Refocusing cro roadmap to drive growth and conversion

The Royal Mint is the official maker of coins for the United Kingdom. It is a government-owned organization responsible for producing the country’s coinage, as well as medals, commemorative coins, and precious metal products. Founded over 1,100 years ago, the Royal Mint is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious mints, known for its high standards of craftsmanship and innovation.

While its primary role is to supply coins for circulation in the UK, the Royal Mint also produces coins for other countries and offers collectible and investment products, such as gold, silver, and platinum bullion.

Based in Llantrisant, Wales, it combines centuries of heritage with modern technology to create products that appeal to collectors, investors, and institutions worldwide.

challenge

The eCommerce team had limited connection to the commercial trading side of the business, which created a significant gap in aligning their activities with broader business objectives. Compounding this issue was the reliance on a challenging and restrictive web platform that limited flexibility and innovation. Furthermore, the business had recently invested in new roles, such as User Experience (UX) and Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), but the value of these functions was not well understood across the organization.

The CRO roadmap, which was intended to drive growth through experimentation and testing, was failing to deliver results. Tests were not being prioritized effectively, with no clear scoring framework (such as RICE) to evaluate their potential impact. Some A/B tests were being rolled out incorrectly, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. This lack of a structured approach to CRO, combined with the poor integration of these efforts into the wider eCommerce strategy, meant that the team was not achieving its full potential to contribute to growth.

action

Recognizing the need for a reset, I took immediate action by pausing all A/B testing activities for a few weeks to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire program. This allowed us to step back and evaluate the effectiveness of the current pipeline, identify bottlenecks, and address gaps in the process. One key issue was the lack of a robust prioritization framework, so I introduced the RICE scoring model to assess tests based on their potential impact, confidence, effort, and reach.

To address the wider organizational challenges, I collaborated closely with the CRO Manager to reset the CRO backlog, ensuring it was aligned with the business's growth objectives. We also reintroduced the concept of CRO to the wider business, holding workshops and sessions to explain what it is, how it works, and why it is critical for driving revenue and customer engagement. This effort helped clarify the role of CRO and positioned it as a strategic driver for growth rather than an isolated function. Additionally, I worked to better integrate the Web Development team into the process, ensuring they understood the rationale and goals behind each test. This improved collaboration between teams, which was essential for rolling out successful tests as permanent features.

impact

The restructuring of the CRO program led to the creation of a more impactful and focused backlog, prioritizing tests that offered the greatest potential for driving revenue growth and improving customer experience. By applying a rigorous scoring framework, we ensured that resources were directed toward high-value opportunities, creating a more efficient and effective testing process. Integrating the Web Development team into the testing process fostered better communication and alignment, reducing errors and improving the implementation of winning tests. This approach not only improved the quality of the tests being conducted but also ensured that successful experiments were seamlessly rolled out as permanent features.

As a result of these changes, the eCommerce team is now better equipped to deliver measurable growth through data-driven decision-making and testing. This strategic realignment has laid a solid foundation for driving sustained revenue growth and maximizing the value of CRO as a key business function. The CRO roadmap, which was intended to drive growth through experimentation and testing, was failing to deliver results. Tests were not being prioritized effectively, with no clear scoring framework (such as RICE) to evaluate their potential impact. Some A/B tests were being rolled out incorrectly, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. This lack of a structured approach to CRO, combined with the poor integration of these efforts into the wider eCommerce strategy, meant that the team was not achieving its full potential to contribute to growth.

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