Simplified mobile layout: +4.0% AOV but -4.2% conversion
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsA stripped-back mobile layout raised average order value 4.0% but cut conversion rate 4.2% and pushed bounce rate up 14.3%.
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store and published it in its A/B test library.
The engagement losses outweighed the order value gain, so the change did not ship.
- Average order value: +4.0%, the one positive move.
- Conversion rate: -4.2%. A loss.
- Bounce rate: +14.3%, a sign more visitors left without engaging.
- Click-through rate: -3.8%, which suggests shoppers had trouble finding what they wanted.
The change
The variant removes secondary content and condenses navigation to top categories.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The original mobile layout, with its secondary content blocks and full navigation.
Variant
Secondary content blocks were removed from key pages and fewer elements were shown. Navigation was condensed to the most popular product categories.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The removed content and links likely helped shoppers find their way and build confidence.
- Condensing navigation to top categories may have hidden products some visitors came for.
- Shoppers who did buy may have been focused on core, higher-priced items, which fits the order value gain.
Caveats: Sample size, duration and significance were not shared. Several layout and navigation changes shipped together, so the result can't be credited to any one of them.
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 simplify the mobile layout and condense navigation, then order value will rise because shoppers focus on fewer, higher-value products.
- Primary metric
- Mobile conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Bounce rate
- Click-through rate
- Average order value
- Who should test it
- Stores with cluttered mobile pages full of low-use content. If shoppers rely on browsing many categories, cutting navigation is risky; remove one element at a time instead.
Questions
Is a simpler mobile layout always better?
No. Here simplifying went too far: bounce rate rose 14.3% and conversion fell 4.2%.
Can higher order value make up for lower conversion?
Sometimes, but not here. A 4.0% order value gain did not offset the drop in conversion and engagement.
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