Case brief: Bookstore checkout CRO
Best for: Week 2 sandbox friction · Week 7 insight memo
Source of truth: /blog/cro-case-study-nepal/ (details generalized for confidentiality)
Situation
Established Kathmandu bookstore with a new e-commerce site. Traffic existed; purchases lagged. Analytics pointed to cart abandonment and weak trust at payment — especially for first-time online buyers.
Hypothesis
Checkout felt too long and low-trust for Nepali first-time buyers (local wallets, guest checkout, mobile forms).
Interventions
- 5-step checkout → 3 steps
- Guest checkout as default
- Clear eSewa / Khalti / card options with logos
- Trust/security badges near pay
- Shipping cost/timing earlier
- Mobile form usability
Each major change A/B tested to significance (as described in the source).
Results (as published)
| Outcome | Change |
|---|---|
| Cart abandonment | −22% |
| Completed purchases | +15% |
| First-time buyer CVR | +18% |
| Online revenue (~3 months) | +10% |
MBA discussion
- List three frictions on your sandbox that mirror “long form / weak trust.”
- For services (not e-com), what is the analogue of “guest checkout”? (Often: WhatsApp or 2-field form.)
- Week 7 memo: write the leak → action → expected metric pattern using this case as a model.
Cite in pitches
“Anonymized Kathmandu bookstore CRO case: cart abandonment −22% and purchases +15% after checkout simplification and local payments (source).”
