'Hot' and 'Bestseller' badges on listing pages: +13.9% RPU
Test run byDRIP AgencyCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding 'Hot' and 'Bestseller' badges to product tiles on listing pages lifted revenue per user by 13.9%.
DRIP Agency ran this test for Kickz, a German sneaker and streetwear retailer, and published it as a case study on its own site.
The badges went on hype items, new releases and the best-selling products.
- Revenue per user: +13.9%, as reported by DRIP Agency.
- Click-through and conversion rate were not shared.
The change
Plain tiles vs tiles with 'Hot' and 'Bestseller' badges
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Product listing pages showed plain tiles. Nothing set trending or popular products apart from the rest.
Variant
Tiles for hype products, releases and best sellers carried a 'Hot' or 'Bestseller' badge.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Badges give shoppers a fast way to scan a long grid and spot what other people want.
- A bestseller label works as social proof. It suggests the product is a safe pick.
- In sneaker culture, a 'Hot' tag can signal scarcity and status, which may speed up a purchase decision.
Caveats: DRIP Agency reported the uplift without sample size, test duration or confidence level. The test was one of 83 Kickz ran with DRIP from 2020 over three years, and no test date was given.
Who ran it
DRIP Agency ran this test for Kickz and published the results (DRIP Agency case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on DRIP Agency →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we add 'Hot' and 'Bestseller' badges to trending and top-selling product tiles, then revenue per user will rise because shoppers can spot popular products faster and trust them more.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per user
- Guardrails
- Product page click-through from listings
- Return rate on badged products
- Conversion rate on non-badged products
- Who should test it
- Stores with large grids and clear sales leaders, especially in trend-driven categories. It may do little if nearly every product gets a badge, or if your catalogue is small and easy to scan.
Questions
Do bestseller badges increase sales?
They did for Kickz, where revenue per user rose 13.9%.
They tend to work best when only a small share of products carries one.
Which products should get a 'Hot' badge?
Kickz used them on hyped items and new releases.
Base the choice on real demand data so the label stays honest.
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