Thumbnail category tabs on collection pages: -3.8% conversion
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding thumbnail-image category tabs to the top of collection pages lowered conversion rate by 3.8% and revenue per visitor by 6.0%.
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store across 29,085 visitors over 21 days.
Mobile improved while desktop fell sharply, so the net result was a loss.
- Conversion rate fell 3.8% overall. The original had a 76.6% probability of being better, so the loss is likely but not certain.
- Revenue per visitor fell 6.0%, and orders fell 2.8%.
- Average order value fell 2.3%.
- On mobile, conversion rate rose 5.1% and revenue per visitor rose 7.9%.
- On desktop, conversion rate fell 17.9%. Desktop carried the whole loss.
The change
Plain category links are replaced by a row of image tabs at the top.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Collection pages linked to other categories with plain text links that were easy to skip past.
Variant
A row of tabs with thumbnail images sat at the top of each collection page. Each tab linked to a related collection.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- On desktop, a row of image tabs pushes products further down the page, so shoppers see fewer items at first glance.
- On mobile, tappable image tabs are easier to use than small text links, which may explain the gain there.
- More visible links to other collections can send shoppers away from the products they came to see.
Caveats: The losing result is not fully certain: the original had a 76.6% probability of being better. The device split is based on segments of a 29,085-visitor test, so each segment is smaller.
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 add thumbnail category tabs to collection pages on mobile only, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers can switch categories with one tap.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per visitor
- Product clicks per collection visit
- Desktop conversion rate if shown there
- Who should test it
- Stores with many related collections and mostly mobile traffic. Test mobile and desktop separately; on desktop the tabs may just push products out of view.
Questions
Do visual category tabs help collection pages?
It depends on the device. In this test they helped on mobile but cut desktop conversion by 17.9%, so the net result was a loss.
Should I test mobile and desktop separately?
Yes, for layout changes like this one. A change that suits small screens can hurt on large ones, and a combined result can hide both effects.
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