'New' and 'Best Seller' badges on main product image: flat result
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding "New" and "Best Seller" badges to the main product page image left conversion rate flat at -0.5%.
Clean Commit ran this test for a Shopify store and published it in its A/B test library.
Over 20,113 visitors in 8 days, the variant had a 46.9% chance of beating the original.
- Conversion rate: -0.5%, with a 46.9% probability of beating the original. Flat.
- Revenue per visitor: -9.1%, as average order value fell 8.0%. The source calls this within normal variation for an 8-day test.
- Add-to-cart rate fell 2.4% while click-through rate rose 3.3%.
- Desktop conversion rate rose 8.2% and mobile fell 3.8%, so the device effects pulled in opposite directions.
The change
A New or Best Seller badge added over the main product image
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The main product image on product pages showed no badges.
Variant
Badges such as "New" and "Best Seller" sat over the main product image, in the same style used on collection page cards. The change ran on mobile and desktop.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Shoppers had likely seen the same badge on the collection card, so repeating it on the product page told them nothing new.
- By the time someone is on a product page, they are weighing price, fit and reviews more than a label.
- A badge over the image can cover part of the product, which may slightly hurt the main visual.
Caveats: The test ran only 8 days, which may not cover a full weekly buying cycle. Revenue swings are within normal variation.
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 show 'New' and 'Best Seller' badges on the main product image, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers see popularity and newness cues at the point of decision.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Add-to-cart rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores where many shoppers land straight on product pages from ads or search and never see collection badges. It probably won't help if badges already appear on the cards shoppers click through from.
Questions
Do 'Best Seller' badges increase conversion on product pages?
In this test, adding them to the main product image made no clear difference to conversion rate.
They may matter more on collection cards, where shoppers are choosing what to click.
How long should a product page badge test run?
At least one full week, ideally two, to cover weekday and weekend buying.
This test ran 8 days and the revenue swings were still noisy.
Similar tests
@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon