Case Study: How Wren and Wild doubled their revenue by watching strangers fail on their store

In an episode of the eCommerce Influence Podcast, Mandy Butera, the founder of Wren and Wild, shared the incredible story of how she pivoted her business during the COVID-19 pandemic. From a brick-and-mortar clean beauty and aerial yoga studio in Bend, Oregon, Mandy transitioned to an eCommerce model and faced all the challenges of online retail head-on.

During the episode, Mandy reflected on the highs and lows of her entrepreneurial journey. One of the biggest turning points for her business came when she decided to optimize her website, leveraging user studies through Conversion Crimes. What she learned completely transformed her approach to eCommerce, ultimately helping her double her revenue during a time when many businesses were struggling to survive.

Here’s a closer look at what was discussed in the podcast and how Mandy used Conversion Crimes to achieve such significant results.

The Challenge: Transitioning from Brick-and-Mortar to eCommerce

As Mandy explained in the podcast, her transition from a physical store to an online business wasn’t easy. While she had decades of retail experience, the world of eCommerce was new to her. She quickly realized that her existing website wasn’t delivering the results she needed, and customers were having trouble navigating the store.

Even though Mandy had switched to Shopify, she was still encountering frustrating roadblocks. Her conversion rates were lower than expected, and she wasn’t sure why. “I thought my website was fine,” Mandy admitted on the podcast, “but I had no idea what I couldn’t see.”

That’s when she turned to Conversion Crimes, a service that helps online store owners understand how real customers experience their websites.

The Turning Point: Using Conversion Crimes to Uncover Hidden Issues

During the podcast, Mandy recalled her initial reaction to the videos provided through Conversion Crimes. “I got it and I thought, well, I’ve already had my website analyzed and it was fine. And then they did it, and they had five women who weren’t even in my industry… and I was like, oh my God, my website is a hot mess!” she said.

Mandy watched as the reviewers struggled to use basic functions on her site, like product filters. “Why can’t you find that button? Oh my God. Why? It’s right there. Why doesn’t she see it?” she exclaimed, realizing that what seemed obvious to her as the business owner was not obvious to users.

This was a huge eye-opener for Mandy, showing her how the site’s design and usability issues were hindering her business.

The Solution: Implementing User Feedback and Optimizing the Site

After reviewing the Conversion Crimes studies, Mandy immediately went to work. She and her team dedicated a full week to fixing the issues identified in the feedback. “Five of us buckled down for an entire week and went through every single product, every single SKU and built… the filters,” she explained. The goal was to simplify navigation and improve the overall customer experience on her site.

The Results: Doubling Revenue and Conversion Rates

The results were nothing short of remarkable. “We went from a 1.9% conversion rate to a 3.9 within a week,” Mandy shared on the podcast. The changes made based on Conversion Crimes’ feedback quickly translated into real, measurable success.

In fact, the impact was so significant that Wren and Wild had its biggest month ever shortly after implementing the updates. “This August, just this past month, it was our biggest month in the history of the company. It was unbelievable,” she said.

Key Takeaways from the Podcast

Mandy’s story is a testament to the power of conversion studies and how understanding customer behavior can transform an online store. Here are the key takeaways from her podcast interview:

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know: Even if you think your website is working fine, conversion studies with real customers reveal issues you might not otherwise see.

User Experience Matters: Small tweaks to site navigation, filters, and ease of use can make a massive difference in conversion rates.

Leverage Customer Behavior: By watching how real users interact with your store, you can implement targeted changes that lead to measurable growth.

Keep Iterating: Even after achieving success, Mandy emphasized the importance of continually optimizing her site and revisiting user feedback to ensure continued growth.

Conclusion: Why Conversion Crimes is a Game-Changer

Mandy Butera’s success story highlights the importance of optimizing your eCommerce site for real users. Thanks to Conversion Crimes, she was able to identify critical areas for improvement, act on them, and double her business during one of the toughest periods for retailers.

If you want to gain fresh insights into how customers are interacting with your site and unlock its full potential, Conversion Crimes can help you uncover those hidden opportunities for growth.