Subcategory cards on collection pages: -2.2% conversion rate
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a row of subcategory cards above the product grid lowered conversion rate 2.2% across 23,068 visitors.
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store and kept the original.
Shoppers clicked the cards, but that didn't turn into more sales.
- Conversion rate fell 2.2%, and the control had a 60.1% probability of being better. This is a loss, though not a significant one.
- Revenue per visitor moved -0.5% and orders +0.1%, so the overall effect on sales was small.
- Click-through rate rose 7.6% and bounce rate fell 37.4%, so shoppers did use the cards.
- Add-to-cart rate rose 1.1%, within normal variation.
The change
The variant adds a row of subcategory cards above the product grid.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Collection pages went straight from the title to the product grid, with no subcategory shortcuts.
Variant
A horizontal row of subcategory cards sat above the product grid. Each card had an image, a title and a short caption, and linked to its subcategory.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The cards pushed products further down the page, so shoppers saw fewer items before scrolling.
- Sending shoppers to a subcategory adds a click before they reach a product they might buy.
- Easier browsing kept people on the site, but finding the right category may not have been what stopped them from buying.
Caveats: No metric reached significance, so this is a likely loss rather than a proven one. Clean Commit labeled it a loss prevented and did not share the test duration.
Who ran it
Clean Commit ran this test for a Shopify store (anonymized) and published the results (Clean Commit A/B test library). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Clean Commit →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we add subcategory cards above the product grid, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers can find the right product type faster.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per visitor
- Click-through rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with broad collections where shoppers clearly struggle to narrow down. If your collections are already focused, or the cards push products below the fold, expect little gain or a small loss.
Questions
Do category cards on collection pages help conversion?
Not in this test. Conversion fell 2.2% even though click-through rose 7.6%.
Why can more clicks mean fewer sales?
Clicks on navigation show interest in browsing, not buying.
If the cards push products down or add a step, sales can slip.
What should I measure in a category card test?
Use conversion rate or revenue per visitor as the main metric.
Treat click-through and bounce rate as supporting signals only.
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