Case Study

Step2

CRO program projects $500K+ annual revenue lift for North America’s largest toy manufacturer

Services

cromarketingweb

Technologies

Shopify
Boost Commerce

Step2 is North America’s largest toy manufacturer, known for durable outdoor playsets, water tables, play kitchens, and imaginative play products. With two distribution across 70+ countries, Step2 operates both wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels—including their Shopify-powered ecommerce site, Step2.com.

+86%

conversion rate from search

+34%

add-to-cart rate on PDPs

$500K+

projected annual revenue impact

Project Highlights

Comprehensive marketing roadmap
Site search optimization
Collection page redesign
Product detail page refresh
Statistically validated A/B test program

The Challenge

Step2 came to LimeLight Marketing when website performance was dipping. Despite website traffic stabilization, the conversion rate remained well below target.

Traditional promotional strategies had failed to drive conversion lift. AOV-focused promotions were generating revenue, but the conversion rate stayed flat.

The stakes were significant: reaching their conversion rate goal would unlock an estimated $150,000 per month in additional revenue. Step2 needed a data-driven approach to identify and fix the conversion barriers across their buyer journey.

Our Approach

LimeLight conducted a comprehensive Marketing Roadmap that examined their digital ecosystem, including traffic sources, on-site behavior, conversion funnels, and competitive positioning. The audit validated that conversion rate improvement had measurable ROI potential.

Armed with these insights, we launched a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) program built on a hypothesis-driven testing framework. We designed controlled experiments to validate what moved the conversion needle.

Our methodology included:

Running parallel tests monthly to maximize learning velocity
Prioritizing high-traffic touchpoints for maximum impact
Requiring statistical significance before declaring winners
Focusing on reducing friction across the buyer journey: search → browse → product → cart
Monthly reporting on wins, losses, and recommended implementations.

The Tests & Results

Test 1: Enhanced Site Search

Hypothesis: By enhancing search to show additional product details, users will find products more quickly and the conversion rate from search will increase.

What We Changed: Replaced Step2’s default Shopify theme search with Boost Commerce’s intelligent search widget. The new experience featured real-time autocomplete, star ratings and review counts displayed inline, popular search suggestions, category and collection links, and related blog content—all visible before the user even finishes typing.

Before

After

Results:

86% increase in conversion rate from search
100% statistical significance
$13,936 in attributed search revenue during 10-day test window
Projected annual impact: $100K–$150K

The data revealed an important insight: while total search interactions increased, users who clicked were far more qualified and ready to convert. Boost’s intelligent ranking and rich product information helped shoppers find exactly what they wanted faster—eliminating wasted clicks and surfacing social proof (reviews) at the moment of highest intent.

The Tests & Results

Test 2: Collection Page Redesign

Hypothesis: By enhancing category pages with filtering, quick add-to-cart options, and the ability to quickly select a product variant, users will add to cart at higher rates.

What We Changed: Redesigned collection pages with persistent side filters (color, review rating, price range), quick add-to-cart functionality, variant selection directly from the grid, SEO-friendly infinite scroll with page numbers in URL, and enhanced product cards showing review counts.

Before

After

Results:

25% increase in add-to-cart rate from ~27,500 visitors
99.21% statistical significance
$3,231 in attributed sales increase during 8-day test
Projected annual impact: $147K–$150K

The new collection template reduced the steps between browsing and buying. Shoppers could filter to their exact needs, see social proof at a glance, and add products to cart without navigating away from the collection—removing friction at a critical decision point.

The Tests & Results

Test 3: Product Detail Page Refresh

Hypothesis: By enhancing the product detail page look, feel, and layout—particularly on mobile devices—we’ll drive increases in add-to-cart behavior.

What We Changed: Refreshed the PDP template with a modernized image gallery, prominent value proposition callouts, cleaner layout hierarchy, and a sticky add-to-cart button.

Before

After

Results:

34% increase in add-to-cart rate from ~31,800 visitors
100% statistical significance
$5,739 in attributed sales increase during 7-day test
Projected annual impact: $250K–$300K

This test delivered the largest single impact of the program. The new PDP converted browsers into buyers at substantially higher rates.

Business Impact

Across three statistically validated tests over 120 days, LimeLight’s CRO program identified changes projected to generate $500,000 to $600,000 in incremental annual revenue for Step2.com.

Why It Worked

Step2’s CRO success wasn’t luck—it was the result of a disciplined, insight-driven approach that addressed root causes rather than symptoms.

Strategic Foundation

The Marketing Audit conducted before the CRO program pinpointed that poor conversion was leaking revenue in Step2’s funnel. We entered the testing phase with clear hypotheses backed by data—and prioritized the highest-impact opportunities first.

Data-Driven Execution

Every test was validated with statistical rigor before being called a winner. No changes were implemented based on hunches or small sample sizes. This discipline meant Step2 could confidently deploy winning variations knowing the lift was real and repeatable.

Friction Reduction at Every Stage

Each optimization removed a specific barrier between browsing and buying. Intelligent search helped shoppers find products faster. Collection filters reduced decision fatigue. Functional sticky buttons eliminated unnecessary scrolling. The cumulative effect: a dramatically smoother path to purchase.

Social Proof Integration

Surfacing star ratings and review counts in search results and collection pages put buying confidence exactly where shoppers needed it—at the moment of decision. For a brand like Step2, where product durability and quality are core value propositions, visible social proof reinforced what the brand already stood for.

Mobile-First Mindset

The PDP and collection improvements prioritized the mobile shopping experience, where the majority of Step2’s traffic originates. Small UX issues have outsized impact on mobile, and fixing them delivered outsized results.