How Small Tweaks Made a Big Impact on Conversions

Some emails drive massive revenue. Some don’t. But when you optimize the entire flow, even the small wins stack up.

That’s exactly what we did for Dr. Woof’s Checkout Abandonment Flow, Email #2. ✌️ Here’s how it played out. (And if you read to the end, you’ll see how this test was actually just one part of an overall testing strategy that has paid off big for several years now.)

The Test: Checkout Abandonment Flow, Email #2

• Client: Dr. Woof

• Flow Placement: Email #2—not the first reminder, not the final discount offer. Just a gentle nudge in the right direction.

• Objective: Keep the momentum alive and nudge customers closer to checkout—without leaning on discounts.

It’s easy to overlook Email #2. It’s not the flashy first touchpoint or the final, urgency-driven discount drop. But here’s the thing: when you optimize these in-between emails, they bridge the gaps that turn maybe into money. And when you stack these wins across the entire flow? That’s when the real magic happens. More on that below. 👇️ 

Control vs. Variant: What Changed?

We didn’t rip everything apart—just refined the pieces that mattered:

• Hero Image: Blank white background with plain text? Gone. We switched to a happy, smiling model wearing the product—instantly more relatable, engaging, and eye-catching.

• Headline: Scrapped the bloated 11-word opener for the punchy, eye-catching "You're ALMOST There!"

• Visual Cues: A dotted arrow led the eyes straight where we wanted them.

• Dynamic Product Block: The control and variant both used the same dynamic product section, but the variant introduced a key improvement.

  • We replaced the static image-based button (which struggled with responsiveness) with a fully responsive button block—ensuring it looked flawless across desktop, mobile, dark mode, and light mode.

  • We also pulled insights from previous tests (see below) and added an Afterpay ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ section immediately below the main CTA to remove friction and boost conversions.

• Reviews Block: We overhauled the social proof section. Instead of long, text-heavy reviews with questionable UGC, we switched to clean, on-site review screenshots.

  • This created immediate congruency between the email and the PDP, reinforcing trust and making the transition to purchase feel seamless.

  • We finalized our new review section with the implication that there are plenty more to choose from if they want to have a peek. “Over 40,000+ happy customers"

• The final thing we did was swap out the pre-buyer’s remorse phrase of “complete your purchase” 🤮 and gave it a fun, “I get to buy something vibe” with “complete checkout” button copy.

The Results: What Happened?

• Click Rate: +9%

• Placed Order Rate: Up a whopping 39%, turning this from Ho-Hum to He-Man. 😉 

• AOV Impact: Since what’s in their cart is unlikely to change at this stage, POR becomes the key metric.

• Revenue Impact: Averaging out AOVs, this email is now driving an additional ~$1.5k/month—roughly $17-18k extra per year.

Nothing fancy—just smart tweaks. But that’s just the start.

Stacking Wins: Email #1 Tweaks That Paid Off

We weren’t just testing for fun—Email #2 only worked because we first leveled up Email #1.

Key Wins:
🚀 Subject Line: "Buy Now, Pay Later" → Big open rate boost
🎯 Hero Section: Cleaner, simpler → More clicks
🔗 CTA: "Shop Now" → "See What’s Waiting for You" → More engagement

Each tweak lifted Placed Order Rate:
+6% → +8% → +3%

Diminishing returns? Nope. These wins stack.

🔢 7.59% → 8.07% → 8.71% → 8.97%

What does that mean in $$$?
600 people → $140 AOV =
💰 Control: $6,375
💰 Best variant: $7,534
📈 That’s an extra $1,159/month or $14k/year—from ONE email.

Now imagine stacking every email test like this. Compounding wins = serious revenue.

Email #4: The Founder Letter Test (And Why It Worked)

One of our most effective tweaks? The Founder Letter Test. Instead of a standard brand email, we sent a personal note from the founder.

It changed the game. Higher engagement. More trust. Better conversions.

We break it down here.