A/B Test

What the Data Told Us

Our monthly reporting for our CRO clients is an excellent way long-term impact of the work being done, and the areas of the site and the customer journey that require more attention and strategy. When conducting our Monthly Report for this brand in September of 2024, we noted that according to Q3 2024 data, 15% of visitors landed on the homepage first. The conversion rate for the homepage was 42% higher than the site average. When analysing the success of the homepage, we found some interesting user behaviour which was that the conversion rate for users starting on this page on desktop was 3.11% compared to 4.20% on mobile. This discrepancy appeared to be caused by the homepage’s lack of exposed search module, while prominently displayed on mobile. Additionally, those using the search feature with this brand had a conversion rate of 137% higher than the site average. to see the
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Hypothesis

What We Wanted to Achieve

Using our data, we aimed to leverage the higher conversion rate seen from users who interact with the search bar. Our goal was to make the search bar easier to access and also to highlight it for users who weren’t previously using it, with the expectation that increased search bar usage would positively impact conversion rates and related metrics. To validate this, we set up an A/B test focused on desktop devices. The original experience kept the search icon in the header, while the variant exposed the full search bar, making it more visible and accessible. This allowed us to measure whether surfacing the search bar directly would drive higher engagement and conversion on desktop, as we had previously seen on mobile.

The Results

After two weeks, we could see that by exposing the search bar on desktop devices, the conversion rate and revenue improved as it enabled users to find and purchase products more efficiently. 

Interestingly, we observed a slight decline in visits to product detail and collection pages through the search function. Initially, this may seem contradictory given the boost in conversion rate and average purchase revenue per user, but this suggests that users are dinign what they want more quickly and are able to complete their purchases with fewer clicks, likely bypassing traditional browsing routes. 

The exposed search bar appeared to facilitate a more direct path to purchase, possibly by helping users locate relevant products faster or enabling quicker decisions through improved search relevance or more effective product presentation within the search results.

As a result, we implemented Variant 1 permanently.

  • 13.4%

    Increase in Conversion Rate

  • 7.47%

    Increase in Average Purchase Revenue per User

  • 13.9%

    Increase in Checkout Visits
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