5 CRO Trends to Watch in 2020

Kalina Tyrkiel8th October 2019

Conversion rate optimization is ever-changing. What is one day considered a brilliant hack, may quickly appear as outdated and not effective anymore.

This is why we’ve decided to look into current conversion rate optimization trends. What is the state of CRO in 2019? And what’s in store for the years to come?

We’ve asked a couple of professionals from the industry about their predictions for CRO trends in 2020. Here’s what they’ve told us:

CRO Trend no.1 – Qualitative Data meets Quantitative Data:

The CRO field is usually associated with numbers. Even the name conversion rate optimization refers to a key metric! A/B tests, the most popular experiment type amongst conversion optimization professionals, are based on measuring bounce rates, click-through rates and other numeric performance indicators.

Does it mean that conversion rate optimization has to be limited to quantitative data? Not at all! Experts from the industry agree that adding qualitative data to the mix will help you get the most out of your CRO efforts:

The rise of quantitative big data has been a trend across all sectors of business, and the CRO niche is no different. However, conversion rate and UX professionals will lean heavily on qualitative data (think individual case study, descriptive/conceptual data) in terms of session replay and user experience tools to help make their products the most intuitive and user-friendly. The blend of using qualitative and quantitative data equally will be a trend specific to the UX/CRO industry.

Levi Olmstead – Manager, SEO and Community Outreach @ G2

How to take action: The answer is simple – start tracking user sessions! With tools like LiveSession you can see exactly how the visitors are using your website.

It’s a great opportunity to spot behavioral patterns, pain points and areas for improvement. To increase conversion, you need to know what needs to be changed. User sessions take away the guesswork, as you can see exactly where the users are struggling. You can use the findings to come up with fresh ideas for landing page optimization.

Want to learn more and take your website conversion optimization skills to the next level? We think you’re going to enjoy our extensive guide to qualitative research.

CRO Trend no. 2 – Page Speed Matters:

Did you know that more than half of website visitors are likely to leave if the page is loading for more than 3 seconds?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Page loading speed triggers a chain reaction: long waiting times affect SEO negatively, your page drops in the search results, the traffic falls significantly…

A disaster you’d rather avoid, right?

Here’s what CRO industry experts have to say about it:

Page speed is one of the most important factors when it comes to optimizing your website conversion rates. In 2020, it will be more important than ever before. People are expecting your site to load as quickly as possible. According to a study by Akamai (2017), even a 100ms delay in loading time might decrease your conversion rate by 7%. This means that you can have the best landing page in the world, but if it’s loading slowly, it probably won’t convert.

Max Benz – CEO and Co-founder @ suitApp

For eCommerce businesses, the CRO technique I would emphasize would be to improve your site’s page speed. Firstly, you get the SEO boost from search engines, meaning you are more likely to receive an increase in traffic from SERPs which you can convert into buyers.

Secondly, those shoppers who do visit your website will get a better impression and will be more likely to browse your products and stay longer.

Studies have shown that 42% of people expect a webpage to load in 2 seconds or less and a one second delay in that can lead to a 7% decrease in conversion rates.

Ben Culpin – Content Marketer @ WakeUpData

How to take action: You can start right away! Here’s some expert advice from Ben and Max:

Ben Culpin: I use Google Analytics to rank the slowest pages load speed times and then Google’s Page Speed Insights tool to get a tailored report of recommendations, including: Reduce redirects, defer offscreen images, remove unused CSS, etc. Although completing these optimizations may seem a little unimportant to a busy marketer, the stats show us that putting in the hard work for this CRO technique consistently yields positive results.

Max Benz: You can get an idea of your current page speed situation by using a page speed test tool like GTMetrix or Pingdom . These free tools will not only help you figure out your current loading times but also support you in optimizing it. The analysis will provide you with detailed information on how and when different elements (e.g. images, CSS, HTML) are loaded. This way, you can research your current loading time in a very detailed way and see what can be improved.

CRO Trend no. 3 – Segmentation is Key:

Let’s face it: in CRO, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. The whole idea is to experiment with different approaches to find the ones that work best for your target group. You can achieve this through personalized content:

Authenticity and customer-centrism rule now, and this trend will definitely take center stage of all marketers in 2020. We know that nano-influencers and microbrands demonstrate a much higher percentage of engagement than business websites and social media accounts with 100K+ followers. So, if you have a diverse target audience and market products/services to different people, then splitting up your website into its smaller versions with more specific targeting can be one of your best CRO marketing strategies next year.

We can see it on Instagram already: big brands design separate pages for a men’s and women’s section of their online clothing stores and split their audience by age, geographical location, shopping habits, content engagement, etc. It gives consumers a more personalized experience and makes them more likely to buy. As a result, conversion rates grow.

Lesley Vos – Content Strategist @ Bid4Papers

How to take action: Start from rethinking your approach to data analysis. Instead of trying to draw general conclusions, try looking at your audience from different angles. You can read more in our extensive guide to user segmentation!

CRO Trend no. 4 – The Rise of Chatbots:

We’re at the doorstep of the artificial intelligence era. The use of smart algorithms is becoming more prevalent with every month. In the next 5 years, the chatbot market is predicted to reach 1.25 billion dollars in the US alone.

Are we ready to face this new reality, though? Here are some comments from our experts:

Chatbots are great for CRO. Counterintuitively, humans actually open up more when they know they’re talking to a bot, as it lowers barriers they normally put up when chatting with a person. In order to create engagement with potential customers, you can place the chatbot on your price page so that it pops up at a specific time. This way, you can improve the time people spend on your site, and increase the chances of converting them into paying customers.

If you’re a SaaS company, and you offer a free trial, another useful way to use a chatbot is to place it in the web control panel. From here you can provide customers with video or text tutorials when they navigate to a specific page.

Nikola Baldikov – Digital Marketing Manager @ Brosix

How to take action: Devote some time to find the areas where the bounce rate is the highest. Try implementing chatbots in the problematic points of the user journey and track your progress – it might be that AI-supported conversations are the missing link you were looking for!

Chatbots have become a prominent CRO industry trend for another reason, too. They work like a charm in customer service. A chatbot can easily answer the most frequently asked questions. This increases the chances of conversion and decreases the amount of repetitive work – a win-win solution.

Last but not least, if you’re running an online store, you might want to consider another idea. Facebook Messenger chatbots can boost ecommerce revenues even by 25%. The secret sauce? Use the bot to reach out to a potential client after they abandon the cart.

CRO Trend no. 5 – The Power of Retargeting:

Did you know that only 2% of traffic converts after the first visit ? This is one of the reasons why conversion rate optimization is focused on getting the most out of your existing traffic. Wondering how to bring your visitors back? Here’s how:

One of the effective methods of CRO is retargeting. By adding pixels to links that you share, you can track your visitors and reach them through your marketing campaigns. This way, you can display more relevant ads to people who have clicked your links before, which means they are interested in your offer. In short, you should adjust your social media and Google Ads campaigns to your company's sales funnel to improve your conversion rates.

Wojciech Jasnos – CEO @ Rocketlink

How to take action: Take a closer look at retargeting solutions available on the market. Tools like Rocketlink will help you convert your visitors into customers. Sometimes a simple trick can do wonders! Sometimes a simple trick can do wonders! For example, you can share links with a retargeting pixel in a Facebook group. The best part? It doesn’t even have to be a link to your website! You can share anything that can be interesting to your potential customers. There are many opportunities to get creative here.

Key takeaways

When it comes to the dynamic CRO field, the key is tokeep your eyes open. Stay on the lookout for new trends and don’t be afraid to try new approaches. This is the only way to be one step ahead of your competition!

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