• Goal:
  • One of the most popular BOGO offers on GetMaineLobster.com is their Buy 10 Maine Lobster Tails (3-4 oz), Get 10 Free. The client wanted to know if there was a way to convert more new buyers.
• Solution:
  • Our core philosophy is that the product page is the most important page. It’s here that the buyer makes the all-important buy/no-buy decision. On the original page, the client had given some basic details about lobster tails. Our idea was to craft the world’s best Maine lobster tails story for this offer.
• Outcome:
  • 30.33% improvement.

Backstory

GetMaineLobster.com is an interesting company. They’ve been supplying exquisite Maine lobsters and lobster parts’ experiences across America since 2009. There’s an interesting story behind this.

The CEO, Mark Murrell, was inspired to grow this company (previously a shipping facility) so that Americans across the country could experience what truly great Maine Lobsters and lobster products taste like from oceans-to-dinner tables. 

This is how GetMaineLobster.com was born. One of their most exciting offers is the opportunity to buy 20 Maine Lobster Tails for the price of 10.

Our Hypothesis

While the product description covered all the details about the product, its packaging and delivery, we felt more could be done to convert shoppers who were interested in this offer but new to the company or the product.

Control

Here is a screenshot of what the page looked like before we got started.

Test Concept

There was no doubt that the product looked delicious and the offer was irresistible.

But we didn’t want to rely on discounts to make the sale. Those people were already converting. The challenge was, “how do we convert people who are engaged on the page but just not engaged enough to pull the trigger?”

This, then, was the group we were after.

Turns out, Maine Lobster Tails are quite a remarkable meal. In our client interrogation (before starting the project we pepper clients with hardball questions) we discovered some fascinating details about these tails.

So we totally reimagined how the product story was being told on the page.

Here’s what we ended up with:

Video Walkthrough of Changes We Made

Here are the changes we made:

— In opposition to “best practices” we decided to increase page word count. We didn’t want to limit ourselves to some arbitrary word limit. Our goal was to maximize conversions and there were some really important details that need to be discussed.

— We really drove into the technical superiority of how we conduct our business. Then we talked about our stringent conservation and sustainability commitments. Finally, we explained how having grown up in Maine all our life (Mark’s story) played a big role in understanding what shoppers across America would need.

— In our 9-point conversion copywriting process, point #6 is that shoppers need motivation to break habits. We knew we had two kinds of shoppers: those who prefer buying from their local big box stores and those who continue with their current ways of celebrations. In order to help them get over their reluctance, here’s what we told them:

• for shoppers who prefer buying from their local big box stores: we took them through our process of harvesting a Maine lobster tail and how it gets to their doorstep. When they learn of this process, they can intuitively understand how shopping from their local big box store will give them access to a lower quality product, instead of better quality.
• for shoppers who want to stick to the status quo and continue with their current way of celebrating special occasions (that don’t include enjoying delicious Maine lobster): we gave them insight into the uniqueness and specialty of Maine lobster tails. This helped them understand why they should take the plunge, bring this delicacy into their life, and how it will make their celebrations more special.

With these two combined, they knew it was an opportunity they must not miss. 

The beauty of this approach is that it gives power to the reader to make the right decision (that is, purchase our offer) while also knowing that they are making the right choice.

Outcome

Ran the test for 5 weeks and ended up with a 30.33% lift in conversion rates:

Why Our Concept Won

Stories matter. In our quest to remove friction, we sometimes forget the power of storytelling. But not just that, how the story is presented, how the tension is added, how the reveal is made, all matter. You might think that the discount was an important part of conversions. This test concept showed that even discounts or hard-to-believe offers might not be enough for visitors to convert. We have to tell them a compelling story, resolve any negative thoughts they have, and reassure them that this is the best choice for them. This is the reason why this concept won.