# Testimonials above the fold on product pages: -9.2% conversion rate

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Product page (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Reviews & star ratings, Social proof, authority & press
- 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/customer-testimonials-moved-above-the-fold/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/cc-customer-testimonials-moved-above-the-fold/

Placing three short customer testimonials next to the title, price and add-to-cart area cut conversion rate by 9.2% and revenue per visitor by 15.3%. Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store and published it in its A/B test library. The test ran 9 days and did not reach significance, but conversion fell on both mobile and desktop.

## Result

**-9.2% conversion rate**

- Conversion rate: -9.2%, a negative result, with an 89.3% probability that the original performs better.
- Revenue per visitor: -15.3%, and orders: -9.5%.
- Add-to-cart rate: -5.3%.
- Click-through rate: +7.1%, so shoppers noticed the block, but it did not lead to purchases.

## Control

A product page with the star rating and full review section in their original, lower position.

## Variant

A block of three short testimonials about comfort, fit, performance and trust, placed beside the core product info. The rating and full review section stayed where they were.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- Extra text near the buy area may have crowded the price and add-to-cart button.
- Hand-picked quotes can read as marketing, while a star rating and full reviews feel more neutral.
- Clicks on the block may have pulled shoppers into reading rather than buying.

## Caveats

The test ran only 9 days and did not reach significance, though conversion fell on both devices. Visitor count was not shared.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we show three short testimonials next to the price and add-to-cart button, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers see social proof before they decide.
- Primary metric: Conversion rate
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Guardrail: Add-to-cart rate
- Who should test it: Stores where trust is a real barrier and the area above the fold is uncluttered. If you already show a star rating near the title, this result suggests more proof up top can hurt.

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Credit: Clean Commit ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/cc-customer-testimonials-moved-above-the-fold/).
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.