Update to WHMCS 8.0 and latest six theme caused drop in conversion?

[RobertOCC]

Hi All,

I am not sure if we are the only one experiencing this, but ever since we upgrade to WHMCS 8.0 which also required us to update our template (six) to its latest version - our conversions (meaning successful new orders and clients) significantly dropped.

The main difference between the previous six template is the additional step before the new client enters his personal and payment info.

Before the WHMCS 8 and six template update, below are our order flow:

1. Products List or Store Page

2. Select Domain

3. Select Billing Cycle

4. Review & Checkout

5. Order Complete

 

But with the new WHMCS 8 and six template update, the flow is now as follows (everything is the same except step 4):

1. Products List or Store Page

2. Select Domain

3. Select Billing Cycle

4a. Review

4b. Checkout

5. Order Complete

 

So basically, on the new process, Step 4 has now been split in two steps for Review, and Checkout.

Previously, this was only one page. Please see attached screenshots.

 

Did any of you experienced the same drop of conversion when WHMCS 8 and the latest templates were updated?

Also, is there a way to easily merge those 4a and 4b pages in one page and therefore a single stop? We think this is the one causing the drop of orders.

 

Thank you and looking forward to your response and suggestions.

[UnwilfulExpenditure]

Can't say i've ever noticed a drop myself when we went to 8.x, I assume the changes are to plaster market connect products everywhere eventually - giving more "real estate" to their additional streams of income! 

There are addons, such as one page checkout (Don't like them myself) or you could add it all into one if you're skilled enough with it! 


I do agree however that they drag the process out far too much, it seems more like places to advertise in the future to me! Fortunately we only have one service using whmcs now! The rest are with another piece of software and I've found it to be a huge improvement! Open source is the way forward, if you manage to get a copy of the whmcs SC you'll see why they hide it 😂 I firmly believe, this is why added steps are implemented, because they're unable to fix older bad implementations and they make do. Funnily enough, we have 6 different companies (All different services) and I finally feel like i'm in control of 5! It's weird not crossing my fingers and hoping brian! or kian have helped someone here already to get a quick fix 🙂

Back to your drop in sign ups, Have you got any more information on where people get to? Or had any user feedback to indicate this? Could it just be a rougher than usual period?

[Evolve Web Hosting]

1 hour ago, UnwilfulExpenditure said:

Can't say i've ever noticed a drop myself when we went to 8.x, I assume the changes are to plaster market connect products everywhere eventually - giving more "real estate" to their additional streams of income! 

There are addons, such as one page checkout (Don't like them myself) or you could add it all into one if you're skilled enough with it! 


I do agree however that they drag the process out far too much, it seems more like places to advertise in the future to me! Fortunately we only have one service using whmcs now! The rest are with another piece of software and I've found it to be a huge improvement! Open source is the way forward, if you manage to get a copy of the whmcs SC you'll see why they hide it 😂 I firmly believe, this is why added steps are implemented, because they're unable to fix older bad implementations and they make do. Funnily enough, we have 6 different companies (All different services) and I finally feel like i'm in control of 5! It's weird not crossing my fingers and hoping brian! or kian have helped someone here already to get a quick fix 🙂

Back to your drop in sign ups, Have you got any more information on where people get to? Or had any user feedback to indicate this? Could it just be a rougher than usual period?

@UnwilfulExpenditure I have to say that I think you work for Blesta. Between the profile icon and every opportunity to beat the dead horse even more.

Godaddy does the same (drags out the order process) trying to sell a ton of their addons. Give Blesta some time, I'm sure they'll do the same. HostBill or Clientexex has already started doing the same (creating addons / marketplace). Is what it is unless you've got the money and manpower to write your own software.

[UnwilfulExpenditure]

1 hour ago, evolve hosting said:

@UnwilfulExpenditure I have to say that I think you work for Blesta. Between the profile icon and every opportunity to beat the dead horse even more.

Godaddy does the same (drags out the order process) trying to sell a ton of their addons. Give Blesta some time, I'm sure they'll do the same. HostBill or Clientexex has already started doing the same (creating addons / marketplace). Is what it is unless you've got the money and manpower to write your own software.

I definitely don't work for any billing system! 'm just familiar with both and use it in comparison! Had I moved to wise  - I'd probably compare that to whmcs! 

