70% increase in conversion rate over 12 months

Notcutts is a well-established UK-based garden center retailer, specializing in a wide range of garden products, plants, home and lifestyle items, and outdoor furniture. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of serving gardening enthusiasts and homeowners.

 

Achieving a 70% year-on-year increase in conversion rate is no small feat — and one I’m particularly proud of.

Working with a previous client over a 12‑month period, this result was delivered following early discussions around their commercial ambitions and the role ecommerce needed to play in future growth. The impact of the work is clearly visible in their 12‑month analytics, with conversion-led growth driving a strong uplift in online sales year on year.

To unlock sustainable online sales growth, it quickly became clear that a fundamental shift was needed in how the website was traded and how the overall ecommerce proposition was structured.

At the outset, the website experience and operational setup were holding performance back:

 

  • 1 – Website functionality was clunky and restrictive

  • 2 – Key trust and conversion features, such as product reviews, were missing

  • 3 – Backend operations were running at maximum capacity

  • 4 – Stock visibility, order tracking, and customer support processes were stretched and inefficient

In addition, the business had made limited investment in external partners or specialist support, leaving several clear growth opportunities untapped.

Following a detailed review, a clear ecommerce improvement plan was outlined and presented to the board. Alongside plans to enhance the on-site shopping experience and invest in new MarTech, we identified a major commercial opportunity: opening up 100% of in‑store stock to be available online.

This is a common challenge for retailers — particularly those selling larger, bulkier, or household items. The key question was how to unlock the full store inventory online without negatively impacting margin or the P&L.

We worked through:

  • 1 – The commercial model for expanded online ranges

  • 2 – Delivery pricing and additional customer charges

  • 3 – How the proposition was positioned and communicated to customers

Once the commercial framework was agreed, the expanded product range became a core pillar of the ecommerce growth strategy.

70% Increase in Conversion Rate 

 

With the commercial proposition defined, we moved quickly into execution. A clear plan of attack was mapped out to:

  • 1 – Increase qualified traffic

  • 2 – Remove conversion friction

  • 3 – Improve customer confidence and trust

Over the 12‑month period, this included:

  • 1 – Website UX improvements to reduce drop‑off

  • 2 – Introduction of new conversion triggers and trust signals

  • 3 – Investment in new traffic channels

  • 4  -A full overhaul of CRM segmentation and targeting

  • 5 – Improvements to content and product presentation

  • 6  -Operational fixes to support scale and service levels

The results were immediate and sustained.