Search tiles stripped to image, title, price: +2.3% clicks to products
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsStripping search result tiles down to image, title and price raised click-through to product pages by 2.3%.
Contorion, a tools and MRO supplies retailer, ran this test, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The gain was larger on mobile than on desktop.
- Click-through from search results to product pages: +2.3%.
- Mobile: +3.3%. Desktop: +1.84%. Cleaner tiles helped most on small screens.
- No purchase or revenue data was shared, so the effect on sales is unknown.
The change
Quantity and add-to-cart controls are removed from the product tiles.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Search result and category tiles included add-to-cart buttons, quantity selectors and other purchase elements.
Variant
Purchase elements were removed from the tiles, leaving only the product image, title and price.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Contorion saw that very few shoppers used add-to-cart or quantity on tiles. Most visited the product page first.
- Simpler tiles make each product easier to scan and tap, especially on mobile.
- Removing unused controls gives the image and title more weight as the main click target.
Caveats: This was a click metric only, with no purchase data, sample size or significance shared. More product page visits don't always lead to more orders.
Who ran it
Contorion ran this test for Contorion and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Contorion →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we remove add-to-cart and quantity controls from search and category tiles, then more shoppers will click through to product pages because the tiles are simpler and match how they shop.
- Primary metric
- Click-through rate from listing to product page
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Add-to-cart rate
- Who should test it
- Stores where data shows shoppers rarely buy straight from listings and want product details first. It may hurt stores with fast repeat buying, like groceries or consumables, where quick-add saves time.
Questions
Should product tiles have an add-to-cart button?
It depends on how your shoppers buy. Contorion saw little use of tile buttons and gained clicks to product pages by removing them, but stores with quick repeat purchases may lose sales.
Why did simpler tiles help more on mobile?
Small screens make cluttered tiles harder to read and tap.
Here the mobile gain was 3.3% against 1.84% on desktop.
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