'Shop by Category' on homepage: +4.9% conversion, not significant
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a "Shop by Category" section of clickable images to the homepage lifted conversion rate 4.9%, but the lift was not statistically significant.
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store selling outdoor apparel and fishing gear, over 42 days and 39,991 visitors.
We treat it as inconclusive; the only significant result was a 2.7% rise in click-through.
- Conversion rate rose 4.9%, but not significantly. Clean Commit called it a positive signal, not proof.
- Click-through rate, the goal metric, rose 2.7% and was significant. Bounce rate fell 6.1%.
- Add-to-cart rate rose 4.9% and revenue per visitor 1.8%.
- Devices split: on mobile, conversion rose 8.6% and revenue per visitor 10.1%, but on desktop revenue per visitor fell 15.5%.
The change
The variant adds a Shop by Category section of clickable images.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The homepage had no category section.
Variant
A "Shop by Category" section of clickable images linked to the main categories, such as outerwear, shirts, accessories and fishing gear.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- On a small screen, big category images are a quick way into the catalog compared with a tucked-away menu.
- On desktop the full menu is already visible, so the section may add scrolling without adding much help.
- The overall lift is modest and could be noise, which is why the device split matters more than the headline.
Caveats: Not statistically significant on conversion, so we count it as inconclusive. The desktop drop in revenue per visitor suggests the section may need a different layout on larger screens.
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 a Shop by Category section of clickable images to the homepage, then more visitors will reach products and buy because they can jump straight to the right category.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per visitor by device
- Click-through rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with a few clear product categories and mostly mobile traffic. Check desktop results on their own, and consider showing the section on mobile only if desktop dips like it did here.
Questions
Does a Shop by Category section on the homepage increase sales?
It showed a 4.9% conversion lift here, but it was not significant. The clearest gain was on mobile.
Should category links on the homepage be the same on mobile and desktop?
Not necessarily. In this test mobile improved while desktop revenue per visitor fell 15.5%, so test each device separately.
Is a higher click-through rate a good enough goal?
It shows the section gets used, but sales matter more.
Use conversion rate or revenue per visitor as the deciding metric.
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