what we did with the fourth product? We used it as an upsell. Anyone who purchased product #3 was presented with
the option of purchasing product #4 before checking out. This reduced their
decision making process to only two products (product #3 versus product #4)
while still giving my client the option of offering four products. Incidentally,
approximately 21% of those who were presented with the upsell
offer decided to upgrade to product #4.
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