# Long descriptions above product images lost: old page won by 31.38%

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Product page (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Headlines, product titles & copy, Layout, fonts & visual design
- Test run by: [FreestyleXtreme](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/freestylextreme/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://wingify.com/success-stories/freestylextreme/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/freestylextreme-product-descriptions-above-images/

Adding detailed product descriptions to the top of product pages backfired for FreestyleXtreme: the old page without them converted 31.38% better. The action sports clothing retailer ran this split URL test itself, and it was published as a VWO case study. The likely cause is layout, as the text pushed product images and the buy button below the fold.

## Result

**old page won by 31.38%**

- Conversions: the page without descriptions converted 31.38% better, at 96% confidence. This is a loss for the descriptions version.
- Over 7,000 visitors saw each version.
- The descriptions were already live, so the old page was run as the challenger. The roles were swapped, but the comparison is the same.

## Control

The original product page had no detailed descriptions, so product images and the call to action sat near the top.

## Variant

Detailed descriptions and plain-English feature benefits were added at the top of the page. This pushed images and the call to action below the fold.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- Shoppers want to see the product first; moving images down hid the thing they came to look at.
- Pushing the buy button below the fold added a scroll before anyone could act.
- The content itself may have been fine; its position on the page was the likely problem.

## Caveats

The test doesn't show that descriptions hurt sales, only that this layout did. Customers had asked for more product information, so a version with descriptions placed below the images was never tested.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we add detailed descriptions below the product images and buy button, then more visitors will convert because they get the detail without losing sight of the product.
- Primary metric: Product page conversion rate
- Guardrail: Add-to-cart rate
- Guardrail: Scroll depth
- Guardrail: Return rate
- Who should test it: Stores adding richer product information, especially when customers have asked for it. Keep images and the buy button above the fold; don't test a layout that pushes them down.

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Credit: FreestyleXtreme ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/freestylextreme-product-descriptions-above-images/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.