Ecommerce CRO: What is a Good Conversion Rate for eCommerce?

Consider a shop that attracts 100 customers daily but fails to make a single sale. This is a serious issue because the survival of your store depends on making sales and conversions. Without these, your business cannot endure. Hence, the significance of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) in successfully operating an eCommerce store cannot be overemphasised.

In this guide, we’ll go through what a good eCommerce conversion rate is, as well as how to increase your online store’s overall performance. We’ll also walk you through how high-quality images can play a valuable role in improving your conversion rate.

What is an eCommerce Conversion Rate?

The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a website or landing page who take a desired action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter. It is expressed as a decimal or percentage and is calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the total number of visitors.

In eCommerce, the conversion rate is the number of customers who make a purchase on your website, divided by the total number of visitors to your site. A good eCommerce conversion rate is any rate that meets or exceeds your goals for revenue and growth.

For example, if a website has 100 visitors and 5 of them make a purchase, the conversion rate would be 5/100 = 0.05 or 5%. This means that 5% of the website’s visitors converted into customers by making a purchase.

The conversion rate is an important metric for businesses and marketers because it provides insight into how effectively they are converting visitors into customers or leads. Improving the conversion rate can have a significant impact on a business’s bottom line and can help drive more sales and revenue.

How is Conversion Rate Calculated?

The conversion rate is calculated as follows:

Conversion Rate (%) = Number of Conversions / Number of Visitors x 100

For example, if a website has 1,000 visitors and 10 conversions, the conversion rate would be:

10/1000 x 100 = 1%

This means that 1% of the website’s visitors converted into customers.

Measuring and understanding your conversion rate is a critical step in optimizing the performance of your online store. It can provide valuable insights into the customer journey, help you identify areas for improvement, and inform your marketing and sales strategies.

What is a Good eCommerce Conversion Rate?

On average, eCommerce sites have a conversion rate of 2.5-3%. Your benchmark, therefore, should be at 3% conversion rate.

However, what constitutes a good conversion rate for an eCommerce site will vary depending on the industry and competition. For example, a smaller store may have a higher conversion rate than other stores in the same market due to its niche products, while a larger store may have a lower conversion rate due to its broad selection.

To determine what is considered a good conversion rate for your eCommerce site, you should benchmark against the average conversion rates in your industry and compare them to those of competitors. This will give you an idea of how your website stacks up against others in the same market.

Once you have established your conversion rate benchmarks, it’s time to start testing. This involves experimenting with different elements of your online store, such as the design, copy, and calls to action, to see what resonates with your audience and drives more conversions. Testing can include A/B testing, where you test two different versions of your website to see which one performs better, or multivariate testing, where you test multiple elements simultaneously to find the most effective combination.

Factors that Affect Your Ecommerce Conversion Rate Benchmarks

There are a few things that can affect your conversion rate benchmark. These include:

• Traffic sources. While sites that acquire more traffic from ads or blog posts may experience a lower conversion rate than those backed by existing customers or social media followers, this doesn’t mean it’s not working. It simply means these ad and blog-driven websites are introducing their brand to even more people for the first time.
• Price point. As the product price increases, it is natural for conversion rates to decline. This is because consumers typically take more time thinking about bigger purchases that require more of their income than impulse buys. Most conversions tend to go down after $50 followed by declines at higher prices such as $150 and again at $500.
• Purchase type. Subscription eCommerce stores normally have lower conversion rates compared to those selling single purchases, as consumers need more time to consider the commitment. Additionally, these subscription shops tend to experience fewer visits from repeat customers.

Even so, taking the time to compare your store’s performance with that of an average benchmark can be invaluable in recognizing improvement opportunities.

Additional Metrics to Measure that Impact Conversion

Not only is it critical to recognize how your store carries out in terms of conversion, but there are also other metrics that contribute towards that goal. By improving these metrics and aiming for the optimal result, you can significantly advance your overall shop’s conversion rate.

• Bounce Rate: This metric is simply the percentage of people who leave after visiting only one page. Improving this number can increase your overall conversion rate by helping ensure that customers see more of your store and become familiar with your products, resulting in a higher likelihood of purchases.
• Average Order Value (AOV): This refers to the average amount spent per order and is an important metric to track. Increasing the AOV can be achieved through up-selling and cross-selling strategies as well as offering discounts or free shipping on higher order values.
• Cart Abandonment Rate: This refers to shoppers who add items to their cart, but then don’t complete the purchase. Reducing this number by improving things such as checkout flow, payment methods, and security can improve your overall conversion rate.
• Average Time on Site: This metric measures how long visitors stay, with a longer time indicating more engagement and interest in what you have to offer. Improving this number can lead to better customer relationships and higher conversions.
• Click-through rate (CTR): This measure is the ratio of people who click on a specific link, such as an ad or banner. Increasing CTR can help boost your conversion rate if it’s done correctly.
• Average Page Depth (AKA Pages Per Session in Google Analytics): This metric measures the number of pages customers view. Increasing this number can give you an understanding of how engaging your product and content pages are, which can lead to more purchases.

