Marcello PasqualucciCRO Director
Online Persuasions Insiders 2016
How does IKEA optimise conversions?
19 neuroscience ✔principles 17 mistakes ✘
to correct 9 improvementsto make
An analysis of IKEA’s conversion process
I reveal what’s working, what’s not working quite so well, and propose some changes to help increase the site’s income…
I’m looking to buy a desk lamp so I decide to turn to the Swedish giant IKEA.
As a Conversion Optimisation Consultant, I take note of both the positives and the areas for improvement on the site.
Join me on my user journey and discover some of the most relevant neuroscience principles for this site.
The context
A path in 10 steps
Homepage
1 2 3 4
Product ListCategory Subcategory
Basket
6 7
Address
8
Delivery Info
9
Login Payment
10
5
Product
Homepage
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
Homepage
I tried to read all the content on this carousel but I couldn’t; the slides change every 5 seconds and there’s no Call to Action on any of them!
Homepage
Paradox of Choice ✘
Homepage
Nice images but what are they for? I can’t be bothered to read all the content (like a lot of Internet users, I’m lazy)!
Picture Superiority Effect ✘
Homepage
Picture Superiority Effect ✔ I just clicked on “All departments” and they have icons next to all the category names, that’s a great help.
Homepage
The search bar features dynamic preview, but when I type ‘desk lamp’, no suggestions come up. Am I the only one looking for a desk lamp?!
Homepage
Illusion of Control ✘
Here are the results for my “desk lamp” search. There are only 2 products and neither are really what I’m looking for. Maybe I’ll get luckier searching via the categories…
Single Choice Aversion ✘
Homepage
‘Other results’ leads to this unpleasant page:
Category
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
High quality images that present the product category content clearly and in a visually effective way.
Category
Picture Superiority Effect ✔
Category
Categories are a bit messy. It would be better to make the text clearer and easier to read.
Proposalfor improvement
Subcategory
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
Subcategory
Hmmm… I’m in the lighting category, I’d rather see lighting suggestions and inspiration.
Commitment & Consistency ✘
Products List
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
There are 3 menu bars! It’s a bit too much…
Product ListParadox of Choice ✘
Products List
I’m not sure about this “Buyable online”… I am here to buy online. anyway
Product List
Products List
Processing Fluency ✘
Paradox of Choice ✔
I can sort by: - relevance - name - price - or release date Having just a few well-chosen options is very efficient.
Product List
Products List
That’s a lot of empty space. It’s nice and clean but I can’t even see any products above the fold line.
Products List
Processing Fluency ✘
Products List
Proposalfor improvement
I’ve replaced the category bars with a breadcrumb trail placed on the same line as the search tools so I can see some products above the fold line.
I assume it is something positive but what does ‘A++’ mean?
Curse of Knowledge ✘ Product List
Products List
Product List
IKEA shows the more expensive products first. It’s a good way to set a high price standard in the mind of the user so that the following prices seem lower.
Anchoring Effect ✔
Products List
The presentation of the products is uniform, the layout is clean, it's easy to browse and scan over the products
Product List
Products List
Cognitive Fluency ✔
Product List
available in other colours
This lamp is available in different colours but I can’t see the variations on the category page and I don’t want to go in to a store. I would add an icon to provide this information.
Single Choice Aversion ✔
Products List
Proposalfor improvement
Pain of Buying ✔
Hovering over the product allows me to add it to my basket in one click. It speeds up the process and thus makes the act of buying less painful.
Product List
Products List
Product
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
Product
Where are the main product details like the material, the size and the type of bulb required? I actually have to scroll down and find the “Product information”.
Information Bias ✘
Product
The layout of the information is not hierarchical enough: I don’t know what to read first… It puts me off reading it at all.
Processing Fluency ✘
Information Bias ✔
Clicking on the image allows me to zoom in closely and get great visual detail.
Product
Product
It would be great to see customer testimonials and ratings somewhere on the product page, it would reassure me of my choice. Top Customer Reviews
By Rick on 14 August 2015
The light emitted is pretty clear and pleasant and will light up the room … See more
By Summer on 21 September 2015
The light base is quite good for setting in different place with the flexible frame. However, the bulb is not durable at all … See more
Bandwagon effect ✔
Proposalfor improvement
Basket
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
The Call to Action is almost INVISIBLE (small and blue just like the menu bar and links).
Von Restorff Effect ✘
Basket
Basket
As there is only one complementary product at the moment, I would definitely suggest adding more related products.
Commitment & Consistency ✔
Proposalfor improvement
Login
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
This icon looks like a Call to Action…
Login
Von Restorff Effect ✘
Login
Make the wording clearer and the Call to Action more visible.
Processing fluency ✔
Proposalfor improvement
I would suggest moving the IKEA Family information and changing the design of the card itself.
Address
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
Processing Fluency ✔
Linear, clear form. It looks - and is - easy to fill in.
Address
I entered the wrong email and IKEA clearly tells me what’s happened:
Address
The email addresses entered do not match
Processing Fluency ✔
I’ve removed the stars and reorganised the form into 2 sections.
I’ve also replaced the link “click here” with a more simple tick box.
Address
Foot-in-the-Door Technique ✔
Proposalfor improvement
Delivery Information
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
These 2 paragraphs are effective reassurance elements; using symbols would highlight them more.
Need for Certainty ✘
Delivery Information
A delivery fee has been discreetly added to my order…
Ambiguity Effect ✘
Delivery Information
Delivery Information
I’ve reorganised the delivery information section to make it clearer.
These are actual reassurance elements that I found on the site, displayed clearly using visuals and concise text.
Need for Certainty ✔
Proposalfor improvement
Payment
Homepage Product ListCategory Subcategory Product
Basket Address Delivery InfoLogin Payment
Payment
Ambiguity Effect ✘
I can see the prices without VAT by ticking this box. Not really of interest to me though as I selected “private customer” earlier…
Why do I need to be reminded of this information? It’s unnecessary and taking up space, moving the payment section further away.
Attention Ratio ✘
Payment
Payment
One solution would be to remove the whole order review from this page and add it to the previous page instead. Then only the payment section remains.
Response Efficacy ✔
Proposalfor improvement
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Marcello PasqualucciCRO Director
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