How to get the best out of your Conversion Rate Optimisation Strategy (CRO) with Experimentation

Conversion rates are falling, and experimentation is the answer. We will dive into how how optimising the full customer journey can drive engagement, loyalty, and revenue compared to focusing on CRO alone.

Why Experimentation is the future of CRO 

According to Contentsquare’s 2025 Benchmark Report, the cost per visit continues to rise by 9% year on year. With customer acquisition becoming increasingly expensive, brands are under more pressure than ever to optimise the onsite experience to ensure users stay, engage, and convert.

Many teams turn to Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) to address this, focusing on fine-tuning elements that drive conversions. But in today’s landscape, where customer retention is just as important as acquisition, should the focus be solely on conversion?

The reality is that, according to a study by Adobe, consumers are 50% less likely to return to a brand after a bad experience. While CRO is great for immediate revenue gains, it often overlooks the broader customer journey - before and after conversion. This is where Experimentation comes in.

What’s the difference between CRO and Experimentation?

At Hookflash, we take an Experimentation approach rather than traditional CRO. While both strategies leverage testing to improve performance, Experimentation broadens the scope beyond just conversions, optimising the entire customer journey for long-term impact.

By broadening the scope, Experimentation not only improves conversions but also strengthens brand loyalty and retention, creating a more sustainable long-term strategy.

How Experimentation Creates a more impactful strategy

1.    Learning Beyond Conversion rate

Experimentation places value on a diverse set of metric, rather than just focusing on conversion uplift. By understanding how different touchpoints impact user behaviour, brands can make informed decisions that lead to long term growth.

For Example, if a test on registration CTA copy improves conversions, a CRO might roll it out sitewide. On the other hand, an Experimentation approach would go further:

• Identifying which channels the copy resonated with most
• Integrating these insights into marketing campaigns and other user acquisition strategies
• Using findings to test additional improvements, iterating different variations that incorporate the copy in different places in the journey

This iterative holistic process ensures deeper more impactful changes rather than just surface level optimisations.

2.    Enhancing the entire customer journey

Consider pop-ups on eCommerce sites—a classic tool to drive sign-ups or direct users to key pages. A CRO approach might measure success by how many users sign up after seeing the pop-up.

An Experimentation approach, however, would take a more nuanced view:

• Identifying optimal timing for pop-up triggers (e.g., after a specific engagement threshold).
• Measuring deeper impact of the pop-up metrics like exit rates, pages viewed per session, and returning user rates.

This holistic understanding helps brands determine a pop-up’s real value- not just in boosting sign-ups but in creating a better user experience overall.

3.    Scaling insights beyond a single test

Experimentation doesn't just optimise individual elements; it generates valuable insights that can inform other strategies.

For example:

• A test on checkout page wording might reveal that customers prefer a more personalized tone. This insight could then shape email campaigns, landing pages, and other messaging within the user journey.
• A navigation test might show that users engage more with a particular menu layout. This learning could apply to  future product designs.

With Experimentation, the learnings from one test don’t exist in isolation—they continuously enhance multiple areas of the business and drive understanding of the needs and wants of customers.

Why Experimentation is the answer to Today’s Digital Challenges

Contentsquare’s 2025 Benchmark Report revealed that while conversion rates fell by 6.1%, brands that encouraged deeper exploration and longer sessions saw a 5.4% boost in conversions.

This highlights a crucial shift: brands must move beyond tactical conversion-focused optimisations and prioritise the overall experience to keep users engaged.

Experimentation naturally aligns with this trend by:

• Optimising beyond the conversion funnel, creating a seamless, enjoyable experience.
• Encouraging engagement and interaction, leading to stronger customer relationships.
• Leveraging learning as a competitive advantage, allowing brands to adapt and innovate continuously to keep up with the needs of their customers.

Whether you’re looking to elevate your CRO strategy or start testing, Experimentation is the key to unlocking deeper customer insights, long-term loyalty, and sustained growth.

By embracing Experimentation, brands can:

• Make more informed, data-driven decisions.
• Improve all stages of the customer journey, not just conversion points.
• Gain a deeper understanding of user behavior, leading to bolder, more confident optimisations.

In a world where acquisition costs keep rising and consumer expectations continue to evolve, investing in Experimentation over traditional CRO is the smartest move for long-term success.