What counts as bestseller badges
This collection covers "Best Seller", "Trending" and similar labels on collection cards and product pages, plus sale and discount badges.
Trust seals such as secure checkout icons are on the trust badge page.
The answer first: win/loss record
12 measured tests, 12 final wins. One of those wins came only after a losing first version, covered below.
Where bestseller badges were tested
Collection page (5 tests)
Every collection page badge test won. Dave Diederen added Best Seller badges to products and reported +30.21% revenue per visitor, +23.45% AOV and +5.47% conversion rate.
A second Dave Diederen test, Added Best Seller badges, reported +7.51% conversion rate and +£31,496/month.
Oliver Kenyon added best-seller labels and tightened the collection page fold for +$118,000/month and +$2.15 revenue per session.
Desktop won and mobile was flat. Oliver Kenyon also added Best Seller and Trending labels with visible prices and Buy Now to cards (+$29,621/month).
Product page (6 tests)
Placement results point both ways. Dave Diederen moved the badge from the image to above the title and won +6.05% conversion rate, then +9.04% in a second test.
Yet Dave Diederen's badge directly on the hero image also won, +7.04% conversion rate.
Each was tested against a different control, so the safe reading is that a visible badge helps and placement is worth testing.
Naming the sale inside the discount badge won twice: "Fall Sale" (+12.94% conversion rate) and "Summer Sale - Save 50%" (+11.12% conversion rate).
Navigation (1 test)
Oliver Kenyon put Clearance first in a mobile menu with a 60% off label and reported +$92,000/month.
@oliverkenyon
@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederenBiggest wins and their numbers
- Best-seller labels plus a tighter fold: +$118,000/month (Oliver Kenyon).
- Single #1 bestseller badge: +$96,856/month (Dave Diederen).
- Best Seller badges on collection products: +30.21% revenue per visitor (Dave Diederen).
- "Fall Sale" named in the savings badge: +12.94% conversion rate (Dave Diederen).
Tests that lost or were flat
The badge-four-products version lost -4.72% conversion rate and -4.76% revenue per visitor, an estimated -$62,202/month.
Dave Diederen's explanation: when four products all say "Bestseller", none of them stands out.
Badging one product turned the loss into a win.
Two smaller costs showed up in winners. Both named-sale tests lost a little AOV (-1.29% and -1.01%), and Oliver Kenyon's fold test was flat on mobile.
Design patterns that won
- One clear bestseller per collection, not several.
- A "Best Seller" label where the eye lands, above the title or on the hero image.
- Sale badges that name the reason for the discount.
- Labels paired with a visible price and a direct buy button on cards.
How to add or change bestseller badges on Shopify
Many themes show a badge from a product tag or metafield; otherwise a badge app or a small Liquid snippet will do it.
Tie the badge to real sales data so it stays honest.
See collection page badge tests and product page badge tests.
How to test it on your store
Hypothesis: shoppers on our collection page cannot tell which product to choose, so a "Best Seller" badge on our single top seller will lift revenue per visitor.
Start with one badged product, given the four-badge loss.
Measure revenue per visitor and AOV, and split by device. Use the sample size calculator before launch.
Ideas not yet tested
- Dave Diederen suggests testing the wording ("Best Seller" vs "Most Loved" or "Fastest Selling") and which product gets the badge.
- Dave Diederen also suggests placing the badge in the top-left of the card image.
- Kasper Dolk suggests a bestseller card that spans two columns, and badging only a few standout products.