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May 17, 2010 | 2 minute read
written by Linda Bustos
Last year, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) shared its case study on 404 "Not Found" pages with Anne Holland of Which Test Won. This test won a Gold Ribbon in the Ecommerce category in the 2009 Testing Awards.
If you missed it, go on and "test your gut" - see if you can guess which design converted best.
If you guessed the 404 page with the image, you are correct. It achieved not only a 3.56% lift but also a 73.2% boost in revenue per visitor.
What you didn't see on Which Test Won were the other versions tested by Amadesa, the conversion optimization firm that conducted the experiments for MEC. Check 'em out:
Control
Click image to enlarge
V1.00 – Text only
V1.01 – Text ,Image, & Shortened Links
V1.02 – Image, text, & shortened links
V1.03 – Large image, text, & dropdown
The winner
The winning version had a conversion rate of 38.32% and a conversion lift of 3.56%. Overall, this version presented a revenue per visit lift of 73.2%.
MEC found that providing users with an abundance of links (in the first version) did not engage the user, rather overwhelmed them to the point of abandonment. The winning version provided readers with an apology for the error, as well as more appealing imagery and color scheme that better fit the lifestyle of MEC customers. It also provided a search field and drop box that simplified the re-navigation process for users – a successful vehicle for re-engaging.