If you’re a Shopify store owner or marketer, you know that Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is not a one-time fix. It requires consistent effort and resources.
Shopify CRO retainers can improve your Shopify store’s conversion rate through ongoing optimization, continuously adapting to changing customer behavior, improving user experience, and converting more visitors into customers.
In this blog, you’ll learn all about Shopify CRO retainers.
What is a CRO Retainer and How Does it Work?
A Shopify CRO retainer is a monthly service agreement between merchants and CRO experts. The CRO retainer provides continuous services to test, analyze, and improve your Shopify store’s conversion rate.
The average eCommerce conversion rate is between 2.5% and 3%, which is quite low. And hence, eCommerce brands require Shopify conversion optimization services.
Here are some services included in CRO retainers:
1. Conversion audits
Shopify conversion rate optimization experts analyze your store’s performance bottlenecks and turn them into optimization opportunities. The audit process includes reviews of page load speed, mobile responsiveness, and checkout flow. Retainers also do competitor analysis to stay abreast with industry best practices.
2. A/B testing
CRO retainers include A/B testing for content, design, and strategies. This helps make data-driven decisions, improve ROI, engagement, and conversion rate. A/B testing is a specialized area that often includes running multiple (eg., two to four) simultaneous tests based on the traffic volume, and for different durations (eg., two to four weeks).
3. Heatmaps and click tracking
CRO retainers have the expertise to conduct advanced user behavior tracking. This includes heatmap analysis to understand where visitors click, scroll, and drop off. Click tracking to understand navigation patterns, session recordings to know about user interactions with your store, and form analytics related to checkout. Tracking these elements helps optimize various processes based on data.
4. Funnel optimization
Shopify CRO retainers implement various processes for funnel optimization. For instance, customer journey mapping (from initial visit to purchase), segment customers (based on source, device, and type), identify drop-off points in the sales funnel, etc. Retainers craft personalization strategies based on these user behavior patterns.
Why do Shopify Stores Need Ongoing CRO?
Let’s say you optimize your Shopify product pages in January and see an increase in your conversion rate. But by June, your conversion rate goes down again. That’s because there are new trends in the market and customer preference has shifted. Without continuous optimization, your CRO rates will not increase. Here’s how Shopify CRO retainers can help.
1. Keep up with constant market changes
Market and trends keep changing and evolving, and so do customer preferences. For example, mobile commerce trends tend to change with seasons, and social media trends too, influence purchase decisions. By tracking and adapting to these constant changes, your business can stay competitive in the market. This is one of the benefits of having Shopify CRO retainers.
2. Seasonal and campaign-specific optimization
To ensure consistent conversions, Shopify conversion rate optimization retainers create strategies based on seasonal trends and campaigns. For instance, BFCM campaigns require a different strategy compared to regular sales. Other seasonal trends include back-to-school campaigns, festive gifting, etc. CRO retainers ensure none of these seasonal trends are missed out.
3. Long-term growth vs. short-term fixes
Shopify CRO retainers have the expertise to take a long-term approach, which has various benefits. For instance, it allows retainers to gather deeper knowledge about your business. This helps with effective optimization strategies. Ongoing, long-term optimization strategies deliver better results.
What Areas of a Shopify Store are Typically Optimized?
Shopify retainers offer various Shopify conversion optimization services, covering areas such as marketing, strategy, design, content, SEO, and more. Here are some of the Shopify store areas that CRO retainers focus on.
1. Product pages and collection layouts
Product pages are the most important pages when it comes to driving conversions. Shopify CRO retainers typically focus on optimizing these elements:
-
Product images and zoom functionalities, and add product videos (unboxing videos)
-
Social proof elements, such as reviews, ratings, user-generated content
-
Product description copy and CTA copy
-
Cross-sell and upsell product recommendations
-
Product live updates, such as scarcity messaging and stock indicators
2. Homepage messaging and visual hierarchy
The homepage is critical for delivering proposition and positioning clarity. Retainers focus on these aspects for optimizing the homepage:
-
Navigation menu and search functions based on visitor behavior
-
Hero section messaging and CTA placement
-
Featured product selection and presentation
-
Trust signals and social proof
-
Optimize for mobile
3. Checkout flow and trust elements
70% of cart abandonments happen during the checkout process. Checkout flow plays a key role in driving sales. Here are the aspects that retainers optimize:
-
A/B testing for multi-page and single-page checkout
-
Testing for guest checkout and account creation
-
Optimize payment methods and trust badges
-
Shipping cost transparency
-
Checkout progress indicators and exit-intent popups
-
Mobile optimization
4. Mobile and desktop performance optimization
It is important for your Shopify website to deliver a consistent experience on desktop as well as mobile. This is one area that CRO retainers typically optimize for continuous improvement on eCommerce sites.
