If the point wasn't an important one, I'd almost feel like a broken record.  But since testing really is that critical to a good conversion rate, I don't.  In fact, I ran across four more examples of just how much difference can be made with a few small site changes.

Internet Retailer posted a series of articles discussing the success many companies have had using web analytics to determine what they're customers are doing once they reach their websites.  Analytics are an excellent way to run tests without your users even knowing.  The following articles illustrate the dramatic effects that analytical testing can achieve:

1. The Merrick Group used analytic data to determine that its customers were not responding well to promotional advertising and, instead, were trying to find more information on it's products.  So the company removed the promotional advertising, dedicated an entire page to each product, and added very detailed information on each product.  The result was significant conversion increases for the company's line of store.  Read more…
2. Analytics aren't just for webpages anymore.  Jupiter Research recently released a report outlining the untapped potential of analytical data as applied to e-mail marketing efforts.  Read more…
3. FootSmart.com used analytical data to increase its sale of cross-sell items.  They reported a 97% increase in cross-sell merchandise, a 19% increase in order value, and a 31% increase in cross-sell conversion rates by using analytics.  Read more…
4. NapaStyle.com doesn't just use analytic data for testing purposes.  The company used last year's analytic information to plan for this year's holiday season.  Site design changes and promotional issues were both addressed using the previous year as a template.  Read more…

If your company or website isn't harnessing the power of web analytics you may be getting left behind.  Analytics offer the easiest and most transparent way of gathering detailed information on customer shopping habits.  Many options are available to those looking to implement analytical tracking on their site.  Some are free.  Some are not.  There's no excuse to not use them.

How do you get started?  Some of the big players in analytics helped found an organization dedicated to analytical data usage.  The Web Analytics Association has a listing of these founding members on their site.  Any of the companies listed can offer analytical services.

Now that wasn't very broken-record-like… was it?