E-Commerce Jewelry Lifecycle Case Study 2024
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Lifecycle
Optimizing the Customer Journey Increases Online Revenue 329%
An e-commerce jewelry brand leveraged Cro Metrics’ comprehensive, experiment-led approach to evolve their SMS and email strategies. They moved from simple welcome and cart abandonment emails to a holistic funnel strategy that incorporated personalized automations. This shift tailored the customer journey, enhancing engagement and increasing conversions.
+329%
Increase in Revenue
+39%
Click Rate
+566%
Revenue Per Recipient
The Challenge
The e-commerce jewelry brand faced a challenge due to its basic email automation, the absence of SMS testing, and the use of an Email Service Provider (ESP) with limited personalization and testing capabilities, which restricted effective customer engagement.
The Solution
Cro Metrics migrated the client to a more customer-centric Email Service Provider (ESP), Klaviyo, and warmed the audiences to ensure a smooth transition. By enabling the Shopify integration, we leveraged the enhanced personalization and segmentation capabilities. A multi-test roadmap was established to explore and optimize various strategies and swimlanes.
The core lifecycle touchpoints, including Welcome and Abandoned Cart Flows, were rebuilt, and four additional automations were added to the mix. Testing was introduced to the SMS channel as a new swimlane to refine and optimize messaging strategies, transforming SMS from a ‘send it and forget it’ channel to one actively engaged in testing and improvement.
Results
This strategic overhaul not only demonstrated the viability of SMS testing through a multi-test roadmap but also led to significant improvements across the board. By integrating email and SMS flows and optimizing messages with targeted personalization and continous testing, the brand significantly enhanced its marketing effectiveness, resulting in a marked increase in lead acquisition at the top of their funnel.
The optimized Welcome Testing Roadmap drove remarkable outcomes, including a 210% revenue increase. Key test results included:
– Testing the time of send resulted in a +21% conversion rate.
– Using emojis versus plain text led to a +31% conversion rate.
– Comparing MMS to plain text saw a +129% click rate.
– Implementing a call to action (CTA) versus no CTA observed a modest +2% click rate increase.
Year-over-year comparisons were equally impressive, with a 9% higher open rate, 39% higher click rate, an extraordinary 812% increase in conversion rate, and a 566% surge in revenue per recipient. These outcomes underscore the critical role of lifecycle testing in enhancing your testing program’s impact.
Understanding Customers Across A Non-Traditional Funnel
The Challenge
WOW! is a leading provider of high-speed internet, cable TV, and phone services in the United States. With a mission to provide reliable and affordable services to its customers, WOW! has been consistently delivering exceptional connectivity solutions for over two decades.
WOW! has a unique business model in that its products and services are limited to serviceable geographic areas. As such, they need to understand how to best reach their target customers and ensure an ideal customer experience for those who are within their ideal customer profiles. As one can imagine, the customer journey and onsite experience are fraught with nuances in aspiring to this goal.
The Solution
Due to the unique customer journey, a typical funnel analysis wasn’t going to suffice. We began by ensuring we were properly capturing and collecting data, and that analytics were configured optimally against customer use cases and KPIs. This included incorporating website analytics and marketing data into a data warehouse. From there, we configured multi-dimensional funnel analyses, allowing for filtering based on key attributes such as geography, traffic source, device, product and service types. Because determining customer serviceability is complex, we created visualizations to easily understand each aspect of the customer journey. This reporting evolved to include comparison metrics based on key events, such as market shifts, a site redesign, and a CMS integration.
Because we’ve also been WOW!‘s Conversion Rate Optimization partner since 2019, we leveraged analytics to provide longitudinal performance and key insights derived through A/B testing.
Results
WOW! has plenty of data, but they weren't sure how to use it to improve their marketing efforts. For example, how to measure whether efforts to improve page speed are having an impact on conversion. Or identifying break points in the funnel and separating out increased traffic from existing customers, versus new customer targeting. By removing confounding variables, these visualizations allow WOW! to extract signal from the noise and get a clearer picture of what is driving conversions.
WOW! now has readily accessible data to drive key business decisions—particularly understanding how consumers use the site and how best to position the site across consumer and business markets, and how to best understand product and service adoption, upgrades, and upsells.
We continue to actively work with the WOW! team, providing analysis, and iteration on their reporting tools, helping them uncover and capitalize on opportunities for growth.
Ready to transform your business and drive growth? Reach out today.
New Paid Media Strategy Cuts Conversion Costs
Vector Marketing is a direct selling subsidiary company and the domestic sales arm of CUTCO Corporation, a high-quality cutlery manufacturer. Over 15 million people use CUTCO in their kitchens daily.
