Simplified mobile menu: +11.11% revenue per visitor
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsA streamlined mobile menu built on broad categories raised revenue per visitor by 11.11% for an apparel brand.
Blend Commerce ran this A/B/C/D test. Conversion rate rose 3.62% and average order value 8%.
- Revenue per visitor: +11.11%. The main win.
- Conversion rate: +3.62%. More visitors placed an order.
- Average order value: +8%. Orders were also larger.
- Menu engagement: +5270%, as reported by Blend. A figure this large likely reflects a very low baseline, so read it as a direction, not a size.
- Two image-based menu versions also beat the original, but by less than the plain version.
The change
The variant swaps a long, overlapping menu for broad categories plus clear links.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The mobile menu was long, with many overlapping sections such as 'Last Chance' and 'Activewear' sitting side by side.
Variant
The menu was rebuilt around broad product categories, kept separate from themed collections. Subcategories moved into filters on collection pages, and gift cards and the wishlist became easier to find. This version used no images.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Fewer, clearer top-level choices make it faster for shoppers to find the right section on a small screen.
- Moving subcategories into collection filters keeps the menu short while still letting shoppers narrow down.
- Images in a menu take space and slow scanning, which may be why the plain version did best.
Caveats: Several menu changes were made together in the winning version, so the lift cannot be pinned to one of them. Sample size, duration and confidence were not shared.
Who ran it
Blend Commerce ran this test for a apparel brand and published the results (Blend Commerce A/B test). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Blend Commerce →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we cut the mobile menu down to broad categories and move subcategories into filters, then revenue per visitor will rise because shoppers will reach the right products faster.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor (mobile)
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Use of site search
- Collection page exit rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with large catalogues and a menu that has grown over time, with overlapping or seasonal sections. Small catalogues with a short menu have less to gain.
Questions
How many items should a mobile menu have?
As few top-level items as your catalogue allows.
Broad categories with filters on the collection page tend to scan faster than long nested lists.
Should a mobile menu use images?
In this test, image-based menus beat the original but lost to the plain text version.
Images can help browsing, but they cost space.
Where should subcategories go if not in the menu?
Filters on the collection page. Shoppers pick a broad category first, then narrow down.
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