Kingsley North Logo

A Comprehensive CRO Audit to Transform the eCommerce Experience

A variety of colorful polished gemstones and minerals displayed on a wooden surface with a beige cloth, featuring green, red, blue, and pink stones of different shapes and sizes.

About Kingsley North 

Kingsley North, a legacy brand in the lapidary, gemstone, and jewelry-making space for over 80 years, offers an expansive catalog for hobbyists, artisans, professional workshops, and institutions. Their eCommerce site serves as both sales engine and knowledge hub. Despite a loyal customer base, the digital experience lagged modern expectations, with high bounce rates, checkout abandonment, and weak mobile engagement. Kensium conducted a comprehensive CRO Audit rooted in data, user behavior, and competitor benchmarking.
Phase 1

Quantitative Analysis

Comparison of Clarity by Microsoft and Google Analytics 4 logos with a label '12 Months' and a three-bar vertical chart icon.
1
Conversion Rate

2.1% (industry average 1–5%). Potential for growth given niche, high-intent audience.

2
Device Gap

Desktop 3.04% vs Mobile 1.35%, with mobile as primary traffic source — pointing to significant friction.

3
Cart Abandonment

44.5%, in line with global averages but driven by missing payment options, unexpected costs, and lengthy checkout.

4
Product Discovery

29.3% of sessions never reached product pages, suggesting homepage navigation or search UX issues.

5
Checkout Drop-off

Billing stage showed highest abandonment, linked to form validation problems, missing trust signals, and weak feedback loops.

Table showing conversion rates with corresponding ratings and store descriptions: below 1% is below average for most new stores without optimization; 1% to 5% is average to good for optimized stores building audience and repeat traffic; 5% to 10% is excellent for stores with good brand presence and audience base; above 10% is unicorn status for top percentile of all internet stores.Funnel chart showing session drop-off: 100% total sessions, 70.7% with product page views, 6.24% with add-to-cart, 3.4% with transactions, 2.1% final conversion.Bar chart showing session start at 634K with 29.3% abandonment and view product at 448K with 91.2% abandonment rate.Chart showing abandonment rates for ecommerce steps: 44.5% at 'Add to cart' with 17K users and 39.2% at 'Begin checkout' with 8.4K users.Conversion rate funnel table comparing Desktop, Mobile, and Tablet: Session Start to View Product, Add to Cart Rate, Checkout Conversion Rate, Purchase Conversion Rate, and Overall rates with Desktop highest at 3.65%, Mobile 1.54%, Tablet 1.13%.Table showing website analytics with columns for landing page URLs, sessions, total users, add to carts, checkouts, and purchases, listing data for specific product pages.
E-commerce conversion rate tables and funnels showing session and purchase metrics across desktop, mobile, and tablet with abandonment rates and funnel visualization.
Phase 2

Qualitative Analysis

Why Users Dropped Off
Method
Two-week behavior study via Microsoft Clarity heatmaps, recordings, and heuristic review
Heatmap overlay on a gift card entry webpage showing average time spent of 5 minutes 34 seconds, 5% session length, with highlight on the subtotal and gift card code sections.Person interacting with a tablet displaying a heatmap chart tracking stages: Visit, Sign Up, Checkout, and Purchase with red, yellow, and green color zones.
01
Dead Clicks
Users clicked non-interactive elements (e.g., size specs, labels), especially on spec-heavy equipment pages.
02
Low Scroll Depth
Mobile PDP visitors rarely viewed beyond 25–30% of the page; CTAs buried below fold and lacked sticky behavior
03
Login Friction
Missing error messages caused failed logins, abandoned sessions, and impacted returning customers.
04
Product Ambiguity
Similar product names, identical thumbnails, and no variation indicators caused repeated back-and-forth browsing. 
05
Hidden Buying Aids
Warranty, manuals, and compatibility details were buried under vague labels like “Additional Information
Takeaway:
Trust, clarity, and navigation support were lacking, causing high-intent users to abandon before completing purchases. 
Screenshot of a guide on dead taps caused by browser-rendered drop-downs, showing a product page with various drop-down menus including one highlighted option for 'Resin Diamond' and a critical note on standardizing custom drop-downs to avoid inconsistencies.Kingsley North webpage showing cabbing machines with a section to shop machines and customer service support information.Screenshot of Microsoft Clarity heatmap dashboard showing ranked elements by most clicks with click statistics and a mobile device click heatmap on product thumbnails.
Composite screenshot showing website analytics and user behavior data for Kingsley North, including error message about reCAPTCHA, dead taps analysis on product dropdowns, heatmaps of clicks on cabbing machines, ranking of most clicked elements, and user attention on cart update button with critical usability notes.

