Making site search prominent: conversion rate 17.29% to 17.52%
Test run byDRIP AgencyCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsMaking the site search easy to see and reach lifted conversion rate from 17.29% to 17.52% for SNOCKS, a German underwear and basics brand.
DRIP Agency ran this A/B test and published it as part of its SNOCKS case study.
The idea came from data showing that the few people who searched converted far better than everyone else.
- Conversion rate: 17.29% to 17.52%, a gain of 0.23 points (about 1.3% relative). A small but positive lift.
- The conversion rate base is much higher than a typical sitewide rate, so it likely measures a segment or a later funnel step.
- Revenue impact was not shared for this test.
The change
The variant shows a visible search field instead of a barely noticeable one.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Search was barely visible on the site. Only 0.08% of visitors used it (1,653 of 2.1 million), even though searchers converted at 19.24% against 6.87% for non-searchers.
Variant
The search field was made prominent and easy to reach, so shoppers who knew what they wanted could type it straight away.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Shoppers buying basics often know the exact product, size or color they want. A visible search box gives them the shortest path to it.
- DRIP framed the problem with the BJ Fogg Behavior Model: people could not easily find search, and nothing prompted them to use it. Fixing both removed the barrier.
- Searchers already converted almost three times better, so pushing more people into that path should raise the average.
- The lift stayed small, possibly because many visitors still prefer to browse menus and collections.
Caveats: The lift is small and the conversion rate base looks like a segment or step rate, not visitor conversion rate. Significance and sample size for the test were not shared.
Who ran it
DRIP Agency ran this test for SNOCKS 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 make site search visible and easy to reach on every page, then conversion rate will rise because high-intent shoppers can find the product they want faster.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Search usage rate
- Zero-result search rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores with a large catalog, many variants, or repeat buyers who know what they want. Check your analytics first: if searchers convert much better but few people search, this is worth testing. Stores with a handful of products will likely see little effect.
Questions
Should an online store make its search bar more visible?
Often, yes, if your data shows searchers convert better than browsers.
In this SNOCKS test a more prominent search field gave a small conversion lift.
How do I know if my site search is underused?
Compare the share of sessions that use search with the conversion rate of those sessions.
A low usage rate paired with a high searcher conversion rate is a strong signal.
Does a bigger search bar work on mobile?
The source does not split results by device.
On mobile, a visible search field can help, but it also takes space above the fold, so test it on its own.
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