As e-commerce continues to grow, marketing teams face constant pressure to improve the digital user experience and maximize checkout conversions. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and experimentation tools have become indispensable in optimizing user journeys, reducing friction at checkout, and driving more revenue. These platforms allow teams to identify bottlenecks, test hypotheses, and implement data-driven changes with confidence.
TLDR
If you’re looking to increase your checkout conversion rate, CRO and experimentation tools are essential for understanding user behavior and executing informed changes. Among the top tools are Hotjar, Optimizely, and VWO, alongside emerging and alternative platforms. This article explores the top 10 options that marketing teams trust to refine the customer journey and streamline the checkout process. Read on to discover which tool is best suited for your optimization goals.
1. Optimizely
Optimizely remains a leading platform in the CRO and experimentation space. Known for its robust A/B testing capabilities, Optimizely allows marketers and product teams to test and personalize digital experiences at scale.
Main features:
- Advanced experimentation and multivariate testing
- Real-time audience targeting and segmentation
- Server-side experimentation
- Integrations with analytics platforms and CDPs
Optimizely’s enterprise-level features and scalability make it ideal for large organizations with dedicated optimization teams.
2. VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)
VWO is another industry staple trusted by marketing teams worldwide. It’s well known for its user-friendly interface and end-to-end experimentation workflows, from hypothesis creation to reporting.
Main features:
- Heatmaps and user behavior tracking
- A/B, Split URL, Multivariate testing
- Session recordings and form analytics
- Targeted push notifications
VWO is particularly recommended for mid-sized businesses looking for a comprehensive CRO toolkit that’s straightforward to implement.
3. Hotjar
Hotjar excels in qualitative analytics, helping teams understand the ‘why’ behind user actions. It’s not strictly an A/B testing platform, but its insights are invaluable for informing tests and making UX improvements.
Main features:
- Heatmaps and session replays
- On-site surveys and feedback polls
- Conversion funnel analysis
- User behavior trends over time
By showing what users do and feel, Hotjar supports more empathetic design decisions that reduce cart abandonment and improve checkout UX.
4. Convert Experiences
Convert is an alternative to Optimizely for teams that value privacy compliance and deep experimentation capabilities without the heavy price tag.
Main features:
- Fast implementation and intuitive visual editor
- Server-side and client-side testing
- GDPR and CCPA compliance
- No personal data tracked by default
Convert is a good fit for privacy-first businesses and agencies that test extensively across multiple properties.
5. Microsoft Clarity
Microsoft Clarity is a free analytics and behavior tracking tool gaining popularity among marketers who need heatmaps and session recordings without breaking the budget.
Main features:
- Session replays and click tracking
- AI-generated insights into user frustration and rage clicks
- Performance-focused dashboard
- Seamless integration with Google Analytics
Clarity is a great addition to your CRO toolkit if you want to monitor subtle checkout UX issues without heavy initial investment.
6. Google Optimize Alternatives: AB Tasty
With Google Optimize officially discontinued, many teams have transitioned to AB Tasty, an experimentation and personalization platform designed for marketers and developers alike.
Main features:
- In-depth split tests and visual editor interface
- AI-powered personalization
- CRO widgets for forms, banners, and pop-ups
- Behavioral targeting
AB Tasty balances ease-of-use with deep feature sets, especially helpful for marketing teams managing multi-channel campaigns and checkout flows.
7. FullStory
FullStory shines in combining digital experience intelligence with powerful session analytics. It enables marketing teams to surface drop-offs and friction points that sabotage conversion funnels.
Main features:
- Conversion funnels and session replays
- AI event detection and rage-click tracking
- Integrated heatmaps and scroll analytics
- Robust filtering and segmentation tools
If your checkout page is losing conversions but you’re unsure why, FullStory offers fast clarity with actionable data.
8. Crazy Egg
Crazy Egg has long been a favorite among marketers for its intuitive interface and clear visualizations of user interaction.
Main features:
- Heatmaps and scroll maps
- Click tracking and user snapshots
- A/B testing built into the platform
- Confetti tool for traffic origin insights
Crazy Egg helps you quickly assess what’s working—or not—on checkout pages, making it a useful tool for marketers without deep technical knowledge.
9. Zoho PageSense
Zoho PageSense is Zoho’s conversion optimization platform, designed to enhance the digital experience using complete CRO capabilities at a competitive price point.
Main features:
- Split testing and personalization
- Funnel analysis and goal tracking
- Heatmaps and form analytics
- Popup and notification builder
For teams already using the Zoho suite, PageSense is the natural choice to create and manage checkout tests with ease.
10. Unbounce Smart Traffic
Unbounce is best known for landing pages, but its Smart Traffic feature brings automated CRO to those pages—especially important for e-commerce campaigns.
Main features:
- AI-powered traffic routing based on user attributes
- Landing page variants tested automatically
- No-code page builder integrated with ecommerce platforms
- Detailed performance reports
If your checkout flow begins at a campaign landing page, Unbounce’s optimization engine can help boost conversions from the moment a user arrives.
How to Select the Right Tool
There is no one-size-fits-all CRO solution. Your choice depends on several key factors:
- Team size & technical capabilities: Platforms like Optimizely and Convert are ideal for technical teams, while Hotjar and Crazy Egg suit marketers with less coding expertise.
- Budget: Microsoft Clarity and Zoho PageSense offer cost-effective testing, while full-featured options like VWO come at a premium.
- Primary goals: Are you focused on user feedback, precise A/B testing, or funnel analysis? Each tool caters differently.
- Compliance needs: For industries with strict data control, make sure your platform complies with relevant laws like GDPR or CCPA.
Final Thoughts
Checkout conversion is often a delicate balance of user psychology, interface design, speed, and trust. With the right CRO and experimentation tools, marketing teams can uncover problems, test new ideas, and iterate quickly.
Whether you’re a growth team at a lean startup or a marketing leader at an enterprise company, investing in CRO platforms pays dividends by turning more visitors into customers, consistently and confidently.
