Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) Projects
Prudential, MORO Essentials, The Sauna Place, Robin Underwear and more
I’m involved in approximately 80% of CRO projects, primarily leading the overall strategy, setting the direction, and ensuring strong alignment across teams while overseeing project delivery. For the remaining 20%, I step into execution, particularly in designing the high fidelity design, and the items above.
As these projects span multiple clients with similar goals and methodologies, this case study brings them together into a single narrative to reflect how we approach and deliver CRO at scale.
Not every project starts from scratch. Some of the most impactful work happens when you take what already exists and make it perform better.
At admiral.digital, Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is where design, data, and performance marketing come together. Instead of focusing purely on how things look or feel, we focus on one thing: driving measurable results.
agency
admiral.digital
clients
Prudential, MORO Essentials, The Sauna Place, Robin Underwear and more
industry
E-commerces
project
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) Projects
year
2024 - 2026
squad
UI/UX designers, performance marketers, and marketing technology team
role
UI/UX designer / overseeing the executional team
I’m involved in approximately 80% of CRO projects, primarily leading:
- High level strategy and direction
- Cross-team collaboration
- Minor project management
- Super minimal execution
For the remaining 20%, I step into execution, particularly in designing the high fidelity design, and the items above.
Collaboration
Model
CRO at admiral.digital is not owned by a single team.
It is a tight collaboration between three functions:
- UI/UX Team
- Performance Marketing Team
- Marketing Tech Team
Each team plays a critical role:
- Performance Marketing focuses on reducing cost per acquisition (CPA)
- UI/UX focuses on increasing conversion rate (CVR)
- Marketing Tech ensures data accuracy and reporting infrastructure
At its core:
This means improving conversion rate directly reduces acquisition cost. That is why every design decision is made with performance in mind.
Data-Driven
by Default
Every CRO project starts with data.
Depending on the client, we typically work with:
- Google Analytics
- Shopify analytics
- Behaviour tracking tools like Hotjar
- Custom dashboards via Google Looker Studio
Data is not just for reporting. It guides what we prioritise, what we test, and what we ignore.
CRO Workflow
While each project varies, this is the typical framework we apply to most of our projects
Align on business goals
We start by understanding what success looks like from a business perspective. This goes beyond “increase conversions.” We define:
- Primary KPIs (e.g. sales, leads, sign-ups)
- Supporting metrics (e.g. AOV, bounce rate, drop-off points)
- Business constraints (pricing, logistics, product limitations)
This step ensures that optimisation efforts are aligned with real business impact, not just surface-level improvements.
Diagnose the current problems
Once goals are clear, we identify why the platform is underperforming.
We combine quantitative and qualitative insights:
- Funnel drop-off analysis
- Page-level performance review
- Heatmaps and session recordings
- Feedback from internal teams
The objective is to move from assumptions to evidence-backed problem statements.
Establish benchmarks
Before making any changes, we define baseline performance.
Typical benchmarks include:
- Conversion rate (CVR) by page or funnel stage
- Add To Cart Rate (ATC)
- Cart Abandonment Rate
- Average Order Value (AOV)
- Bounce Rate
- Engagement metrics (time on page, scroll depth)
This creates a clear reference point to measure the impact of every optimisation.
Competitor & market analysis
We analyse competitor experiences to understand:
- Industry standards
- UX patterns users are already familiar with
- Gaps and opportunities to differentiate
This is not about copying competitors, but about identifying missed expectations and strategic advantages.
Map user journeys to funnels
We map the full user journey across the platform and align it with checkout or marketing funnels:
Checkout funnels
- Sessions
- Page View
- Add to Carts
- Begin Checkout
- Added Payment
- Purchases
Marketing funnels
- Awareness
- Acquisition
- Activation
- Revenue
- Retention
Identify bottlenecks
Prioritise opportunities
Execute & launch
Measure, learn, iterate
After launch, performance is closely monitored over a defined period (depending on traffic volume and marketing spend).
