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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Maxymiser Customer Symposium Rocks London




Maxymiser UK kicked off 2011 with a fantastic event last week at Vinopolis in London. We packed in nearly 150 people from all ends of the eCommerce industry, representing companies such as American Airlines, Avis, Eurostar, Hertz, HSBC, Jimmy Choo, Kodak, Motorola, Nokia, Santander and many, many more.

Ecommerce and Marketing pros were eager to hear how our guest speakers from EasyJet, M&M Direct, KwikFit Insurance and Paddy Power are utilizing our state-of-the-art conversion optimization solutions to drive website conversion rate growth against a backdrop of austerity measures, VAT increases, and rising unemployment.

EasyJet takes attendees on a trip through conversion management best practices and strategies.

Kwik-Fit Insurance lets marketers in on their website conversion rate increases.

Attendees are keen to learn how our clients make decisions about using an enterprise solution to improve conversion rates, and how they created a culture of testing within their organization.

A great opportunity for peer to peer networking.

Wine, wine, wine! We couldn't let a trip to Vinopolis go by without taking part in a wine tasting. Yummy!


The rest of the photos from the Customer Symposium can be viewed here.


We want to sincerely thank all who came out, we had a really great time. And if you missed it, we hope to see you at a future event here in the city or around the globe.


Cheers,


Ashley Eckel

Marketing Manager

Maxymiser, Inc.



Thursday, February 17, 2011

Guess the Winning Test - The Results are In!

Thank you to those of you who took part in our recent Guess the Winning Test competition. As promised, here is the page that produced the biggest increase in conversions for ASDA (A division of Walmart):



So, how did you do?
Nearly 75% of marketers guessed the wrong variant!

But don't feel bad if you didn't choose correctly, it happens to the best of us! Which is why we here at Maxymiser will always firmly stand behind the notion that making content decisions about your web or mobile site based on subjective opinion can be dangerous and even costly.

Multivariate testing is not a secret solution that only a few brands are using. But, Maxymiser’s Content Optimization solutions—including A/B testing, multivariate testing, segment targeting and online behavioral targeting—take the guesswork away from your creative process and empowers your creative teams to deliver the optimal website experience. Coupled with our best-in-class reporting dashboards, this unrivaled depth of insight will help you determine the best design and site content for your brand, while enabling a continuous content optimization program.

If you are interested in making your web and mobile data actionable and pro-actively pursuing conversion rate increases, let us know. In the meantime, our case studies can help you see how many brands globally are letting live customer data guide their marketing strategies to improve revenue.

And keeps your eyes peeled next month for another chance at Guess the Winning Test!

Cheers,

Mark Simpson
Founder and President
Maxymiser, Inc.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Record-Breaking WAW Returns to NYC




After a small hiatus of NYC-based Web Analytics Wednesdays (WAW), the Maxymiser team was anxious to help revive this must-attend networking event for digital measurement specialists last Wednesday, Feb 9th, in the Big Apple. And what a turn-out. Over 100 analytics and internet marketing enthusiasts poured into the basement of the Houndstooth Pub, representing companies such as Bloomingdales, Barnes & Noble, Conde Nast, Monster.com, Morgan Stanley, MTV Networks, The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Warner Music Group and WebMD.



All set to check-in our enthusiastic attendees (and give away an iPad!)


I was excited to see, literally, a line to get into the event.


An exchange of ideas for 2011 and beyond.


Maxymiser President and Founder, Mark Simpson, leads the audience through a game of "Guess the Winning Test", proving that making decisions about website content that drives conversion rate increases should only be left to A/B and multivariate testing solutions.

Try it for yourself during our monthly online competition here.

WAW attendees are surprised to hear the results don't match up with their answers!

Congratulations to our iPad winner!


The rest of the photos from this Web Analytics Wednesday event can be viewed here.


We want to sincerely thank all who came out--we had a blast! And if you missed it, we hope to see you at a future event here in the city or around the globe.


