Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 21.04.2026 
Blend Commerce has been shortlisted for Standout CRO Agency of the Year at the UK Digital Excellence Awards 2026 and we couldn’t be prouder.
For a specialist Shopify CRO agency, this recognition highlights the work our team has been doing alongside ecommerce brands across the UK, US, EU, and Australia, helping them achieve measurable revenue growth through structured experimentation, analysis and behavioural insight.
At Blend Commerce, we believe ecommerce growth rarely comes from one dramatic change. Instead, it comes from consistent, data-driven optimisation that improves customer journeys step by step. Being shortlisted for this award reflects the work our team and clients do together to improve performance in a sustained way that has long-term impact through CRO.
Who Are Blend Commerce?
Blend Commerce is a specialist Shopify conversion rate optimisation (CRO) agency helping ecommerce brands increase revenue by improving how customers experience their online stores. All our work for clients is based on our Buy Trifecta – getting their visitors to buy now, buy more and buy again.
Our team of 11 specialists, split across strategy, design and development, works closely with brands to identify friction points, test improvements, and implement solutions that lead to growth. Our CRO programmes typically include:
- Data-driven CRO audits
- Behavioural analysis using heatmaps and session recordings
- UX and customer journey optimisation
- A/B testing and experimentation
- CRO-focused design and development
Our approach is built around real customer behaviour – not rigid reliance on best practices. For every client we carry out a thorough CRO review and then output recommendations. We then prioritise these using our PECTI framework (proof, ease, cost, time,impact) to make sure we focus on changes that deliver the greatest commercial impact. The changes that score highest go to the top of the list and get implemented first, whether that’s by us as part of ongoing service, or by the client.
The Work Behind the Shortlist
Our entry for the UK Digital Excellence Awards highlighted how structured experimentation can drive measurable results for ecommerce brands.
One example involved improving navigation and product discovery on collections pages for a wellness brand. Session recordings showed that users experienced decision fatigue when browsing product collections, making it harder to quickly find a product that matched their needs.
Instead of going the obvious route and introducing more filters, we tested a simplified navigation approach designed to surface product intent earlier in the journey. The winning variation introduced pill-based subcategory navigation, helping users quickly identify relevant product categories and move through the browsing experience with less friction.
The results included:
- 5.42% increase in conversion rate
- 5.88% increase in revenue per visitor
- Estimated additional 614 orders per month
This experiment demonstrated a core principle of CRO: simplifying the experience can often deliver more value than adding complexity.
Long-Term CRO Impact for Ecommerce Brands
While individual experiments can deliver strong results, the real impact of CRO comes from consistent optimisation over time.
Over a 12-month CRO programme with a sports nutrition brand, our structured experimentation approach delivered:
- 120% increased conversion rate
- 30% increased revenue
- 252% increased new subscriber rate
These improvements occurred despite a significant drop in site traffic during the same period, showing that growth doesn’t have to come from increased acquisition – CRO can unlock more value from existing customers by giving them a better experience.
Across our retained clients, we have seen average increases of over 135% in total sales within 12 months, demonstrating the compounding effect of continuous optimisation.
The Process Behind Our CRO Results
One of the reasons Blend Commerce was shortlisted for this award is the structured methodology behind our CRO work. Our approach focuses on building repeatable systems that consistently deliver results.
[H3] Data-Driven CRO Audits
Every engagement begins with a comprehensive CRO audit using behavioural analytics, heatmaps, and UX benchmarking to uncover growth opportunities. These audits typically deliver more than 40 prioritised recommendations supported by real user data.
Strategic Prioritisation: PECTI
We prioritise our complete list of recommendations using the PECTI scoring model. Using it means we evaluate the evidence supporting the hypothesis (what proof do we have that it will work?), ease of implementation, cost, time to impact, and expected commercial impact.
Rigorous QA and Testing
Our design and development process includes multiple QAQC review stages to ensure that every test is technically sound, accurately measured, and aligned with the intended hypothesis before it goes live.
This structure helps us deliver consistent results for ecommerce brands, while making sure we execute our experiments with the precision needed for meaningful insights.
What This Shortlist Means to Our Team
For a team of 11 specialists, being recognised alongside some of the UK’s leading digital agencies is incredibly rewarding. More importantly for our clients, it reinforces the value of staying focused on what we do best: helping Shopify brands grow through structured experimentation. Years ago we made a call to focus only on CRO because we knew that was how we could deliver the most value to Shopify brands, and making the shortlist in 2026 validates that again.
Adam Pearce, CEO and co-founder of Blend Commerce:
“I’m so proud of the Blend team, who are now being recognised year in, year out both in the UK and internationally for the work they do. The UK Digital Excellence Awards are a major benchmark of agency success; you don’t just get this recognition for effort, but smarts, systems and – most importantly – results too. I’m delighted.”
This shortlist reflects not just the work of our team, but also the trust our clients place in us to help them grow their ecommerce businesses through experimentation.
Looking Ahead
The role of CRO is only becoming more important for ecommerce brands. Traffic acquisition is becoming more competitive and expensive, while customer expectations around online experiences continue to rise. Structured experimentation enables brands to improve performance while learning more about their customers.
Being shortlisted for the UK Digital Excellence Awards 2026 reinforces the importance of that work, and we’re excited to continue helping ecommerce brands unlock growth through data-driven optimisation.
Explore Our Work
If you’d like to see more of the experiments, analysis and data-led thinking behind this award, you can explore our case studies and testing library.
