Tests of various styles of web pages and merchandise combinations heated up holiday sales online for Ice.com, the company reports. Revenue for the jewelry merchant, No. 178 in the Internet Retailer Top 400 Guide to Retail Web Sites, almost doubled compared with 2004 holiday season sales.
“We came in way above our expectations,” says Shmuel Gniwisch, CEO. “People now are feeling more comfortable about buying more expensive jewelry on the Internet. Between 2000 and 2005, the average ticket for Ice.com has tripled—and we’ve been selling more or less the same jewelry. What’s more, we’re registering a very high customer return rate.”
During the holiday season, the company offered free shipping for all orders to entice more visitors to purchase everything from rings and bracelets to pendants and watches. It also tendered special offers for subscribers of the Ice.com e-newsletter. However, it was careful testing of various web page looks and processes that really helped boost revenue, Gniwisch contends.
Such experiments included A/B testing before the holidays, which pits two versions of similar objects or processes against each other. Analysis of test results determines the preferred version, A or B. “We created special portal/product pages, we examined click-throughs, we studied user paths as they made their way through the site,” he says.
A/B tests included: using different colors, layouts and product types on a single page; showcasing varying complementary products on the same page as a selected product; and gauging use of “Buy it Now” vs. “Add to Cart” messages. “After completing the analysis, we implemented all of the winning ways during the fourth quarter,” Gniwisch says.
Popular products for Ice.com this holiday season included tennis bracelets and half-carat diamond earrings.
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