We track:
- Conversion uplift
- Behavioural changes
- Funnel improvements
Insights are then fed back into the next iteration cycle.
CRO is not a one-off effort. It is a continuous loop of testing, learning, and improving.
Engagement Timeline
A typical CRO engagement runs for 6 months:
Month 1 — Strategy, research, and development of quick wins
Month 2 onwards — Launch optimised versions and begin performance tracking
From there, it becomes a cycle of continuous optimisation and iteration.
What we optimise
CRO is not just about increasing conversions. It is about systematically improving how a platform turns traffic into revenue. We focus on optimising the full decision-making journey—from first interaction to final conversion, and beyond.
Conversion (Sales / Leads)
Conversion is the primary outcome, but not the only focus. We break conversion down into smaller, actionable components:
- Clarity of the value proposition
- Relevance between traffic source and landing experience
- Strength and placement of CTAs
- Friction within key flows (product page, cart, checkout, forms)
- Trust signals at critical decision points
Rather than treating conversion as a single metric, we optimise the conditions that enable users to convert.
Revenue per Visitor (RPV) & Average Order Value (AOV)
Driving more conversions is one lever. Increasing the value of each session is another. We focus on improving:
- Average order value (AOV) through cross-sell, upsell, and product bundling
- Revenue per visitor (RPV) by aligning product discovery with user intent
This involves:
- Structuring product pages to guide users towards higher-value options
- Introducing complementary products at the right moments
- Reducing friction in multi-item purchases
The goal is to maximise revenue without relying solely on increased traffic.
Funnel Efficiency
Most conversion issues don’t come from a single page. They come from breakdowns across the journey. We optimise the full funnel by:
- Analysing drop-off points between steps
- Ensuring message consistency from ad to landing page to checkout
- Reducing unnecessary steps or cognitive load
- Guiding users clearly from one action to the next
A high-performing funnel is not just usable—it is intent-driven and frictionless.
Page Speed & Technical Performance
Performance is a conversion factor. We focus on:
- Reducing load times, especially on mobile
- Optimising assets and scripts
- Ensuring stable layouts and responsive interactions
Even marginal improvements in speed can lead to:
- Lower bounce rates
- Higher engagement
- Increased conversion rates
In many cases, performance optimisation delivers some of the fastest wins in CRO.
Product Understanding & Value Communication
Users don’t convert if they don’t understand what they are buying. We optimise how products are communicated by:
- Clarifying key benefits and differentiators
- Structuring content for quick scanning
- Using visuals and hierarchy to guide attention
- Addressing common objections upfront
This is especially critical for:
- New or unfamiliar product categories
- Innovative business models (e.g. subscriptions, refill systems)
- Higher-priced items
The goal is to reduce hesitation and build confidence in decision-making.
Lead Capture & Deferred Conversion
Not all users are ready to convert immediately. Instead of losing these users, we design alternative conversion paths:
- Email capture and first-time incentives
- Wishlist or save-for-later features
- Exit-intent strategies
This allows us to:
- Build a remarketing audience
- Nurture users over time
- Convert at a later, higher-intent stage
CRO is not just about immediate conversion.
It is about maximising lifetime conversion opportunities.
UX Clarity & Cognitive Load Reduction
At its core, optimisation is about reducing friction. We consistently refine:
- Navigation structures
- Content hierarchy
- CTA clarity and prominence
- Form complexity
At the same time, we remove:
- Redundant information
- Conflicting messages
- Unnecessary distractions
Because in most cases, users don’t leave due to lack of interest.
They leave because the experience feels unclear, overwhelming, or effortful.
Results & learnings
Across multiple projects, this approach has led to consistent and measurable improvements. More importantly, it reinforces a core belief:
Good design is not just usable or beautiful. It performs.
We continue to evolve this process—especially with automation and AI—to move faster, test more efficiently, and scale what works.
