Flat category menu instead of dropdowns: almost +12% checkouts
Test run byConversion FanaticsCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReplacing a dropdown category menu with a flat menu that linked straight to the main product lines lifted successful checkouts by almost 12%.
Conversion Fanatics ran this test for an anonymized ecommerce store and published it on its blog in 2015. The new menu removed one level of clicks between the shopper and the products.
- Successful checkouts: up almost 12% for the flat menu.
- No other metrics, sample size or test length were shared.
The change
Hover dropdowns replaced by direct links to the main product lines
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A menu with a few top-level categories. Hovering over each one opened a dropdown with many sub-options.
Variant
A streamlined menu with the store's main product offerings as direct links. The sub-menus were removed, so one click took shoppers to a product range.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Fewer choices up front may have made it quicker for shoppers to pick a starting point.
- Hover dropdowns can be fiddly, and some shoppers miss them entirely. Plain links are hard to miss.
- Removing a step between the homepage and products means fewer chances to drop off before browsing.
Caveats: Sample size, duration and confidence level were not shared. The test dates from 2015, so menu habits and devices have changed since.
Who ran it
Conversion Fanatics ran this test for an anonymized ecommerce store and published the results (Conversion Fanatics blog case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Conversion Fanatics →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we replace our hover dropdown menu with direct links to our main product ranges, then more visitors will reach products and check out because they have fewer decisions to make before they start browsing.
- Primary metric
- Completed checkouts per visitor
- Guardrails
- Use of site search
- Product page views per session
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores with a small number of clear product lines and a deep dropdown menu. It probably won't help large catalogs where shoppers rely on sub-categories to narrow down.
Questions
Do mega menus or simple menus convert better?
It depends on the catalog. In this test a flatter menu with direct links won for a store with a few main product lines, but large catalogs often need deeper menus to help shoppers narrow down.
Are hover dropdown menus bad for conversions?
Not always. They can hide options and add a step, especially on touch screens, so it is worth testing a simpler menu if most shoppers go to the same few categories.
What should I measure when testing navigation?
Track completed orders or revenue per visitor as the main metric.
Also watch site search use and product views, since a simpler menu can push some shoppers to search instead.
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