How to Improve your eCommerce Conversion Rate

Conversion Rate Optimization is a broad topic, but the most important thing is to take action. You don’t need many resources or complicated strategies – just some time and dedication. Here are a few tips that can help guide your efforts:

Unique Selling Proposition

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), or value proposition, is easily the most significant factor in your conversion rate. If you have an exquisite, one-of-a-kind product that meets a need for consumers, they’ll overlook other shortcomings of the experience to acquire it. Analyze your website and ask yourself: “Does my site make clear what my merchandise is and why someone needs it?”

Friction in User Experience

Friction is anything that stands in the way of a smooth user experience. It could be something as small as an unclickable button or unclear shipping fees, but even one instance can significantly reduce a site’s conversion rate. The removal of friction from your website is essential to gaining more customers and increasing profits.

Customer Anxiety

Anxiety can be especially intense for new sites and brands. Customers need extra reassurance that the product is of high quality, as they cannot see or touch it before making a purchase. Stores have several options to address customer anxiety: clear return/guarantee policies, social proof such as reviews, or immersive/AR shopping experiences are all viable ways to build trust with customers.

What Role Do High-Quality Images Play in Improving Conversion Rate?

High-quality images are a crucial aspect of any eCommerce website and play a significant role in determining conversion rates. Product images are the first point of interaction between the website visitors and the product. As a result, they can either make or break the sale. Here’s how high-quality images can improve conversion rates and why they are so important.

First, high-quality images increase the level of trust between the website visitors and the website. A website that has professional, high-quality images is often perceived as trustworthy and reputable.

On the other hand, a website that uses low-quality, blurry, or pixelated images gives a negative impression and can result in visitors leaving the website, never to return. This is because low-quality images can make the products appear cheap and of poor quality, which can negatively impact the purchasing decision.

Second, high-quality images can help website visitors visualize the product better. A study found that 93% of consumers believe that high-quality product images are the most important aspect of an eCommerce website. In fact, 78% of customers want images that bring products to life.

Since high-quality images provide a clear and detailed representation of the product, this allows website visitors to visualize how the product looks, feels, and functions. This can help to reduce the number of returns and increase customer satisfaction, which can result in higher conversion rates.

High-quality images can also help to differentiate the products from the competition and make the products more memorable. For example, if you are a fashion retailer selling variants of the same item, such as different colors of the same dress. Using high-quality images to showcase each color helps to make them stand out and be remembered by customers.

Improving user experience is another way of improving conversion rates. A study conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group found that users spent more time on websites that had high-quality images compared to those with low-quality images. This clearly indicates that a website with high-quality images can keep users engaged and interested.

Finally, high-quality images can also increase the speed of the website. High-quality images are often optimized, which can reduce their file size and improve the speed of the website. A fast website is important as a slow website can negatively impact the user experience and result in website visitors leaving the website.

High-end eCommerce websites like Zappos, Amazon, and ASOS have harnessed the power of professional photography to amplify their sales. Quality images that accurately portray products are a must for any successful online business; these renowned companies exemplify this truth with exceptional visuals leading to increased conversion rates and higher customer satisfaction.

Common Misconceptions about eCommerce Conversion Rate

There are a lot of misconceptions about eCommerce conversion rates. Some believe that a higher rate is always better, but it’s important to remember that each store is different and there may be more factors at play than just the website itself.

• High traffic automatically equals high conversion rates: The number of visitors does not necessarily reflect their likelihood to purchase. Actually, if you have a high traffic rate but a low conversion rate, it could indicate poor optimization or an ineffective value proposition.
• A single change can result in massive improvements: It’s impossible to guarantee that any one change will lead to an immediate and drastic improvement in your store’s performance. Many times, changes like design updates and new features take time to yield results.
• Conversion rates are the same for every industry: Different industries have different average conversion rates due to various factors such as product price, purchase consideration time, etc. This means that you can’t compare your store’s performance to the average industry rate.
• A high conversion rate means the website is optimized: A high conversion rate is an indicator of optimization, but it is not the only metric to measure the success of an eCommerce website. You must also consider factors such as page load time, bounce rate, average page depth, and customer reviews.
• The conversion rate is the only metric that matters: While conversion rates are important, it is also essential to track metrics such as average order value, customer lifetime value, and repeat purchase rate. All these metrics are vital in understanding customer behavior and optimizing the store for long-term success.
• The same strategies will work for all businesses: Every business is unique and requires a customized approach to optimize its conversion rates. What works for one store may not be effective for another. It’s important to review your analytics and user feedback before implementing any changes.

Pixel By Hand eCommerce Product Photo Editing Service

In conclusion, conversion rate optimization is essential for the success of any eCommerce business. High-quality images have been proven to contribute to improved user experience, increased website speed, and higher conversion rates. Investing in professional product photography can be a great way to maximize the potential of your products and give them the exposure they deserve.

At Pixel By Hand, our team of experienced eCommerce product photo editors can help take your photos to the next level. We specialize in removing backgrounds, clipping paths, enhancing colors, and making it look perfect for any eCommerce store. Our talented team of professionals is here to ensure that your store stands out from the crowd with excellent visuals that will engage customers and captivate their attention.

Start your Free Trial today! Contact us for a free consultation and let’s discuss how Pixel By Hand can help you reach your eCommerce goals. Your success is just one click away!