Challenge
For 3 years, a prominent home decor retailer partnered with Sophelle for personalization strategy and implementation. As part of his routine optimization efforts, Ken Kantor, Practice Manager at Sophelle, conducted comprehensive data analysis to enhance site performance. While examining consumer behavior patterns across the shopping journey, the Sophelle team identified an opportunity to further optimize engagement and performance on the shopping cart page.
Solution
Sophelle had previously implemented personalization algorithms on the retailer’s product detail pages, in which AI offered coordinating options for products already added to shoppers’ carts. For instance, if a customer added a coffee table and lamp to their cart, AI would offer recommendations that match, like a set of coasters.
This strategy performed well for the retailer; some personalization strategists may have stopped there. But upon further testing, Sophelle’s data analysis showed that customers were less likely to purchase a matching item than a product they’d already viewed—even if it didn’t complement other items added to cart. Based on this finding, Sophelle’s personalization experts crafted a different strategy in which AI offered recently viewed items more prominently than coordinating products.
Then, to take this new theory a step further, they strategically placed those recommendations in the shopping cart to serve as a reminder. Sophelle’s extensive experience studying consumer behavior has proven that consumers are often easily distracted. Though they may begin their shopping journey interested in a particular item, they often browse away from it, looking at other products. One of the best opportunities to remind them of products they like is in the shopping cart, where they show intent to buy. Sophelle first experimented by offering a few recently viewed items, then steadily increased the quantity as activity grew.
Result
By adding recently viewed items to the shopping cart, engagement instantly improved. Then, by increasing the number of items shown, click rates rose 11%, leading to a 20% revenue increase on the shopping cart page alone.
Personalization platform proficiency takes years to master. At Sophelle, we have decades of experience running data analysis tests for retailers. To work with an expert team of personalization specialists, contact Sophelle today.