-
Touch-friendly buttons for mobile
-
Mobile-friendly navigation patterns
-
Page load speed optimization for mobile networks
-
Thumb-friendly checkout process
-
Mobile and desktop specific product image formats
How do Shopify CRO Retainers Improve ROI?
The best Shopify CRO retainers have the expertise to improve your ROI with the right strategy across various aspects. Here are the benefits of Shopify CRO retainers and how they can improve your ROI.
1. Converting more from the same traffic sources
Existing customers are 60 to 70% more likely to make a purchase compared to new customers. Shopify CRO retainers typically focus on converting visitors from existing customers.
For example, if your Shopify store gets 10,000 monthly visitors and the conversion rate is 2%, by focusing on CRO strategies on these 10,000 visitors, you can increase the conversion rate to 3% or 4%. Thus, you can get more revenue from the same customers, over a period of time.
2. Incremental improvements stacking over time
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) decreases as the conversion rate increases. This is one way in which CRO retainers help improve ROI. For example, if you are spending $50 to acquire 100 visitors and converting 2% into customers, you’re spending $25 on each conversion. Thus, if you increase the conversion rate to 3% or 4%, the CAC will decrease.
3. Improving CLV by boosting onsite performance
When customers continuously have good experiences on your website (eg., personalization), they tend to keep returning and make more purchases. Eventually, this helps increase ROI. By improving CRO, you can also gain the benefits of compounding. For instance, a 0.5% improvement in conversion rate month on month can lead to a 6% annual increase. And its compounding effect can be much more.
What AI-Powered Services can be Included in a CRO Retainer?
According to a report by McKinsey, 78% of businesses use AI for marketing functions. From content and design to automating customer notifications and discounting, AI is used in multiple processes. Here are some AI-based services provided by Shopify CRO retainers.
1. Shopify AI tool implementation
Retainer teams have the expertise to implement AI-based processes, such as product recommendations based on customer behavior, search functionality, automated inventory management and restocking alerts, and predictive analytics for seasonal demand. Other AI-based tool services include one-click purchasing for returning customers, fraud detection, etc.
2. Workflow automation
AI tools used to automate workflows help enhance efficiency. For instance, CRO retainers implement AI-based A/B testing, predictive modeling for sample size requirements, and real-time traffic allocation optimization, among other marketing functions.
3. AI-based customer behavior prediction models
Shopify CRO retainers have the expertise to implement AI-based customer behavior prediction models. For instance, AI tools for high-intent visitor identification, churn prediction and retention campaign triggers, price sensitivity analysis for dynamic pricing, and personalized product recommendation engines.
4. Consultation on AI tools
CRO retainers not only implement AI tools on your Shopify store, they also offer strategic advice and consultation on which tools can benefit your store. Retainers have the expertise about different types of AI tools, for instance, personalization tools, review and loyalty tools, customer service integration tools, etc.
5. AI-generated content and visuals
AI tools have made creating content and visuals faster and easier for brands. Shopify CRO retainers help you implement the best content and visuals AI tools to help you with your day-to-day content and visuals requirements for the website, social media, and other marketing campaigns used for increasing conversions.
How to Measure the Success of a CRO Retainer?
Follow these tips and best practices to measure the success of your Shopify CRO retainer.
-
Track metrics, such as conversion rate, average order value (AOV), revenue per visitor, and cart abandonment rate.
-
Measure performance metrics, such as page load speed, time on site, customer review volume, etc.
-
Create monthly and quarterly reviews to track performance trends and patterns.
Wrapping up
Shopify CRO retainers don’t just offer monthly service, they also contribute to your strategic growth. By incorporating the expertise of CRO retainers and AI-powered solutions, your Shopify store can convert visitors into customers, and lead your business to newer successes.
If you’re looking for a Shopify CRO retainer or want to know more about retainers, contact XgenTech.
