Average Conversion Rates - (What to expect)

[Dubbya]

I came across a great article with some statistical information that should help define what should be reasonable expectations with regard to conversion rates among ecommerce sites.

Some of the stats were pulled from a report done in 2003, but should still be fairly relevant.

Conversion Chronicles - Average conversion rates, Internet web Conversion averages

Enjoy!

[incrediblehelp]

DATED! Like to see an updated one for more verticals.

[Toni Anicic]

uh oh, as incrediblehelp said dated! In e-commerce a year old data is too old data. 2003 is like... um... it has nothing to do with 2008 e-commerce. The online sales industry has developed so much since 2003 it is simply impossible to use any of that data.

[Dubbya]

Here's some more recent info.

Please wait while I place it, ever so gently in your lap.



Source:
Few Convert at Retail E-Commerce Sites - eMarketer

Check out the source article for more information.

[pixma85]

Try at least 1%, getting 4% is really nice.

[eferg]

My jewelry site is in a niche market. I average 1% conversion.

It all depends on the industry, strength of competition, uniqueness of your product, site trust factors, etc.

Ed

[Peter (IMC)]

If you ask me, conversion rates depend more on your website than anything else. Global or nation wide averages don't mean much I think, because they don't show what's possible. The most successful stores are the ones you need to use as an example. And it is very likely that the most successful websites don't have the the highest conversion rates.

Just some common sense rules that affect your conversion rates:

• Few search engine refered visitors --> Higher conversion rates
• Lots of search engine refered visitors --> Lower conversion rates
• Lots of supporting content pages --> Lower conversion rates

There are more rules of course, but generally I see people complain about lower conversion rates while they shouldn't.

So what to expect is that when doing SEO, conversion rates will most likely go down. The ultimate goal is of course profit. Getting the highest profit is finding the right balance between conversion rate, cost per conversion and total number of conversions.

[chrisbarney]

we are holding at 2.5%

[cw1865]

Originally Posted by Peter (IMC)

If you ask me, conversion rates depend more on your website than anything else. Global or nation wide averages don't mean much I think, because they don't show what's possible. The most successful stores are the ones you need to use as an example. And it is very likely that the most successful websites don't have the the highest conversion rates.


Just some common sense rules that affect your conversion rates:

• Few search engine refered visitors --> Higher conversion rates
• Lots of search engine refered visitors --> Lower conversion rates
• Lots of supporting content pages --> Lower conversion rates

There are more rules of course, but generally I see people complain about lower conversion rates while they shouldn't.

So what to expect is that when doing SEO, conversion rates will most likely go down. The ultimate goal is of course profit. Getting the highest profit is finding the right balance between conversion rate, cost per conversion and total number of conversions.

Great post Peter. Just to expound a little bit on it. I tend to see a high correlation between generic keywords, ie 'I am looking for widgets, where I experience a relatively low conversion rate (1-1.5%) and highly specific keywords, ie 'I am looking for [brand] widget #4567', where I experience an extremely high conversion rate (5-10%). Naturally you get fewer searches for extremely specific keywords.

Sometimes the product itself can dissuade visitors from purchasing. Some of the items that I sell are 'sized' and its impossible to tell over the computer whether it will fit. One of the previous posters mentioned jewlery which I imagine to be an industry based on trust; so people wouldn't be sure that they are getting what they are paying for. (So a 1% conversion sounds about right there).

Trying to compare conversion rates across different sites is very difficult because so many factors come into play that its difficult tto isolate the cause off higher or lower conversion rates. Inasmuch as you have complete access to your own internal data, I recommend using conversion rates as an internal measure of how your various sites are performing. I use my own internal conversion rates to highlight problem areas. Always keep it in mind because in many instances very simple changes can yield nice results, ie. better looking logo, more intuitive navigation; all = better conversion rates.

[johnxuster]

i agree this opinon:In e-commerce a year old data is too old data. 2003 is like... um... it has nothing to do with 2008 e-commerce. The online sales industry has developed so much since 2003 it is simply impossible to use any of that data.