How Fontana Candle Co. Increased AOV by $8.25 and Conversion Rate by 11.3% with SplitBase’s Research-Driven Website Redesign
Conversion Research Blueprint
Landing Page Design
Conversion Website Redesign
The Client
Founded in 2018 as a small home-based hobby, Fontana Candle Co. quickly grew into a thriving ecommerce brand known for its non-toxic, clean-burning candles. By 2020, their online store had become the primary revenue driver, attracting customers who valued natural ingredients and premium craftsmanship.
The Challenge
By the end of the 2023 holiday season, Fontana Candle Co. realized their Shopify site was limiting their ability to scale.
- Slow load times and app conflicts led to a frustrating customer experience, increasing abandoned purchases and customer service inquiries.
- Poor mobile usability—most shoppers were on mobile, yet it took four clicks just to access best-selling candles.
- Lack of premium brand perception—The existing site didn’t reflect Fontana’s high-quality products and felt outdated compared to competitors.
- Disorganized product pages made it difficult for customers to compare and choose products, limiting upsell and bundling opportunities.
- A leaky conversion funnel meant paid ad campaigns were underperforming—driving traffic to a suboptimal site resulted in wasted spend.
Before scaling ad spend, Fontana needed a high-converting, frictionless website that could improve AOV and conversions and elevate their image.
The Solution
After discovering SplitBase through our Dr. Squatch case study, Fontana Candle Co. partnered with us for a Conversion Research & Website Redesign project. Our approach combined deep customer research with strategic design changes to eliminate friction and improve the shopping experience.
Their approach to customer research and data-driven design instantly resonated with us. We were particularly impressed by their use of customer surveys and their deep dive into understanding our customer personas. - Katie Roering, Founder, Fontana Candle Co.
1. Deep Customer Research & Data-Driven Insights
Before making any design changes, we conducted an extensive Conversion Research project to uncover how customers were shopping, where friction existed, and how to maximize conversion potential.
Qualitative Research:
- Conducted customer surveys to identify key buying motivations, pain points, and objections.
- Analyzed session recordings & heatmaps to pinpoint navigation issues and high drop-off points.
- Identified mobile usability bottlenecks—most customers shopped on mobile, yet four unnecessary steps were required to access best-selling candles.
Quantitative Data Analysis:
- Analyzed Shopify and Google Analytics data to identify pages with the highest bounce rates and cart abandonment issues.
- Assessed AOV trends to determine which products were frequently purchased together, fueling our upsell and bundling strategy.
Customer Persona & Brand Perception Study:
- Discovered that customers viewed Fontana’s candles as a premium, safe alternative to mainstream brands, but the existing website didn’t visually reinforce this positioning.
- Tested messaging variations with usability tests to determine the most persuasive value propositions to increase conversions.
2. Mobile Shopping Experience Overhaul
- Simplified navigation, reducing clicks to key products from four to one or two taps.
- Removed redundant Shopify apps, optimizing for faster load speeds and a seamless user experience.
3. Elevated, Modernized Website Design
- Refreshed typography, layout, and product presentation to create a more modern, high-end aesthetic without requiring a full rebrand.
- Improved visual hierarchy, making key product details like scent strength, notes, and burn times instantly visible using icons and color-coded visuals.
- Designed a cleaner, more immersive shopping experience that reflected the premium quality of Fontana’s candles.
4. Product Page Optimization & Upsell Strategy
- Redesigned product pages to make essential product details more prominent and easier to scan.
- Introduced clear comparison sections, helping customers find the best candle for their needs.
- Implemented bundling strategies based on customer behavior insights, increasing upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
The Results
The results have been outstanding. Since launching the new site, our average order value (AOV) has increased by $8.25, and our conversion rate improved from 4.88% to 5.43%. Even better, the enhanced user experience has drastically reduced customer service tickets related to checkout issues. - Katie Roering, Founder, Fontana Candle Co.
✅ AOV increased by $8.25, thanks to easier product discovery and bundling strategies.
✅ Conversion rate jumped from 4.88% to 5.43%, a 11.3% lift in conversions.
✅ Fewer customer service tickets related to checkout issues, as the new UX eliminated common friction points.
✅ A more modern, premium-looking website that aligned with Fontana’s high-quality products—without requiring a full rebrand.
Thanks to SplitBase, we now have a website that not only supports our growth but also delivers a seamless, enjoyable shopping experience for our customers. - Katie Roering, Founder, Fontana Candle Co.
With a fully optimized, visually elevated website, Fontana Candle Co. is now positioned for profitable scaling, ready to drive higher conversions and AOV from Meta and Google ads with confidence.
