Turning visitors into buyers: how Betersport uses Guided Selling

Betersport faced two key challenges. Visitors in the fitness industry increasingly expect convenience, guidance, and trust throughout the purchasing process. At the same time, traditional advantages, such as the direct sale of their own brands, were becoming less distinguishable due to the rise of large marketplaces like Bol and Amazon.

When a visitor is interested in buying a treadmill but isn’t sure which one suits them best, there’s a high chance that their customer journey starts via Google. After a bit of searching, they land on the category page for treadmills. They see many different models, brands, prices, and options. Which treadmill is the best fit for them? No idea. Betersport also has no idea which treadmill is the best fit for a specific visitor, so they display all models, allowing the visitor to make the choice themselves.

But should he choose a treadmill with a 2 hp motor or 4 hp? Is a treadmill with a 10% incline good enough for him? Why would he choose a more expensive model, and which treadmill is best for a beginner looking to lose weight?

This is where a visitor can get stuck. They struggle to translate the product filters into their actual needs. Terms like ‘motor power’ and ‘motor type’ mean little to them. They’re not looking for technical specifications, they’re looking for guidance in their decision-making process. Guidance like they’d get in a physical store when asking a staff member for advice.

That’s why Betersport brings the ‘in-store advice’ experience to their website with guided selling. They offer hesitant visitors a helping hand in finding the right product.

With a guided selling tool on the category page, he is helped with questions such as:

• What is your training goal? (Weight loss, getting fit, rehabilitation)
• Do you want to train your whole body or just your legs?
• How intense do you want your workouts to be?
• How much space do you have available?
• Do you want to track your progress via apps?
• What is most important to you?

Based on this ‘conversation,’ the product specifications are translated into applications that are recognizable to the visitor. In this way, the need is identified. Now that Betersport knows where and how this specific visitor wants to use the treadmill (i.e., their need), they can provide targeted, personalized advice and explain why a specific treadmill is the best choice.

The guided selling tool removes obstacles, helps hesitant visitors move forward, and prevents decision fatigue. It provides confirmation that a product matches the customer’s needs. More confidence = more conversions. And the results show just that.

By integrating with GA4, Betersport gains immediate insights into how well the guided selling tool is performing. By monitoring its impact on conversion rates and AOV (average order value), Betersport collects valuable data that helps measure, improve, and optimize the impact.

With the advice, Betersport offers visitors the option to email the recommendation from the guided selling tool to themselves. With consent, they can automatically send this data (provided answer combinations + email address) to Klaviyo, where they can follow up with users automatically, offering them their best match at the moment they haven’t converted yet.

The product page (PDP) is one of the most important parts of the website. This is also true for Betersport. Many visitors land directly on the product page, especially via Google Shopping, which accounts for a large portion (> 75%) of their advertising costs.

In the shopping results above, something strange actually happens. A visitor types in a fairly general search term and then sees very specific products. The likelihood that such a product matches their intent is, by definition, quite low. On top of that, the products shown on Google are often the cheaper ones, as Google tends to prioritize the price element. This results in many visitors landing on entry-level models or cheap products with limited features.

When a visitor lands on the product page, a validation process begins where the visitor checks whether the product they’re currently viewing matches what they need.

• “Does this product match my needs?”
• “Can I really run well on this?”
• “Will this treadmill fit in my apartment?”
• “Is this really a good choice in terms of price?”

There’s no one guiding the visitor at this moment. No salesperson asking what the visitor is looking for. To answer their questions, they read through all the product content but find no answers to their queries. They hesitate and click away.

The customer journey described above was something Betersport frequently encountered. That’s why they use the Product Check. The product check (guided selling tool on the PDP with personalized advice) helps visitors immediately understand on the product page whether the product suits them. It removes uncertainty by providing personalized advice at the moment the visitor needs it. If the product turns out to be the wrong choice, a better alternative is automatically suggested.

The product check asks visitors targeted questions, focused on the applications, such as:

• How intensively do you want to use the treadmill?
• Do you want to be able to run or mostly walk?
• How much space do you have available?
• What are your main fitness goals?

A visitor, Lisa, indicates that she wants to improve her fitness, run 3-4 times a week, and lives in an apartment. Qonfi compares her current choice with better options and shows her:

 “The Focus Fitness Jet 2 is mainly suitable for walking or rehabilitation, but less suitable for intensive running. Additionally, it’s not foldable, making it less practical for small living spaces. The Senz Sports M3500 offers more stability, higher speeds, and is indeed suitable for running. This model aligns better with your goals and is easy to store.”

The fact that the recommended model is slightly more expensive is easy to explain: it’s a better fit for her training frequency, space, and fitness goals.

Instead of visitors getting stuck and returning to Google, visitors at Betersport can now easily find the right product through the Product Check. It provides guidance at the moment when the visitor hesitates, which is essential for increasing conversions.

The product check removes barriers and directs visitors to the right product from the product page based on their needs. This not only leads to more trust but also to higher conversions and a higher average order value. Visitors land on an entry-level model, quickly find the right product, and ultimately purchase a more expensive product.

More revenue: 20.24% share of revenue

It’s no secret that offering personalized product advice leads to more revenue. Guided selling now contributes to 20.24% of Betersport’s revenue.

Fewer returns

Because the guided selling tool helps users better understand and be more conscious of what they’re purchasing, there are fewer returns (better product fit). For example, the tool actively asks visitors if they have enough space for the size of the treadmill. If not, a foldable treadmill is recommended, as size is the number one reason for returns at Betersport. As a result, Betersport has seen a decrease in returns.