Reordered mobile hat customizer: +15.1% CR, not significant
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReordering the mobile hat customizer, adding placeholder preview text and moving the add-to-cart button up lifted conversion rate by 15.1%, but the result was not statistically significant.
Clean Commit ran this test for a Shopify hat and apparel store and published it in its A/B test library, where it was labeled a positive signal.
On 6,838 visitors the variant had a 91.2% chance of beating the original, so we count it as inconclusive.
- Conversion rate: +15.1%, with a 91.2% probability of beating the original. Not significant.
- Add-to-cart rate: +8.3%, and orders +12.9%. Mobile conversion rose 12.8%.
- Revenue per visitor: +9.4%.
- Average order value: -4.9%. Slightly negative, which trimmed the revenue gain.
The change
Steps reordered, preview filled in, and Add to Cart moved up
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The mobile hat customizer used its original step order, and the preview stayed empty until shoppers typed their text.
Variant
Steps were reordered to hat color, then thread color, then text, and the preview showed placeholder text by default. The Add to Cart button moved up, above the bulk code badge and in line with the quantity selector.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Choosing the hat color first matches how people think about a custom hat, so each step may have felt more natural.
- Placeholder text shows what the finished product will look like before shoppers commit to typing.
- Putting Add to Cart next to quantity makes the final step easier to reach on a small screen.
Caveats: Three changes were tested together, so the lift can't be credited to any one of them. With 6,838 visitors the test did not reach significance, and duration was not shared.
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 order customizer steps the way shoppers choose, show a placeholder preview and move Add to Cart within reach, then add-to-cart rate will rise because the flow is clearer and the next step is obvious.
- Primary metric
- Add-to-cart rate
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Average order value
- Customizer completion rate
- Who should test it
- Stores selling personalized products with a multi-step customizer, especially on mobile. It won't apply to stores without a configurator, and low-traffic stores may need a long run to reach significance.
Questions
How should I order steps in a product customizer?
Match the order shoppers naturally decide in. For hats, this store used base color, then thread color, then text, as part of a change that lifted conversion 15.1%, though not significantly.
Should a customizer preview show placeholder text?
It was one of three changes in this test, so its own effect is unknown.
A filled preview does show shoppers what to expect before they type.
Why is a 15.1% lift called inconclusive?
The test had 6,838 visitors and a 91.2% probability of beating the original, which falls short of the usual 95% bar.
A lift that size on a small sample can shrink on retest.
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