Competitive Insights & Key Recommendations  

1
PDP Enhancements
Clear variant displays, bestseller badges, quick view, stock alerts, and financing visibility.
Smiling man and woman looking at a laptop screen with notification and reward icons above.
Smiling woman using a laptop at a desk with a coffee cup, surrounded by green potted plants and icons representing security, delivery, and package services.
2
Trust & AOV Builders:
Highlight warranties, add cross-sells, local pickup options, and clear shipping/returns policies.
3
Navigation Improvements:
Horizontal tab navigation for long PDPs to reduce scroll fatigue. 
Close-up of hands with red nail polish holding and interacting with a black smartphone.
Smiling man using credit card with laptop, overlaid with icons showing online shopping process from form to cart to payment.
4
Checkout Fixes
Simplified forms, reordered key fields, secure payment markers, and more prominent guest checkout.
Set of 16 Diamond Pacific Nova Points for sanding and polishing in various colors displayed in two rows, alongside product details and purchase options.Nine miniature Diamond Pacific Nova Points in various colors with 3/32 inch mandrel shanks, displayed for lapidary carving, alongside product details and price of $15.00.Product detail page showing diamond mandrel shank tools in various colors, SKU 228627, out of stock, priced at $9.30 with option to subscribe for availability notification.Covington 10 inch Trim Saw with dark green base and protective clear plastic cover displayed alongside product details and pricing.Product details panel showing SKU 228627, diamond material, 3/32 inch mandrel shank, type resin diamond, pricing from $9.30, quantity selector, and tiered discount offers.BD Highland Precision HP14 slab saw with blue base and gray protective cover open, priced at $4,881.65 with a 4-star rating.Mobile screen showing an empty shopping cart message with a blue cartoon cat astronaut and a button labeled Browse Categories.

Conclusion 

Kensium’s CRO Audit blended quantitative precision with qualitative insight to identify and fix deep structural UX issues — building trust, reducing friction, and creating a scalable foundation for growth. 

Explore More Case Studies

Integrating Shopify with ERP to increase revenues by 66% and improve inventory management while reducing labor costs.

SOLUTION

With the Shopify Connector, Acumatica was treated as the single source of truth for product data and especially inventory.

INDUSTRY

Holiday Decorations

Consistent double-digit revenue growth year-over-year, fueled by constant innovation in UX/UI, the launch of PWA-site.

SOLUTION

The new PWA based Magento site built by Kensium was able to bring down response times from 40+ seconds to under 4 seconds – even for complex pages.

INDUSTRY

Heating, Air Conditioning, D2C

Create superior customer experiences leading to improved CSAT and increased sales.

SOLUTION

North40 was able to maintain control over the entire customer experience and gather valuable data on consumer preferences.

INDUSTRY

Outdoor Goods, Retail

Increase Revenues, Gain Customer Loyalty, Improve inventory management, Reduce shipping and Labor costs.

SOLUTION

With Acumatica and its connection to Magento, AMI’s online orders now flow into the financial system in real- time.

INDUSTRY

 Agriculture & Farming

Leveraging Progressive Web App and Adobe Commerce for explosive business growth.

SOLUTION

With the help of Kensium, Riddles was able to increase traffic, Conversion Rate as well as Average Order Value

INDUSTRY

 Luxury Goods & Jewelry

A blazing star of Unified Commerce that leveraged Acumatica’s native functionality to connect Ecommerce website and scale the efficiencies to the next level.

SOLUTION

By transitioning to BigCommerce and Acumatica, YardBright immediately benefited from a modern, scalable platform.

INDUSTRY

Landscape Lighting

BigCommerce Multi Storefront with Acumatica integration – One integrated solution to manage all business operations including three Ecommerce websites

SOLUTION

All the initial goals at the beginning of the project were realized – including the single integrated system that allows Room One to manage all aspects of their business.

INDUSTRY

HVAC, Recommerce

Streamlined operations, effective inventory management and BigCommerce’s B2B capabilities to provide Franchise / marketplace capabilities for Sod.

SOLUTION

One key factor in SodStar’s success was its D2C model. This strategy was powered by cutting out traditional retail channels and selling directly to customers through its website and physical stores.

INDUSTRY

Agriculture and Farming

Fusing Commerce with Cause: Door County Candle’s Revenue Surge Powered by Kensium’s Shopify + ERP Solution.

SOLUTION

As a result of Kensium's work, DCC has not only been able to donate substantial sums to noble causes but has also seen a marked increase in sales.

INDUSTRY

Home Décor, Wellness

Fasttrack migration from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus with strong back-end ERP Integration.

SOLUTION

Kensium was able to launch a new Shopify website for 3DXTECH supporting B2C & B2B buyer journeys, integrated with Acumatica in under 3 months

INDUSTRY

3D Printing & Manufacturing

Big Country Pet Co. is a leader in the frozen raw pet food industry, dedicated to providing high-quality, nutritious products for pets. To enhance its B2B ecommerce operations, the company implemented innovative digital solutions, streamlining inventory management, ordering processes, and customer experience.

SOLUTION

The team implemented innovative B2B solutions for Big Country Pet Co. on the BigCommerce platform, enhancing inventory management, streamlining bulk ordering, and improving customer satisfaction.

INDUSTRY

E-Commerce

VIEW CASE STUDY

arrow green right

Half Price Banners is a company specializing in high-quality, custom banners and advertising signs designed to enhance brand visibility and effectively convey messages. Leveraging over 20 years of expertise in large-format printing, they provide a diverse range of products tailored to various promotional needs.

SOLUTION

The team implemented a comprehensive redesign of Half Price Banners website on the BigCommerce platform, achieving significant improvements in user engagement and business performance.

INDUSTRY

E-Commerce

VIEW CASE STUDY

arrow green right