Recently, Vector required a new paid media partner that was responsive and willing to work with the company to reach its goals of reducing conversion costs. As long-time partners, Vector and Cro Metrics expanded into paid media based on the success of previous conversion rate optimization work.
The Challenge
Sourcing new job applicants is critical for Vector Marketing’s success. However, at the beginning of this project, conversion costs for sourcing had drastically increased due to issues out of the company’s control.
Recruitment costs were already higher before COVID-19 took hold in 2019. However, as the pandemic intensified, so did the volatility and unpredictability of recruitment costs across all industries. The same was true for Vector, a company that thrives on consistent team growth.
In addition to increasing costs, Vector’s previous agency had made several big mistakes and failed to rectify them quickly. And unfortunately, the account manager seemed unaware of previous conversations and decisions made by their predecessor.
All of this combined to become the perfect storm, limiting the number of new applicants and employees Vector was able to recruit. As a result, the company was struggling to fill its sales pipelines and meet its growth goals.
The Solution
Cro Metrics partnered with Vector Marketing to overhaul the company’s existing paid media strategy. We started by performing an extensive audit, providing recommendations, and restructuring the strategy during the first month.
In the months to follow, we deployed best-in-class analytics, automated bidding, and ad strategies. Other accomplishments included:
- Reorganization of the account based on top-performing ads
- Development of an in-depth plan to track downstream conversions and conversion value
- Implementation of a new locations automation script to make 44,000 ad changes each month to support dynamic sales pipeline demand at the different sales offices throughout the nation
- Implementation of value-based bidding using conversion value from each conversion in the business cycle
The Results
As a result of our partnership, Vector Marketing experienced a 13% decrease in cost per recruit when comparing costs from 2018-2019 and 2021-2022, which allows them to continue to rely on paid media as one of its key recruiting channels.
While this decrease is a clear result of the paid media overhaul, Vector also contributes the success to our focus on partnering with our clients instead of simply treating them as revenue generators.
Throughout our relationship with Vector Marketing, we remained open and honest, always willing to answer the team’s questions. We were also transparent, consistently sharing the “why” behind each step we took.
Just like in any other project we take on, we made sure each move we made was right for Vector and how the company conducts business. After all, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to paid media strategy—all businesses are unique.
Ready to transform your paid media strategy? Reach out to us today.
Simple E-Newsletter Updates Boost Click-Through Rates
Teach For America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recruiting and supporting teachers to ensure every child is able to receive an equitable education. Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a diverse network of leaders, working together to end educational inequity.
Teach For America reached out to Cro Metrics when they discovered they needed leadership and execution for their large email program after noticing declining engagement rates from their core audience.
The Challenge
Teach For America provides supportive resources for teachers and school administrators. One of those resources is a biweekly email newsletter focusing on tools, tips, resources and additional opportunities. The e-newsletter shares classroom tips, lesson plan suggestions, grants and benefits such as Better Help subscriptions for educators.
We noticed that the e-newsletter’s overall click rate and read-through rate were decreasing over time. Because of the critical support and guidance found inside the newsletter, we knew we needed a solution and quickly began testing to improve engagement.
The Solution
During the initial stages of the project, we noticed that the majority of clicks were happening in the small section of the newsletter called Resources and Opportunities.
Inspired by this insight, we restructured the template of the newsletter and put all of the content into the Resources and Opportunities section. We also shortened the copy of the newsletter and made it easily skimmable.
We then performed our initial experiment, determining click-through rate as our key metric.
The Results
The simple newsletter updates made during testing resulted in a 30% increase in click-through rate. We also saw a 43% increase in the click-to-open ratio, signifying that more people were reading through the entire email.
An increase in click-through rates means that more teachers and administrators are receiving the critical resources they need for support. Plus, Teach For America is using their email newsletter and overarching lifecycle marketing strategy to build awareness and improve education for all.
Want to improve your lifecycle marketing strategy? Reach out to us today.
Learn Small, Scale Big: Turn Visitors Into Customers with a Multi-Brand Strategy
The Clorox Company is a leading multinational producer of consumer and professional products with approximately 8,700 employees worldwide. Clorox products are found in 8 out of 10 homes in the United States, including including its namesake bleach and cleaning products.
The Challenge
The world of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) is changing, and COVID inevitably accelerated that change. Brand loyalty is being transformed by direct-to-consumer sales, which in turn informs omnichannel strategies. Clorox recognized that decisions driven by data were unquestionably the catalyst to successfully navigating this transformation, but struggled to work with partners who could not only design and execute a high-velocity testing program, but do so strategically with a focus on Clorox’s goals of media efficiency, incremental on and offline revenue, and uncovering brand insights.
