optimizing subscription paths: how a radical webpage redesign produced a 173% lift in customer...
DESCRIPTION
A customer’s world is constantly changing. Each day, as technology evolves and devices change, so does the customer experience. This is particularly true for many in the subscription space, as content distribution is at the bleeding edge of all this change. As subscription marketers, we can often hear that our sites need to “be this” or “do that” in order to stay up with the changing customer experience. But what really makes a difference? What really works in marketing today? How are customers really being impacted by all these changes? In this 35-minute Web clinic, we transcended all the speculation and “best practices” to review a recent experiment in which we tested six different radical webpage approaches against each other to determine which would truly generate the most customer response within a market that is frequently inundated with constant change: the publication subscription space. But the goal of a test was not simply the lift, but gain knowledge. To that end, we walked through this experiment (and many others) as we distilled transferable insights gained from over a decade of testing, so that you can immediately apply the lessons learned from this experiment to your own webpages.TRANSCRIPT
Optimizing Subscription Paths:How a radical webpage redesign produced a 173% lift in customer response
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Jon PowellSenior Manager,Executive Research and DevelopmentMECLABS
Today’s speakers
Taylor KennedySenior Manager, TrainingMECLABS
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Experiment: Background
Background: Newspaper wanted to increase its online subscriptions.
Goal: To increase clickthrough.
Research Question: Which landing page will generate the highest clickthrough rate?
Test Design: A/B multifactor, radical redesign split test
Experiment ID: TP 1481Record Location: MECLABS Research LibraryResearch Partner: (Protected)
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Experiment: Control
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Experiment: Control
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Experiment: Treatment
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Experiment: Treatment
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Experiment: Side-by-side comparison Control Treatment
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DesignClickthrough
RateRelative
DifferenceStatistical
Significance
Control 15.24% - -
Treatment 41.63% 173.24%
% Relative Change: 173.24%
99%
Experiment: Results
Increase in clickthrough173%The optimized treatment’s conversion rate increased by 173.2%.
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Why did the treatment win?
173%INCREASE IN CTR
Control Treatment
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Compare best practices
Science-based Optimizationvs.Rule-based Optimization
• Emphasize hero shots• Keep it above the fold• Avoid too much copy• Emphasize the benefits• Don’t use reverse text• Don’t rely too much on Flash• Implement basket recovery emails• Avoid auto-on audio• Add a short video• Add social proof and testimonials• Offer free trials• Use seals and guarantees
Practice
Methodology
Meta-theory
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Conversion Sequence Heuristic
Conversion Sequence
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a ©
Wherein:C = Probability of conversion
m = Motivation of user
v = Clarity of the value proposition
i = Incentive (additional) to take action
f = Friction elements present
a = Anxiety elements present
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Conversion Sequence Heuristic
Conversion Sequence
C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a ©
Wherein:C = Probability of conversion
m = Motivation of user
v = Clarity of the value proposition
i = Incentive (additional) to take action
f = Friction elements present
a = Anxiety elements present
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Today’s focus
Today, we will teach you how to optimize your landing pages by helping you identify friction and
then reduce it on your landing pages.
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Friction
Definition: Friction
(Physics): A force that resists the relative motion or tendency to such motion of two bodies in contact.
(Marketing): Psychological resistance to a given element in the sales process.
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Friction
FKey Principles
1. There are two primary reasons why friction causes psychological resistance in the mind of a customer: length and difficulty.
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Friction
FKey Principles
1. There are two primary reasons why friction causes psychological resistance in the mind of a customer: length and difficulty.
2. Length-oriented friction is associated with psychological resistance generated by the perceived need for time (length of pages, field number, field layout, steps in process, etc.).
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Friction: LengthBottom of
control
• The value copy of the control page is written in long form, spelling out all values
• Copy uses bullets to highlight key value points
• Short video showing a demo of the product is displayed on the page
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Friction: Length
Bottom of treatment
• Removed long copy, reducing the length
• Organized copy into a tabbed navigation, allowing the customer to click on what is relevant to them
• Removed the short video
• Placed a call-to-action at the bottom of the page
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Protocol ID: TP1091
Steps in Process
To thisFrom this
253%Capture rate
Friction: Length
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Friction: Length
Protocol ID: TP1267
Field LengthTo this
40%Revenue per visit
From this
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Friction: LengthField Layout
From this To this
24%Purchase rate
Protocol ID: TP1740
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Page Length
From this To this
41%Capture rate
Protocol ID: TP1001
Friction: Length
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Friction
FKey Principles
1. There are two primary reasons why friction causes psychological resistance in the mind of a customer: length and difficulty.
2. Length-oriented friction is associated with psychological resistance generated by the perceived need for time (length of pages, field number, field layout, steps in process, etc.).
3. Difficulty-oriented friction is associated with psychological resistance generated by the perceived need for exertion (eye-path, options selections, button design, organization, Flash video, etc.).
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Friction: DifficultyTop of control
• The control uses multiple subscription options
• The online version only costs $3.99 per week, but the online and Sunday print version costs less, at $3.50 per week
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Friction: Difficulty
The complex eye-path of the control has unnecessary difficulty friction
Top of control
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Friction: DifficultyTop of
treatment
Removed the multiple subscription options and presented a colorful call-to-action button
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Top of treatment
Friction: Difficulty
The design on the treatment reduced friction by making the eye-path more natural and simple
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Friction: Difficulty
Protocol ID: TP1621
Eye-path
To thisFrom this
36%Purchase rate
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Friction: DifficultyEye-path
To thisFrom this
181%Click rate
Protocol ID: TP1488
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Friction: Difficulty
20%Purchase Rate
Options Selection
To thisFrom thisProtocol ID: TP1283
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Friction: Difficulty
146%Add-to-cart rate
Organization
To thisFrom thisProtocol ID: TP1085
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Are your lead capture forms too long or are you asking for too much information?
Can you simplify the eye-path on the page by adjusting the organization?
Do you have too many calls-to-action competing for your customer’s attention?
Is there any unnecessary copy on your page?
Can you simplify the copy on the page by leveraging bullets?
Have you gone through your own sales process?
Conclusion: Key checklist to reduce friction
Live optimization
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Live Optimization: Americas Best Value Inn
Background: Reward and loyalty program for participating hotels.
Goal: To increase subscriptions.
Research Question: Which elements on this page may be optimized to increase subscriptions?
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Live Optimization: National Tax Debt
Background: Company that helps reduce or eliminate IRS debt.
Goal: To increase form completion rate.
Research Question: Which elements on this page may be optimized to increase conversion rates?
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Live Optimization: Advancing Science Serving Society
Background: Nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science.
Goal: To increase membership subscriptions.
Research Question: Which elements on this page may be optimized to increase conversion rates?
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Live Optimization: EZnet Scheduler
Background: Online appointment scheduling program.
Goal: To increase free trials.
Research Question: Which elements on this page may be optimized to increase conversion rates?
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Live Optimization: Better Help
Background: Effective, discreet, affordable e-counseling from licensed therapists.
Goal: To increase conversion rates.
Research Question: Which elements on this page may be optimized to increase conversion rates?
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Live Optimization: Pervasent
Background: Company offering products to help deliver, read and annotate documents on the iPad.
Goal: To increase free trials.
Research Question: Which elements on this page may be optimized to increase conversion rates?
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Interested in optimizing your subscription paths?
MECLABS conducts rigorous experiments in the new science of optimization. We apply our discoveries to help leaders optimize the financial performance of their sales and marketing programs.
Learn more about how you may be a fit for a MECLABS Research Partnership:
• Select Research Partnership Opportunities on the post-webinar survey
• Contact us [email protected]
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