Cheers,


Ashley Eckel

Marketing Manager, U.S.

Maxymiser, Inc.



Friday, February 11, 2011

Maxymiser Plays Cupid

I admit it. Valentine’s Day isn’t a holiday that tends to be top of mind for me. I am, after all, a guy. And most guys have to set ten calendar reminders just to remember their wedding anniversary.

But I’m not totally unaware of the social pressures of the holiday, and the Maxymiser team has worked with plenty of companies that want to optimize their sites for the big day. (Plan the perfect romantic evening! Buy flowers! Chocolate! Lingerie!). We’ve also worked with a couple of dating sites such as Loopylove.com and DatetheUK (now both cupid.com). All of which got me, and some of the team around here thinking: What if we put our optimization skills to use for one particular group out there that might be looking for a little help this time of year?

With that in mind, we put our heads together to come up with online dating profile optimization tips for the lovelorn out there who are hoping to land a big date for the big day. The complete article appears on MarketingProfs today, and I hope you’ll check it out.

No, it’s not scientific. No, I don’t guarantee success. But it can help you up your online dating game, get your profile noticed, and attract some [more] attention. So go, optimize, and land a date.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

How Good is Your Gut?

Here at Maxymiser, we've been watching website conversion rates of online brands for the last few years. Last year, we asked a sample of marketers to guess the best converting website content from four options and only 4.6% got it right.

What's interesting is that many large brands are still making fundamental changes without measurement of their success or failure against defaults. User experience has become more competitive and analytical and the risk previously inherent in making changes can be removed.

To prove the point, we'd like to invite you to have a go at guessing the winning page from four variations of ASDA-Walmart's product page: Guess the Winner

One of them delivered our client a significant uptick in conversions. Guess which one and you could be selected to receive a free MVT test of your own.

We'll announce the winners next week!

Good Luck,

Mark Simpson
Founder and President, Maxymiser, Inc.

www.maxymiser.com

Twitter: @MarkJ_Simpson





Friday, February 04, 2011

Eleven Conversion Rate Optimization (and Digital Marketing) Tips for 2011

More and more marketers are using content optimization solutions to improve digital conversion rates, and subsequently increase revenues, brand loyalty and ROI on all marketing efforts. So, if you’ve already adopted some form of A/B or multivariate testing, behavioral targeting or website personalization for your site, or are thinking of doing so—great. This year, get the most out of these solutions and capture your revenues and ROI faster: come prepared with clearly-defined goals and objectives, as well as these lessons we at Maxymiser have learned optimizing with some of the biggest brands in the world.


#1 Be Prepared for the Real Buying Season

Retail and travel sites undoubtedly stay busy year-round, with peak selling times during the obvious seasons. But if you’ve waited to test and optimize your promotions or discount offers on the day before Christmas, you’re too late.


Take vacationers for example. While we know the peak vacation times occur in June to August and November to December, most consumers have begun their search, booking and buying efforts months beforehand. Website conversion rates (and revenues) are more likely to skyrocket when you’re optimizing on destinations and promotions in March and September. Then, focus on a product recommendations and behavioral targeting strategy to upsell, cross sell and increase engagement.


#2 Never Stop Optimizing

Most of us currently running A/B and multivariate testing should be following the 95% confidence rule of knowing when to end a test, and identify a “winner”. However, over the course of running thousands of tests, with millions of users, for hundreds of clients, we have seen that using a “continuous optimization” methodology is great route to consistently increasing website conversion rates—by always serving the best performing content.


Your site should be treated as growing and evolving centerpiece of your brand. Many factors can change how even your most loyal customers use your site, perceive your brand and impact the products they are purchasing. If at one point your tests reveal a “winning combination”, there’s a great possibility they could very well discover a new one, based on your live, ever-changing, visitor feedback.


#3 Watch Your Tone (and Copy)

Website wording is an often-overlooked area when it comes to optimization plans. Most brands have a universal standard on brand tone and copy, but using this one-size-fits-all approach on a website can be a conversion rate killer.


