Most Influential Top Converting Website?

I've been getting this question a lot recently.

When we set out to produce the list of the top ten converting websites, we weren’t looking for one winner, but more what lessons could be learned from the top 10. But among these top converting websites, it’s pretty clear that there are some standout winners.

Not in terms of conversion rates; they’re all winners there.

If asked to name one site as the most influential from the top 10 converting websites, then we’d probably steer you to different sites depending on your question.

For example, there are some sites that ecommerce teams can learn from in different areas:

For pop-up shopping carts

Lands’ End

Blair

Advanced merchandising

ProFlowers

Lands’ End

Capturing email addresses

Woman Within

Roaman’s

Cross sell in the shopping cart

ProFlowers

Shopping cart process

ProFlowers

Lands’ End

But to answer the question, “Which ‘one’ site can we learn the most from?”

It’s a bit like being asked which among all of your children is your favorite. They’re all unique, with their strengths and weaknesses.

But when pushed, we’d have to choose ProFlowers.

ProFlowers epitomizes the collective spirit of the top 10 converting websites. All of these companies are building lifetime relationships with their customers and making online shopping a fun, pleasurable experience. From merchandising to shopping cart processes, ProFlowers demonstrates the best practices of this long-term and high-converting philosophy.

As a group, the top 10 websites listed in “Lessons Learned from the Top 10 Converting Websites” have an average conversion rate of 23 percent compared to the 2-3 percent conversion rate of typical ecommerce sites. ProFlowers occupies the number two spot, with a conversion rate of 26.5 percent.

ProFlowers stands out in the following areas:

• Shopping cart process – The nature of sending gifts to friends and family makes the ProFlowers shopping cart process relatively long. However, the company uses this process very effectively to cross-sell and up-sell, helping customers buy better gifts.
• Merchandising – ProFlowers uses advanced merchandising techniques to increase order size. For example, after selecting a flower arrangement, ProFlowers customers can mouse over different vases to quickly see how the flowers will look in each.
• Remarketing – ProFlowers, in common with all of the top 10, uses remarketing extensively. Their shopping cart recovery program, for example, is well executed.
• Customers over conventions – Much of what ProFlowers does defies conventional wisdom but reinforces its lifetime customer philosophy. For instance, the long shopping cart process captures a lot of information needed for long-term customer relationships.
• Convention where it counts – Wherever appropriate, ProFlowers makes the shopping cart process as smooth and as slick as possible. Such process refinements, however, must support the company’s core, customer vision.

Do you agree? Of the top 10 sites, and beyond, which sites can ecommerce teams learn the most from?