Expanding all product options on mobile: about -4% conversions
Test run byConversion FanaticsCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing every product option group fully expanded on mobile lost by about 4% in mobile conversions, after leading by over 40% early in the test.
Conversion Fanatics ran this test for an ecommerce store that gets over half its orders on mobile.
A follow-up that expanded only the key options later won.
- Mobile conversions: about -4% against the control. This test lost.
- Early in the test the variant was ahead by more than 40%, then the lead faded away.
- No sample size, duration or confidence level was shared.
The change
Every option group open by default instead of tap to expand.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
On mobile, shoppers had to tap to open each option group, such as size and color, before they could choose.
Variant
All option groups were shown fully expanded, so no tap was needed to see the choices.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Expanding every option makes the page much longer, which can push the buy button down on a phone.
- Showing all choices at once may feel like more work, even though it saves taps.
- The early lead was likely noise. Small early samples swing a lot, which is why tests need to run their full course.
Caveats: No sample size, duration or confidence level was shared. The case is a reminder that early leads often fade.
Who ran it
Conversion Fanatics ran this test for an ecommerce store with over half its orders on mobile 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 show all product options expanded on mobile, then more shoppers will buy because they skip the taps needed to open each group.
- Primary metric
- Mobile conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Scroll depth to add to cart
- Mobile revenue per visitor
- Add-to-cart rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with only one or two short option groups, where expanding them barely adds length. With many options, test expanding only the key ones instead.
Questions
Why did a test that was winning early end up losing?
Early results rest on few visitors and swing widely.
This one led by over 40% before settling at about 4% down, so wait for your planned sample size.
Is fewer taps always better on mobile?
Not always. Saving taps by making the page much longer can backfire, as it did here.
Is a losing test wasted?
No. This loss led to a narrower version that expanded only key options, and that version won.
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