Navigation-focused homepage on Flos USA: +6.77% category visits
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsFlos USA reworked its homepage layout to focus on site navigation, and visits to category pages rose 6.77%.
Wingify Services ran the test as part of a larger program for the lighting brand, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The goal was to make products easier to find from the first page.
- Category page visits: +6.77% versus the original homepage.
- Sales impact: not reported for this test, so the lift is in browsing, not orders.
- This was one of 30 tests over 17 months that, together, lifted checkout conversion by about 125%.
The change
The variant leads with ways into product categories. The exact layout is approximate.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The original Flos USA homepage layout.
Variant
A homepage layout built around site navigation, so shoppers could get to product categories more easily.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- A homepage that points clearly to categories helps shoppers who arrive knowing roughly what they want.
- Lighting buyers often shop by type, such as floor or table lamps, so category links match how they think.
- Fewer distractions on the homepage leave clearer paths into the store.
Caveats: The layout changes are only shown in screenshots, and no sample size, duration or confidence level was shared. The metric is clicks into category pages, not purchases.
Who ran it
VWO ran this test for Flos USA 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 VWO →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we make category navigation the focus of our homepage, then more visitors will reach category pages because the path to products is clearer.
- Primary metric
- Homepage to category page click-through rate
- Guardrails
- Orders per visitor
- Homepage bounce rate
- Search usage
- Who should test it
- Stores with a wide catalog sorted into clear categories, where the homepage leans on brand imagery. It's less useful for single-product brands or sites where most traffic lands deeper than the homepage.
Questions
What should a store homepage focus on?
Helping people get to products. Flos USA saw 6.77% more category visits after making navigation the focus.
Do more category visits lead to more sales?
Often, but not always. Flos USA didn't share an order figure for this test, so watch purchases too.
Similar tests
@DaveDiederen
Convertibles@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen@DaveDiederen