The average conversion rate from email for e-commerce websites dropped in the second quarter of 2013, falling to 3.34%, from 3.56% in 2Q12, according to a recent report from Monetate.
Referral traffic from email also declined, falling 26% in in 2Q13 compared with the same quarter last year. However, average order value from email channels was up to $99.93 in 2Q13, from $89.43 in 2Q12.
Search conversion rates also dropped (1.94% in 2Q13 from 2.12% in 2Q12), whereas the conversion rate of social increased (0.79% this year compared with 0.62% in the same quarter last year).
Below, additional key findings from the report, which was based on data from more than 600 million online shopping experiences in the second quarter of 2013.
General Trends
- Same-store website traffic for the companies examined increased 17.6% year over year.
- The sites also recorded an 8.16% gain in average order value (AOV).
- In fact, AOV was higher in the second quarter of 2013 ($115.27) than in the traditionally strong fourth quarter ($113.05) of 2012.
Mobile and Tablet Traffic
- In the past year, combined smartphone and tablet traffic grew from 15.2% of visits to 22.13%.
- Tablet traffic continues to outpace smartphone traffic, making up 12.44% of all e-commerce traffic examined, compared with 9.69% for smartphones.
- The average order by device type was relatively similar in 2Q13—$115.74 for desktops, $113.15 for tablets, and $112.73 for smartphones.
- However, the average conversion rate for smartphone visits (0.96%) was significantly lower than that of desktop visits (2.56%) and tablet visits (2.54%).
Social Commerce
- Social media traffic had a big year-over-year uptick in average order value, moving from $75.82 in 2Q12 to $86.80 in 2Q13.
- However, social still lags far behind search and email in traffic and conversion rates.
About the research: The report was based on Monetate data from a random sample of over 600 million online shopping experiences in the second quarter of 2013.
