Jacqueline & Edward x FERO: How an ethical fine-jewellery brand achieved a 32% uplift in checkout conversion
See how a controlled A/B test proved the revenue impact of a smoother checkout experience.
“Buying an engagement ring isn’t an impulse decision. The checkout needs to reinforce trust, not introduce doubt — and that’s exactly what led to a 32% uplift in conversion for us.”
Meet Jacqueline & Edward
Jacqueline Edward is a UK-based ethical fine-jewellery brand specialising in engagement and wedding rings. Every piece is handmade to order in their workshop in Wetherby, using ethically sourced materials and a zero-waste production process. Sustainability, craftsmanship, and transparency aren’t positioning statements for the brand; they are the foundations of how the business operates.
As Jessica Reading explains, “All of our rings and jewellery are handmade to order, so there’s no wastage. Everything is made start to finish in our workshop, and that’s something we really pride ourselves on.”
These values shape how customers buy. Engagement and wedding rings are emotional, high-value, and often once-in-a-lifetime purchases. That makes trust at checkout non-negotiable.
The challenge
Jacqueline Edward could attract highly motivated customers, but converting them efficiently was the harder part.
“With high-value products, you naturally have a higher than average abandoned checkout rate. There’s a lot of research that goes into buying an engagement or wedding ring because it’s such a special piece with a significant price tag.”
The native WooCommerce checkout experience was multi-step and fragmented, and it didn’t do enough to reassure customers who were already close to committing. Even small moments of friction carried an outsized cost.
“We can drive lots of traffic to the site, but ultimately it needs to convert. What we don’t want is to keep increasing traffic if those customers aren’t actually converting.”
The experiment
Rather than making assumptions, Jacqueline Edward chose to validate change with data. They ran a controlled A/B test using FERO Smart Checkout alongside their existing checkout, allowing them to measure the impact objectively and without disruption.
From the outset, the onboarding process felt straightforward. “Chris explained it in a really clear way. It made it a no-brainer for us to test.”
Despite having a complex checkout setup, the Fero team adapted quickly. “Our checkout isn’t simple, but the team were really adaptable to what we needed. Getting the test live was super simple, super quick, and super easy.”
An adaptive checkout engine that uses predictive AI to automatically adjust, showing the right design, layout, or payment option based on the shopper's behaviour. It integrates easily with ecommerce platforms and can be deployed in under 10 minutes.
The results
The A/B test delivered a 32% uplift in checkout conversion, with results clear enough to remove doubt about what was working.
“The results spoke for themselves. They made it really easy to move forward with confidence that FERO was the right choice for our checkout.”
For a business selling high-value jewellery, a 32% increase in completed checkouts represented a meaningful improvement in revenue efficiency, not just a marginal gain.
Why it worked
From Jacqueline & Edward’s perspective, the difference came from how the checkout experience was structured and optimised.
“Our native checkout wasn’t a one-step checkout. Whereas the FERO checkout is one step, so it immediately felt much more streamlined.”
Messaging at checkout played an important role in reinforcing trust. “Being able to add clear messaging made the experience simpler and more reassuring for customers,” she said.
Payment presentation was another critical factor. “There’s real science behind the payment ordering. Displaying payment options that are more likely to convert based on what you know about the customer added intelligence that wasn’t there before. FERO added science to the checkout.”
More than just performance
Beyond the conversion uplift, Jacqueline & Edward highlighted the importance of working with a team that listens.
“The speed at which the team get back to us is impressive. They bend over backwards to make things work. They’re flexible, accommodating, and they really take feedback on board.”
That level of collaboration mattered for a business with operational complexity and high expectations around reliability. The checkout wasn’t treated as a static plugin, but as a product that evolves with merchant input.