# Recommendations cut to 5 in a carousel: +64% sales conversions

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Product page (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Upsells & cross-sells, Product cards & quick add, Layout, fonts & visual design
- Date shared: 2018-10
- Test run by: [Conversion Fanatics](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/conversion-fanatics/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://conversionfanatics.com/case-study-64-increase-ecommerce-conversion-rate/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/cf-recommended-products-cut-to-five-carousel/

Cutting recommended products from 9-12 large images to five text-only items in a carousel lifted sales conversions by 64%. Conversion Fanatics ran this test for an ecommerce store with thousands of SKUs. Revenue per visitor rose 151% and average order value went from $246 to $359.

## Result

**+64% sales conversions**

- Sales conversions: up 64%.
- Revenue per visitor: up 151%.
- Average order value: $246 to $359. Shoppers bought more per order even with fewer suggestions.
- No sample size or significance was shared.

## Control

Each product page showed nine to twelve recommended products with large images. The section cluttered the page, especially on mobile.

## Variant

Recommendations were cut to five, shown without images in a carousel.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- Fewer, smaller recommendations kept attention on the main product instead of pulling shoppers into a wall of options.
- The page became easier to scan on mobile, where the old section was hardest to use.
- With fewer choices, shoppers may have found it easier to pick an add-on, which fits the rise in order value.

## Caveats

No sample size, duration or significance was given. Removing images and cutting the count changed at the same time, so the result can't be split between them.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we cut our recommended products to a small carousel, then more shoppers will buy because the main product stays in focus and the page is easier to use.
- Primary metric: Sales conversion rate
- Guardrail: Average order value
- Guardrail: Clicks on recommended products
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it: Stores with large catalogs whose product pages show long or image-heavy recommendation blocks. It probably won't help if your recommendations are already short and tidy.

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Credit: Conversion Fanatics ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/cf-recommended-products-cut-to-five-carousel/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.