Great CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) doesn’t stop at the first impression; it’s about guiding the customer from landing to conversion with as little friction as possible.
Although landing pages are a vital first step for your eCommerce site, and good first impressions are important, it’s important to think beyond them. Your fully-optimised landing page means very little if the rest of the customer journey creates friction.
The reality is, CRO doesn’t end at the landing page. It only begins there.
First Impressions Matter, But They’re Not Everything
High-converting landing pages should make an immediate impact. Reassuring the customer they’re in the right place offers value and guides them towards the next step, as well as keeping bounce rates low.
But the effort you’ve spent creating a strong first impression is wasted if your customers abandon your site because of a confusing, difficult, or untrustworthy checkout process.
The Full Funnel Perspective
True CRO looks at the full customer experience, from the moment they land on your site, to the point of conversion, and beyond. Every touchpoint matters.
Brands often invest heavily in directing traffic to their site, and focusing optimisation efforts high up in the funnel, only to lose those hard-earned visitors due to poor experiences as they progress through the site.
Optimisation strategies should be interlinked and look at the full user journey.
1. Straightforward Navigation
Once a customer lands, how easy is it for them to find what they’re looking for? Can they refine product lists effectively and with minimal effort? Does search serve relevant products, and react to previous user behaviour?
Optimising the navigation structure ensures customers can move efficiently around your site with minimal frustration.
2. Product Pages That Build Confidence
Product pages are a key point in the decision-making process, where customers start to show higher intent to buy.
Product information and the way it is presented can be make or break. Are you building trust, creating clarity, and making it easy for customers to answer every question they might have?
Informative and persuasive copy, high-quality images, and clear delivery information are great starting points for optimisation efforts that can drastically affect conversion rates.
3. Cart & Checkout Experience
This is where many journeys end prematurely. High intent customers want to checkout as quickly and seamlessly as possible, so any points of friction can have a significant impact on conversion rate.
- Forcing account creation: give customers the option to checkout as a guest, or make the login journey as smooth as possible. You can encourage customers to sign up post-purchase with benefits like order management.
- Hidden fees at checkout: delivery fees can be a shock to users if the checkout is the first time they see them. Display delivery pricing throughout the site, from sitewide banners, to details on PDPs to help manage users expectations and avoid nasty surprises at the point of purchase.
- Lack of payment options: if you don’t let customers pay via their method of choice, they might not pay at all. Offer customers a variety of payment options, from debit and credit cards, to payment services like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.
4. Post-Purchase & Retention
The customer’s journey doesn’t end after a successful checkout. Post-purchases experiences are often overlooked, but can significantly impact lifetime value.
Optimise order confirmation pages, account creation journeys, and customer support to encourage repeat purchases, reviews, and referrals.
Why This Holistic Approach Matters
When CRO efforts focus only on landing pages, you’ll see higher abandonment rates as users progress through the site. Click-through rates and engagement might look strong initially, but your conversions may not reflect that.
Instead, by aligning your optimisation efforts across the entire journey, you create a seamless, enjoyable experience that builds trust. It removes barriers, and increases conversions where they matter most, at the bottom of the funnel.
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