Same result. I know you got upset on the last thread we spoke - Don't take it personally 😉 

[Evolve Web Hosting]

9 minutes ago, UnwilfulExpenditure said:

Same result. I know you got upset on the last thread we spoke - Don't take it personally

Not upset. Life's too short for that.

[UnwilfulExpenditure]

Just now, evolve hosting said:

Not upset. Life's too short for that.

Good stuff! 🙂 

Now, onto your profile.... do you work for one? As you seem to disparage as much as I praise? 😂 Pot.... kettle! 😉 

[Evolve Web Hosting]

9 hours ago, UnwilfulExpenditure said:

Good stuff! 🙂 

Now, onto your profile.... do you work for one? As you seem to disparage as much as I praise? 😂 Pot.... kettle! 😉 

Nope. I own a hosting company. Used Blesta for 4 - 5 years and went back to WHMCS.

[Bigol'tastynuggets]

Stop flirting with each other. 

Evolve, you do seem to comment on posts and totally de rail things. 

Op - do you have access to data to see where people tend to leave? It'd be interesting albeit not really conclusive as different customer sub sets tend to act differently to each other - I suppose it tends to vary based upon the target market! Without being insulting, I think young target markets have a lower attention span but the sort of 'prime' middle age would be more likely to follow through with a purchase! 

Id love to see some before/after data on how it affected it! 

If evolve wants to start a little flirtatious thread I'd also be interested in reading that! I have a huge interest in psychology and people sometime fascinate me 

[RobertOCC]

21 hours ago, UnwilfulExpenditure said:

Back to your drop in sign ups, Have you got any more information on where people get to? Or had any user feedback to indicate this? Could it just be a rougher than usual period?

I'll get more info from my team but ever since we upgraded WHMCS (and the template), what I can see is we normally get 3-5 orders.

Immediately the next 3 months after the upgrade, we got one order, then five orders, and zero orders.

[RobertOCC]

8 hours ago, Bigol'tastynuggets said:

Op - do you have access to data to see where people tend to leave? It'd be interesting albeit not really conclusive as different customer sub sets tend to act differently to each other - I suppose it tends to vary based upon the target market! Without being insulting, I think young target markets have a lower attention span but the sort of 'prime' middle age would be more likely to follow through with a purchase! 

Id love to see some before/after data on how it affected it! 

Ever since we upgraded WHMCS and the template, there were two months where we got 0 and 1 order which is very unusual for us.

Also, I can see that since the upgrade, only 20% reached step 5. 

Prior to the upgrade, it averages 40% but I am still asking for more data from my team. It's just the low orders recently is alarming for us and there's no other major change we did than the WHMCS upgrade.

[brian!]

On 10/08/2021 at 11:58, RobertOCC said:

I am not sure if we are the only one experiencing this, but ever since we upgrade to WHMCS 8.0 which also required us to update our template (six) to its latest version - our conversions (meaning successful new orders and clients) significantly dropped.

are you sure you mean Six rather than the Standard Cart orderform template ??

On 10/08/2021 at 11:58, RobertOCC said:

The main difference between the previous six template is the additional step before the new client enters his personal and payment info.

at a push, you might be able to make the Modern (which I assume your screenshot is from) template from v7.10 work in v8 - but I wouldn't see that as a long-term solution.

On 10/08/2021 at 11:58, RobertOCC said:

So basically, on the new process, Step 4 has now been split in two steps for Review, and Checkout.

Previously, this was only one page.

Standard Cart has been around for 6+ years - and this is the way it's always worked... if you've been using Modern for all that time, you probably haven't noticed.

On 10/08/2021 at 11:58, RobertOCC said:

Also, is there a way to easily merge those 4a and 4b pages in one page and therefore a single stop? We think this is the one causing the drop of orders.

you could redirect non-clients (e.g those who aren't logged in) from viewcart to checkout with a hook... untested in recent versions, but I assume would still work (and could be made to work for clients too if necessary) - no doubt, you'll tell me if it doesn't. 🙂

you could change the links of the buttons to cart.php?a=checkout instead, though that was easier in earlier versions that later one.

I think Lagom effectively doesn't have a view cart option and goes straight to checkout - so that would be an option if you wanted to throw money at this... though lots of other commercial themes will do this too.