The Fatal Flaw of Price-Based Rankings - Part II

Price-based on-ramp ranking hurts your user experience. In Part I we covered how ramps lure users with low quotes, only to raise fees mid-transaction and drive them away. 

But the problem runs deeper.

Not all ramps are created equal

Price-based ramps marketplaces assume that conversion from ramp to ramp is similar. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The sad reality is that ramps transactions fail more often than not. 

Credit cards get declined, bugs cause delays and rejections, and KYC friction results in users giving up mid-transaction. 

Pushing users to the ramp that is cheapest is like sending drivers down the shortest road without checking for speed limits and traffic jams. Sure, it may seem like a good idea, but the delays and traffic jams are likely to cost both the user and the ramps provider in the end.

It’s all about conversion

It's not just about who offers the lowest quote—it's about who can deliver results. In an industry where trust is everything, failed transactions create frustration, and frustration creates churn.

When a user’s credit card is declined or they abandon the transaction process due to a poorly designed interface, you've lost more than a completed transaction—you’ve likely lost a customer. 

A ramp might rank at the top of your ranking because of low fees, but if only 50% of users complete their purchases, the real cost is steep—up to 50% in lost revenues. 

What if there’s a ramp that has lower fees, but does not engage in questionable pricing tactics that break user trust? Or what if there’s a ramp with a 75% success rate but doesn’t get used because it is slightly more expensive?  

A successful user experience should select the ramp with the highest conversion rate, the least friction in KYC, and the smoothest user flow. 

Comparing the ‘average’ vs the best ramp

When comparing ramps, it’s crucial to look beyond just the price. 

The best-performing ramps, those that consistently convert transactions, have a much higher success rate. For example, while the lowest-priced ramp may convert at an average of 50%, the top-rated ramp by conversion might achieve Y%. That’s a 50% boost in completed transactions, which directly translates to increased revenue and happier users.

The image above illustrates the stark difference between selecting a ramp based on conversion rates versus selecting one based purely on price. The choice is clear: better performance drives better results, and that’s what keeps users coming back.

The danger of not understanding returning users

It's simple math: the more successful ramp transactions, the more users are onboarded. These same users will come back and use dApps, staking swaps, and so on. The best ramp isn’t the cheapest—it’s the one that keeps users coming back. 

Imagine you are a user, who has previously bought crypto through a ramp in your wallet. If suddenly another ramp has become cheaper than the ramp they used previously, you are forcing that user to sign up and go through KYC all over again.

Returning users convert more than 5x better than new users, but only when sent to the right ramp!

Moving beyond price-based ranking means understanding which ramp to recommend to each individual user. For returning users, this means recommending or labeling the ramp they have previously used in order to make checkout as easy as possible! 

Why Onramper's ranking system is different

Onramper’s ranking system doesn’t fall into the price trap. It evaluates ramps based on many real-time performance metrics: 

• Conversion rates

• Transaction success

• Returning users

• Pricing

• User experience 

This approach ensures your users are routed to the ramp that’s most likely to provide a smooth, successful transaction.

Some clients use our ramp aggregation APIs to get quotes, while others use them to identify the highest-converting ramps. But the best implementations use our APIs to make use of our intelligent ranking system.

By intelligently ranking ramps based on what actually matters, Onramper helps you deliver better results, reduce user frustration, and improve retention. The difference? Your users aren’t just clicking on the cheapest quote—they’re completing transactions. 

In Part 3 of this series, we’ll dive into how Onramper’s ranking works in greater detail. 

Ready for a change?

If you want to dive deeper into how Onramper can increase both your ramp coverage and conversion to offer a superior user experience, schedule a chat with our team today.