Outsourcing CRO vs. Conducting the Process in House – Which is Better?

CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) is now a crucial part of any e-commerce business. The question is whether outsourcing CRO is right for you or if you should use the marketing talent you already have in-house to get the job done.

It’s a tough predicament: How are you to know what will work out better for you in the long run? 

Sometimes hiring help is in a company’s best interest. On the other hand, there are also scenarios in which using in-house talent makes more sense.

Below, we’re going over the two options in-depth to understand what makes each option a good choice – and what defines the “right” choice for you. We’ll guide you through a few points of criteria to help you decide between outsourcing CRO or staying in-house, and the right questions to ask a service provider before bringing them on.

Considering Present Abilities

First, you need to consider the abilities, resources and access your company currently has. Keep in mind that marketing and e-commerce managers are under a lot of pressure these days. They have to delegate a set budget, several hours, tools, training, and resources between a lot of moving parts.

If your company does decide to take on the CRO responsibilities in-house within the marketing department, there’d be even more to divvy up. There can also be a high up-front cost if you don’t already have the tools, training, and tech in place.

However, if you already have a good amount of the machine and human resources set in place, the up-front cost could become worth the investment.

Ask yourself these three questions to figure out where you’re at right now as far as CRO goes:

How much do you already know about CRO?

It could be a little; it could be a lot.

Did you have to Google “CRO” to know what it stands for? 

That’s not a great sign.

Are you already integrating CRO tactics into your e-commerce strategy? 

Then you’re well on your way!

How are your current conversion rates looking?

Hopefully, you’re already tracking your conversion rates and working to improve them constantly. Take an objective look at your current standing. If possible, compare your rates to other industry rates. Be honest about how you’re performing. If it’s not so good, that might just mean you need expert help rather than relying on your current team that’s already busy with other tasks.

Are your conversion rates generally improving or declining?

Even if your conversion rates are low, are they steadily climbing? You want to see consistent growth in your numbers. If you do not see that, it could be a red flag that outsourcing CRO ASAP is the wise move.

Is Outsourcing CRO the Answer?

When you correctly implement Conversion Rate Optimization, you can do more with less. That means less of the budget will go toward advertising, and your ROI will get a boost.

So now, it’s time to decide. Will you reach this point with your current resources or via outsourcing CRO?

3 Criteria to Decide

Can you realistically support your full CRO needs?

• Does your team have the qualifications?
• …the time to onboard?
• …the bandwidth in their schedule?
• Do you have more than just one person that can work on it?

Not only are you going to need a team with enough space and time to dedicate themselves to CRO, but you’ll also need the proper reporting to tie it all into ROI.

Of course, you could hire and groom freelancers for this sole purpose – but will that be worth it?

How do the costs and benefits add up?

Pretend you’re going to take care of CRO in-house. Make a list of all the costs that will be associated with this new department. Make sure to include:

• Training
• Software
• Machinery
• Subscriptions
• New hires
• Productivity lags from the initial phases

Assess the tools needed and access granted.

Sometimes, with a CRO service provider, part of their scheme in holding onto clients involves the cost of their data and tools within their retainer. What this means is that, should you ever want to cancel, separating from that provider will mean losing all the tools and data as well.

You want to ensure YOU will have access to the tools you’ll need at all times.

Outsourcing CRO to the Right Provider

If you’ve walked through the questions and considerations above and come to the conclusion that your company should be outsourcing CRO, that’s the solution that will support your e-commerce business the most without slowing down your current pace.

To weed out the less-than-stellar CRO options out there, we’ve come up with a list of ten questions to ask any potential CRO partner before signing a contract.

By asking these questions, it will become much easier to find the best CRO service for you.

The Top 10 Questions to Ask A Potential CRO Partner

1.  What does your process look like?
2.  What tools do you use to conduct A/B testing?
3.  What metrics do you zoom in on?
4.  What does your track record look like in the CRO industry?
5.  Can I see some past examples or case studies?
6.  Can we try it out before we commit?
7.  What, from my internal team, will I need to commit?
8.  Will you need my developers to perform certain tasks?
9.  What does the ROI typically look like?
10.  Other than CRO services, what else do you offer?

CRO: It’s Not All the Same

Not all CRO freelancers and agencies are the same. While some can provide great results and offer a supportive business relationship, others might not provide your money’s worth or leave you hanging when you need them most.

If you’ve chosen to outsource your A/B testing to a CRO service provider, make sure you go with a trustworthy partner that will see your e-commerce reach great heights.