Simpler nav bar with bigger search: +3.8% conversion, inconclusive
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsCutting the number of navigation links, grouping them into broader categories and making the search bar more prominent lifted conversion rate 3.8% for AFTCO, a fishing and outdoor apparel brand.
Clean Commit ran the test and published it in its A/B test library.
We treat it as inconclusive: the gain on the target metric sat inside the agency's own noise range.
- Conversion rate: +3.8%. Positive, but inside the ±4% range Clean Commit treats as inconclusive.
- Click-through rate: +4.3%, so slightly more visitors moved from the menu into the site.
- Bounce rate: -8.6%, a sign of better first-visit engagement.
- Add-to-cart rate: +1.0%, close to no change. Inconclusive overall.
The change
The variant trims the menu into broader groups and makes search easier to spot.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The original navigation bar, with a longer list of links and a less prominent search bar.
Variant
Fewer links, with similar items grouped under broader categories, and the search bar moved to a more visible spot.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Fewer, broader menu choices can make it quicker to pick a starting point.
- A more visible search bar gives shoppers who know what they want a faster route.
- The changes were modest, so any real effect may be too small to separate from noise at this traffic level.
Caveats: The result fell inside the agency's inconclusive range, and sample size, duration and confidence were not shared. Two changes (fewer links and a more prominent search bar) were tested together.
Who ran it
Clean Commit ran this test for AFTCO 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 reduce navigation links into broader categories and make search more prominent, then more visitors will add to cart because they can find products faster.
- Primary metric
- Add-to-cart rate
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Search usage and search exits
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores with large catalogs and crowded menus. It probably matters less for small catalogs where the menu is already short.
Questions
How many links should a store's main navigation have?
There is no fixed number. The aim is that shoppers can pick a category quickly, so group similar items and test the result against your current menu.
Does a more visible search bar help conversion?
It often helps shoppers who already know what they want.
In this test it came with lower bounce, but the conversion gain was not conclusive.
Why call a +3.8% lift inconclusive?
Small lifts are easy to get by chance.
Clean Commit treats changes within ±4% on the main metric as noise unless the data says otherwise.
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