Sticky desktop navigation bar: +15.3% conversion rate, not significant
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsFixing the desktop navigation bar to the top of the screen showed a 15.3% rise in conversion rate and 14.0% more orders.
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store and published it in its A/B test library.
We count it as inconclusive: click-through rate, the metric the test targeted, rose only 0.5%, with a 69.5% probability of beating the original.
- Conversion rate: +15.3%, and orders: +14.0%, across 19,934 desktop visitors. Directional, not significant.
- Click-through rate: +0.5%, with a 69.5% probability of beating the original. This was the primary metric, and it barely moved.
- Average order value: -5.0%, a negative result.
- Revenue per visitor: +9.6%, smaller than the conversion lift because of the order value drop.
The change
The desktop navigation bar stays pinned to the top while scrolling.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A desktop navigation bar that scrolled out of view as visitors moved down the page.
Variant
The desktop navigation bar stayed fixed at the top while scrolling, with the logo, menu, search and cart still working.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Keeping the cart and search in view may have made it easier to check out at any point on the page.
- Clicks didn't change, so the nav may not have changed browsing much, which makes the conversion lift harder to explain.
- An 11-day run is short, and the lift may shrink with more data.
Caveats: The test ran 11 days on desktop only and did not reach significance on its primary metric. Other sticky nav tests have gone the other way, so results vary by store.
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 keep the desktop navigation bar fixed while visitors scroll, then click-through and conversion rate will rise because the menu, search and cart are always one click away.
- Primary metric
- Click-through rate
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Average order value
- Bounce rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with long desktop pages and big catalogs where shoppers browse between categories. On short pages or with a slim catalog, a sticky bar may just take up screen space.
Questions
Does a sticky header increase conversions?
It depends on the store. This test showed a 15.3% conversion lift that was not significant, and other tests have found removing a sticky nav worked better.
How long should I run a navigation test?
At least two full weeks so weekday and weekend shoppers are both counted.
This test ran 11 days, which is one reason to treat it with caution.
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