Ensure your copy is both brand and consumer friendly by testing a variety of copy and language tones, such as neutral/passive vs. aggressive voice or casual vs. conservative tone. For example, financial services sites often convert better with passive tones, due to the highly sensitive nature of information being transmitted by users. Be mindful of your various traffic sources, and test copy across multiple landing pages and promotional offers.


#4 Don’t Overdo Dynamic Elements

Flash, video, Flash, music, pop-up ad, Flash…did I mention Flash? While executing Flash elements or banner ads on your website can allow you to circulate more advertising or give your site an added professional quality, you’ll send your visitors into a dizzy spell if it’s too much. Numerous tests with our clients have shown that visitors need at least 1-2 static page elements in order to maintain their focus, and thus their ability to convert.


#5 Clean Up Your Errors

Error messaging is an important component for any site, especially when it comes to sealing the deal with a customer, since most user-input errors occur during the check-out, registration or form process. Pay careful attention to the location, design, display and wording of your error messages. If a visitor doesn’t see it or understand it, repeated frustrations will only lead them exiting your site before the most important conversion of all: the sale.


#6 Stop Repeating Yourself

It’s great that you’ve decided to hold a sale or introduce a promotion, but mentioning the word “free”, “discounted”, “improved”, etc. too much will only make visitors question your offer or product, and diminish the likelihood that they convert beyond your promotional page. Test the location, font, and number of times certain eye-catching or promotional words appear on landing pages, and you just might discover that sometimes, less is more.


#7 Play Nice, Corporately Speaking

It’s no secret that it takes many forms (and people) of marketing in order to meet your brands revenue goals. And today’s internet-savvy consumer population is sure to land on your website at some point, so it’s best keep the lines of optimization communication open. Ensure all marketing departments and relevant employees are in the loop, so that SEO, direct mail, email, PPC, call centers, etc. are primed to collect and use the right optimization data when you’re ready to move to a true multi-channel marketing approach.


#8 Play Around with Pricing Presentation

Time and time again, marketers are surprised at the impact that font, location, showing/not showing, and color of product pricing has on website conversion rates, While no single pricing strategy is correct for all brands, don’t be afraid to test it. We have found that some sites perform better without revealing the price before the product gets to the cart, while others convert visitors better by being up front about it. See what your visitors think—the results may surprise you.


#9 Determine Relevancy (of Anything and Everything, for Everyone)

A “general audience” approach to your digital marketing strategy will only get you so far: delivering tailored, relevant messaging to individuals will ensure conversion rate increases along with improvements in revenue per visit, cart sizes, and consumer lifetime values. Look into deploying website personalization techniques alongside content optimization. One of our airline customers dynamically targeted Featured Destinations on their ‘Inspire Me’ page using behavioral targeting techniques, and drove an immediate 35% increase in conversions and higher levels of customer loyalty.


#10 Don’t Be Afraid to Let Go of Brand Guidelines

Multivariate and A/B testing is an investigation not only into your website elements, but also your brand. If your consumers perceive you differently than you believe them to, your website approach could be hurting conversions. Sticking strictly to the brand guidelines—whether in what you choose to test or change—might never lead you to discover that some brand-approved copy, tone, colors, page template, or call-to-actions, are holding you back from higher conversion rates. MVT and A/B testing solutions provide the opportunity to “survey” consumers without them knowing it, allowing you to gain real, live brand insights, and even more revenue over time—if you’re willing to adjust those guidelines accordingly.


#11 Prepare for Mobile Optimization

I don't even have to tell you that this is one the biggest revenue opportunities for any marketer these days, so let’s cut to the chase: this year alone, smartphone sales will double and app sales will reach $15 billion. Consumers have come to rely on mobile devices for shopping, price comparisons, work, banking, social interaction, on-the-go research, and the overall management of their, well, lives. So, if you really want to be a true mobile player, find a way to deliver your customers a unique, personal, and relevant experience, and start using those testing and targeting practices on your mobile sites and applications.