# 'Shop by Category' on homepage: +4.9% conversion, not significant

- Outcome: Flat / inconclusive
- Page type: Homepage (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Navigation & mega menus, Layout, fonts & visual design
- Test run by: [Clean Commit](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/clean-commit/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://cleancommit.io/ab-tests/category-links-boosts-user-engagement-and-conversions-on-mobile/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/cc-category-links-boosts-user-engagement-and-conversions-on-mobile/

Adding 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.

## Result

**+4.9% conversion, not significant**

- 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%.

## 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)

- 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.

## How to run this test

- 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
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor by device
- Guardrail: 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.

---

Credit: Clean Commit ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/cc-category-links-boosts-user-engagement-and-conversions-on-mobile/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.