Glossary

CRO & eCommerce glossary

Every term explained – conversion rate optimization, A/B testing, retention metrics, and eCommerce growth. No jargon, just clear definitions.

A B C E H I M R S

A

A/B TestingA controlled experiment comparing two versions of a page or element to determine which performs better. The gold standard for data-driven optimization.Average Order Value (AOV)The average dollar amount spent per transaction. Increasing AOV is one of three core levers for eCommerce revenue growth alongside conversion rate and traffic.AXR ScoreAcceleroi's prioritization framework — Actionability × eXpected Revenue × Resources. Ranks every optimization opportunity by revenue per hour invested.

B

Bounce RateThe percentage of visitors who leave a page without taking any action. A high bounce rate signals misalignment between traffic source expectations and page content.

C

Cart AbandonmentWhen a shopper adds items to their cart but leaves without completing the purchase. The average rate is ~70% — reducing it is one of the fastest paths to revenue growth.Confidence IntervalThe range within which the true conversion rate likely falls. A narrow interval means more precise measurement; a wide interval signals the need for more data.Conversion FunnelThe series of steps a visitor takes from first interaction to completing a goal. Understanding where users drop off reveals the highest-impact optimization opportunities.Conversion RateThe percentage of visitors who complete a desired action. The foundational metric of CRO — everything else builds on understanding and improving this number.CRO AuditA systematic evaluation of a website's conversion performance using analytics data, heuristic analysis, user research, and technical review to identify optimization opportunities.Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)The total revenue a customer generates over their entire relationship with your brand. The metric that determines how much you can profitably spend to acquire a customer.

E

Exit RateThe percentage of pageviews that were the last in a session. Unlike bounce rate, exit rate applies to all pages and helps identify where users abandon multi-step flows.

H

Heuristic EvaluationAn expert review of a website against established usability principles and conversion best practices. A fast way to identify UX and conversion issues without running tests.

I

ICE ScoreA prioritization framework scoring test ideas by Impact, Confidence, and Ease. Helps CRO teams focus on experiments with the highest expected return on time invested.

M

Macro-ConversionThe primary conversion goal — a completed purchase, signed contract, or subscription. The ultimate metric your CRO program optimizes toward.Micro-ConversionA small step that indicates progress toward a primary conversion goal — email signup, add-to-cart, video play, PDF download. Leading indicators of macro-conversion health.Minimum Detectable Effect (MDE)The smallest improvement an A/B test is designed to detect. Setting MDE too low requires impractically large sample sizes; too high risks missing meaningful wins.Multivariate Testing (MVT)Testing multiple variables simultaneously to understand how different combinations of elements interact. More complex than A/B testing but reveals interaction effects.

R

Revenue Per Visitor (RPV)Total revenue divided by total visitors. The single most important CRO metric because it accounts for both conversion rate and average order value simultaneously.

S

Sample SizeThe number of visitors needed in an A/B test to detect a statistically significant difference. Running tests without adequate sample size produces unreliable results.Statistical SignificanceThe probability that an observed difference between test variations is not due to random chance. Typically set at 95% confidence for CRO experiments.