The Solution
Working closely with the team and Clorox across 5 DTC sites, we identified primary focus areas that aligned with Clorox KPIs. Using both qualitative data from Clorox brand teams and quantitative data from onsite e-commerce performance, we designed hypotheses around pricing sensitivity, first identifying low-volume product SKUs, executing successful tests to drive up volume. Validating packaging decisions further moved the needle, coupled with trust messaging and product positioning.
The Results
Clorox has truly embraced a Culture of Experimentation—one where learnings are shared across the enterprise. Not only did we achieve remarkable results across our primary focus areas, but our learnings have delivered brand insights that will be applied more broadly throughout the business. This has enabled Clorox to include more teams and stakeholders in the success of the optimization program.
Ready to transform your business and drive growth? Reach out today.
Website Redesign Experimentation Drives Significant Results
With over 3.8 million members and supporters, Sierra Club is the longest-standing and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. Every day, the Sierra Club fights to defend everyone’s right to live in a healthy world.
The Challenge
To meet the evolving needs of Sierra Club and to best serve its members and constituents, the organization embarked on a website redesign. While the effort was intended to further the Sierra Club mission, it was imperative donation volume wouldn’t be negatively affected, and ideally, increase as a result.
The Solution
Because Cro Metrics had worked with the Sierra Club to build a Culture of Experimentation, they recognized the value and necessity of testing the redesign to ensure it didn’t adversely impact their objectives of recurring monthly donations, 1x donations, and list building. We designed a prioritized roadmap of tests for the new user experience with a focus on primary KPIs. This included down-funnel optimization around the donation experience, but also global elements including site structure and hierarchy and new site features such as the addition of a “My Account” portal.
To inform Sierra Club’s ongoing growth efforts and the Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) program, we also developed a series of persistent analytics reports such as marketing campaign efficacy, down-funnel analysis, and donation conversion and frequency by opt-in, enabling Sierra Club’s ability to make data-driven decisions.
The Results
Not only did incorporating CTAs in key areas outside the donation funnel led to a 22% - 40% increase in monthly donations, and 14% in monthly gifts, it also prevented a major potential loss by visitors who would have otherwise missed those cues. Additionally, personalizing the donation experience drove a 30% lift in monthly donations, and extensive testing around global navigation ultimately led a 9% increase to donations, against an initial -4% loss. Cro Metrics continues to work with the Sierra Club on both analytics and website optimization to drive results in an ever-changing political landscape.
Ready to transform your business and drive growth? Reach out today.
Secure Growth: Experimentation and Personalization is Transformative for Ring
Ring is the leading provider of home security products with a simple mission: Make Neighborhoods Safer. From a humble appearance on Shark Tank to a $1 billion dollar acquisition from Amazon a few short years later, Ring has had quite a ride.
The Challenge
With rapid growth and an ever-expanding product line, Ring turned to Cro Metrics to help increase multi-product purchases, reduce friction for first-time customers, and improve customer loyalty and retention.
The Solution
We began by analyzing the customer journey, and identifying friction points through the purchase process. A series of successful tests alleviated these bottlenecks. In parallel, we devised a strategy to improve product messaging and positioning for new products and bundles. Throughout the program, testing velocity increased, delivering compounded results and learnings, which allowed our methods to mature into audience development based on high-impact customer segments. As we learned about these consumers and their buying patterns, onsite personalization via relevant recommendations were leveraged to drive cross and upsell product bundles and accessories.
The Results
By focusing on multi-product and bundles, we achieved a 13% increase in average order value—significant to Ring’s goal of product line expansion and their ultimate mission to Make Neighborhoods Safer. Throughout the program, Ring has benefited from a 60X return on its investment in website optimization and personalization.
Ready to transform your business and drive growth? Reach out today.
Iterative Experimentation Outperforms the Traditional Website Redesign
Metromile is the leading pay-per-mile car insurance company in the U.S., and one of the first innovators in disrupting the $280 billion personal auto insurance industry.
The Challenge
As with most innovations, market education is crucial to adoption. Having already established a robust channel experimentation program, Metromile was no stranger to testing. However, the ad hoc website testing wasn’t achieving the results they needed, so Metromile turned to Cro Metrics with the goals of lowering Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and increasing conversion rates.
The Solution
Initially Metromile had considered a website redesign to solve its lower than expected conversion rate. After successfully lowering CAC and increasing conversions on Metromile campaign landing pages, we zeroed in on the most impactful experiments and applied these learnings by developing a series of tests to reduce friction in the primary quote funnel. Early success led to a series of iterative tests, leveraging insights based on positive customer response.
The Results
Not only did Metromile abandon its idea of a redesign, but saved a 7-figure investment in the initiative. Cro Metrics effectively redesigned the website through iterative testing, leading to a 17% reduction in CAC and 28X ROI for the program.
Ready to transform your business and drive growth? Reach out today.