Using Conversion Optimization to Exceed Pages per Session Benchmarks by +196%

Key Takeaways

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Icebreaker, an athletic apparel company, has seen an average of 8 pages visited per session on their site, +196% the industry average of 2.7 page visits per session. Icebreaker’s e-commerce store uses elements of conversion rate optimization (CRO) to keep visitors engaged and increase conversion rates by:

• Content Tactic — Creating Offers: Icebreaker uses many cues throughout their site to encourage visitors to make purchases such as sign up discounts, free shipping, free returns, and earning rewards. These factors incentivize visitors to convert so that they feel like they are spending less due to rewards Icebreaker is offering for shopping with them.
• Content Tactic — Accessibility: Deals offered are clearly placed across pop-ups, the homepage and all product display pages. The visitor is subtly seeing this messaging throughout their journey on the site. Icebreaker also makes it easier to ask questions with an in-site pop up chat to speak with customer service. Payment plan alternatives are offered for customers who are looking to pay for their order over four weeks.
• Advertising Tactic — A/B Testing: Icebreaker has run an average of 136 different ad copies a month on Google search from April to July 2021. Ad titles and body copy are constantly being tested to see what produces the best results and lowest CPC for high engagement, low cost campaigns. Winning copy can also be repurposed into the site copy and newsletter messaging.

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Icebreaker is an athletic apparel company with an average of 229K monthly website visits in the USA. From August 2020 to July 2021, Icebreaker has seen an average of 8 pages visited per session on their site, +196% over the benchmark of 2.7 page visits per session. 

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Icebreaker’s e-commerce store uses elements of conversion rate optimization (CRO) which is the practice of introducing traits to a website and advertising to increase the number of conversions rates among web visitors. Icebreaker is currently practicing CRO on their homepage, product display pages and in their search ads.

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Upon entering the Icebreaker site, a pop up will be displayed encouraging visitors to sign up for newsletter communications. 

Discount - New visitors are immediately presented with a pop up on desktop and mobile that offers 10% off an order. Offering discounts incentivize first time buyers of a brand to build stronger trust with the product knowing that they are paying less for their first order.

Call to Action - Icebreaker uses two buttons to guide visitors. People are less likely to click “no thanks” when offered a discount as it helps reiterate what they are missing out on by saying no.

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The Icebreaker homepage boasts two elements to incentivize conversion (shipping deal) and positive user experiences (help desk). 

Shipping Deal - As new visitors enter the site, they are presented with another offer that states they can receive free two day shipping on orders over $175. This sets an expectation for pricing that the visitor can prepare for, in turn increasing average order value and faster service.

Help Desk - Icebreaker uses an orange call to action in the bottom right of the website to let visitors start a live chat with a customer experience representative while they shop.

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Icebreaker product display pages (PDPs) feature six main elements that help increase conversion rates across visitors including:

1. Upselling. When landing on a product page, under the title, the visitor will see the product title, the price and an extra incentive to add a face mask to their purchase for an additional $9. The (?) pop up explains that masks are normally $12.95 so the customer feels they are getting a deal.

2. This pairs well with. At the bottom of the product, customers will also get additional product recommendations such as “you may also like” and “this pairs well with” to produce a variety of product options to shop from.

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3. Easy & Free Returns. Prompts are left under the product to encourage visitors to buy by ensuring the purchase is an overall low expense beyond the product cost. By offering free returns, the customer can be reassured that if the purchase doesn’t work out there will be no additional cost to them to return it.

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4. Free Shipping. Beyond the cost of the product, many customers may abandon their cart once seeing the total cost of their order with taxes and shipping included. Offering free shipping acts as a discount to convince customers that their purchase is going towards only their investment on the product and that they are removing the burden of putting additional money towards shipping.

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5. Rewards Points. Each product has a specific reward point value based on its price. Icebreaker outlines the specific amount of points each product holds in the PDP and provides details on how the reward system works in the pop up. Customers can feel that they are getting “money” or “investment” back into future purchases by being able to redeem an accumulation of points over time.

6. Buy Now, Pay Later. Lower-income customers may be less inclined to make purchases if they need to pay for the total value up front. Icebreaker uses Klarna, a financing app that breaks down the initial cost of the product over four weeks, making it seem more manageable to pay back. The PDP breaks down the weekly cost with Klarna to make the price look more attractive. Should visitors pay with Klarna, the financing app takes the risk and pays Icebreaker in full while collecting the weekly payments from the customer.

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Icebreaker heavily tests their Google Search ad copy to see what generates the lowest CPC to continue building a strong low cost ad strategy. From April to July 2021, Icebreaker has run an average of 136 different search ads per month. Icebreaker tests the 2 main attributes of a search ad, the title and body copy, by keeping one variable different across multiple ads while the other elements remain the same.

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Titles tested between two different creatives (July 2021):

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Body copy tested between three different creatives (July 2021):