An Excerpt from "The Lessons Learned from the Top Ten Converting Websites"

Executive Summary

Ecommerce teams have an understandable fascination with the top ten converting websites. While most websites convert 2 or 3 percent of their visitors to a purchase in the same session, some websites are able to achieve much higher levels. In this study, the top 10 converting websites averaged 23 percent, with a range between 18 and 42 percent.

So what makes the difference between a site that converts 2 percent and one that converts 42 percent? What do the Top Ten converting websites do differently, and what can the ecommerce sector learn as a result?

It's not what we expected to find when we set out to study these websites.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Top Ten converting websites would be tuned to make purchases intuitive and simple, to speed the buyer through the process.

But this is not always the case.

Some of the top ten converting websites are far from intuitive, lack clear calls to action, and have lengthy shopping cart processes that would deter all but the most determined shoppers. Moreover, 6 out of the top 10 converting websites force the first time visitor to create an account and register on the site before being able to make a purchase.

The difference is that all of the companies behind the top 10 converting websites are direct marketers at heart. Astonishingly, nine of the Top Ten converting websites have a catalog and all make it exceptionally easy for returning customers to make purchases.

It's a different mindset. For the Top Ten, it's not about SEO or page views or making a sale, but, rather, it's about making the second, third, and fourth sales to the same customer. It's about building customer loyalty and driving profitability for their companies. In the process, they get the highest conversion rates in the industry as their customers come back to buy again, and again, and again.

This research shows that these companies all follow three big ideas which drive exceptional website conversion rates and serve as essential lessons for all ecommerce companies. Collectively these three ideas are transformational and represent a clear business and website conversion strategy for the ecommerce sector...

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