#163: Rishi Tea: A redesign didn’t lift conversions. But THIS did.

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No. 163: Hey all,

Rishi Tea had just completed a rebrand and full site redesign.

They loved the new look, but not the performance.

Despite the redesign, conversions weren’t where they needed to be.

That’s when they brought in Blue Stout to do what the redesign alone couldn’t:

Refine and optimize the site to drive more revenue from current traffic.

The result? $1.8M in revenue impact.

No redesign do-over. No added spend. Just optimization.

Here’s how we did it.

In under 3 minutes, learn:

• An insight to test: How Rishi Tea unlocked $1.8M in revenue through optimization.

• A news highlight: New York passed a bill to prevent AI-fueled disasters.

• Useful tips: Motivate buyers with this section on your product page.

Read time: 3 minutes

🎯 WEEKLY INSIGHT

How Rishi Tea turned a flat site redesign into $1.8M of added revenue.

A beautiful redesign isn’t enough if customers can’t find what they need or trust what they see.

Rishi Tea learned this the hard way when their beautifully redesigned site failed to improve conversion rates.

That’s where the Blue Stout team stepped in.

We ran a full audit of the new site and found three high-impact opportunities that were missed during the redesign:

• Navigation and product discovery were making it harder, not easier, for shoppers to browse.

• Brand messaging was slowing down the buying decision instead of speeding it up.

• Trust signals were missing at high-stakes moments: when asking for payment or pitching subscriptions.

So we built a targeted optimization playbook around those points.

Over 12 months, we ran 36 A/B tests and drove $1.8M in incremental revenue.

Here’s a look at just a few of the site changes that made the biggest difference.

The Optimizations:

Step one: Fix navigation.

Instead of dropping users straight into a grid of products on the homepage, we tested leading with curated categories. Think: Best Sellers and Shop by Tea Type.

That simple shift made the site easier to explore and drove a 6.4% lift in overall conversion rate (with 14.5% more category clicks on mobile).

Then, we applied that same logic to the top navigation.

By grouping links thematically (New Arrivals, Gifts Under $50, Caffeine-Free Teas) we made it easier for customers to find what they were looking for, fast.

The result? A 9% lift in mobile conversion rate.

Guiding discovery with a data-driven strategy (instead of dumping users into product tiles) drove conversions.

Our next focus: messaging that moves people.

We tested the site’s current homepage headline and supporting copy:

“Discover the Rishi Tea Store” was followed by a dense paragraph of brand exposition.

So we cut the fluff and replaced it with:

“Immerse yourself in the flavors of summer: Purveyor of direct trade, organic teas from off the beaten path.”

That alone lifted conversion by 5.9%. And when we removed the entire section altogether, conversion jumped 7.3%.

A win for simplicity.

Finally, we narrowed in on where decisions are made: the buy box.

Adding a short and sweet quote from a happy customer in the most valuable spot on the product page reassured shoppers.

It earned a 4.2% lift in conversion rate by humanizing the brand and building trust exactly where it’s needed: the point of purchase.

This works especially well for brands with loyal fans (and a high variety of products, like Rishi Tea).

The Overall Results:

• 7.3% more first-time customers (YoY)

• 5% increase in average order value

• 3% boost in repurchase rate

• 67% test win rate

Rishi unlocked $1.8M in revenue impact not by choosing brand or performance, but by investing in both.

Now they enjoy the benefits of a beautifully branded site that converts.

And, a testing system that continues to pay for itself.

⭐ Takeaway: A redesign makes it pretty. Optimizing makes it profitable. Build your site around how customers actually make decisions to boost conversions.

Curious what this could do for your brand?

🕙 WHAT’S BREWING

3 upsell plays that actually work and how to plug them into your site.

📣 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Use repeat-customer data to increase revenue.

Motivate buyers with a styling section high on your product page.

🗞️ NEWS HIGHLIGHT

New York passed a bill to prevent AI-fueled disasters.

👀 FROM LAST WEEK

#162: How emotional framing led to a 20.8% conversion boost.

💡 ALLEN’S QUICK TIP

👊 STOUT SUCCESS

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That's all for today.

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Until next time.

— Allen