Social proof above the product title: +8.14% conversion
Test run byDave DiederenSyntra Labs
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding social proof, such as a star rating or review count, directly above the product title lifted conversion rate by 8.14% and revenue per visitor by 8.45% in the best version. Dave Diederen ran this as a three-way test. Average order value did not change.
- Version 2 conversion rate: +8.14% (3.27% to 3.53%). The range ran from +1% to +15%, so the lift stayed positive across it.
- Version 2 revenue per visitor: +8.45% ($1.85 to $2.00), estimated at about $68,521 extra per month.
- Version 1 also beat control: 3.39% conversion and $1.93 revenue per visitor, a smaller lift.
- Average order value: no change (about $56.56 to $56.85 across all three groups). The gain came from more orders.
The change
A star rating and review count sit above the product title.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The product page went straight into the product title, with no trust signal above it.
Variant
A social proof line was placed above the title. The post mentions a star rating, a review count or a customer count as options, but does not say which wording each version used.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- the space above the title is one of the first things people look at, so a trust signal there lands early.
- seeing ratings before reading about the product lowers doubt before the shopper starts judging it.
- both versions won, which suggests the placement itself matters, not just the exact wording.
Caveats: Sample size and test length were not shared, and the post does not explain how Version 1 and Version 2 differed. Profit per visitor was not available.
Who ran it
Dave Diederen (@DaveDiederen) shared this test on X. The numbers and screenshots are theirs.
View the original post on X
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show a star rating or review count above the product title, then more visitors will buy because they see proof of trust before they evaluate the product.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Add-to-cart rate
- Bounce rate on the product page
- Who should test it
- Stores with a solid number of good reviews and no trust signal near the top of the product page. It will not help if the rating is weak or the review count is very low.
Questions
Where should star ratings go on a product page?
In this test, placing social proof directly above the product title lifted conversion by 8.14%. That spot gets attention early, before shoppers read the details.
Does adding star ratings raise average order value?
No. Order value stayed flat across all versions, so the lift came from more people buying.
What kind of social proof works above the title?
Dave Diederen suggests a star rating, a review count or a count of customers. Two versions were tested and both beat control.
Similar tests
@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon