> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.get-ryze.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CRO benchmarks

> How to use ecommerce conversion benchmarks correctly, why external averages mislead, and which internal baselines to track instead.

Benchmarks are the most misused numbers in ecommerce. This page is mostly about why, and what to use instead.

## Why external benchmarks mislead

Published ecommerce conversion averages typically land somewhere in the **1–3%** range, and that figure is close to useless for any individual store.

Conversion rate varies enormously by:

* **Category** — a £15 consumable and a £2,000 sofa are not comparable
* **Price point** — higher prices convert lower and should
* **Traffic source** — branded search converts several times better than cold paid social
* **Device** — mobile converts lower than desktop, consistently
* **New versus returning** — returning visitors convert far higher
* **Market and season**

A store at 1.2% might be excellent (high-value considered purchase, cold traffic) or poor (low-price impulse category, branded traffic). The benchmark cannot tell you which.

<Note>
  Treat any single "good conversion rate" figure with suspicion, including the range above. It is a distribution, not a target.
</Note>

## Use your own baseline

The only reliable comparison is your store against itself.

Record, before making changes:

| baseline                              | why                                                    |
| ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Conversion rate **by device**         | Mobile and desktop must be tracked separately          |
| Conversion rate **by traffic source** | Blended rates hide everything useful                   |
| **Revenue per visitor**               | The metric that actually matters                       |
| **Average order value**               | So you notice a conversion gain that cost you AOV      |
| **Funnel step completion**            | Where loss occurs, not just that it does               |
| **Add-to-cart rate**                  | Separates product page problems from checkout problems |

Then measure change against those, over comparable periods, ideally year over year.

## Segment or learn nothing

A blended sitewide conversion rate conceals almost everything actionable. The useful cuts:

* Mobile vs desktop
* Paid vs organic vs direct vs email
* New vs returning
* By landing page template
* By category

A sitewide rate that is flat can hide mobile falling while desktop rises.

## Rate of change beats absolute level

The useful question is not "is 1.8% good?" but "is it better than last quarter, on comparable traffic, and why?"

Improving from 1.4% to 1.8% is a 29% revenue increase on the same traffic. Whether 1.8% beats an industry average is irrelevant to that.

## On guarantees

**Ecom Autopilot** advertises 15% more conversions or money back. That is measured against your own baseline, which is another reason to record one properly before starting. Confirm current terms at purchase — see [plans overview](/plans/overview).

## Related

* [CRO overview](/cro/overview)
* [A/B testing](/cro/ab-testing)