Star rating summary at top of product page: +15% conversion rate
Test run byGrowthRockCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a star rating summary near the top of product pages raised conversion rate by 15% and revenue per session by 17% for an apparel brand selling fashion items priced over $100. GrowthRock ran this A/B test and published it on its blog.
Add-to-cart rate did not change, so the gain showed up later, at purchase.
- Conversion rate: +15% at 94% significance, just short of the usual 95% bar.
- Revenue per session: +17% at 97% significance.
- Average order value: +2.4%, a small change, so most of the revenue gain came from more orders.
- Add-to-cart rate: no change between the two versions.
The change
The variant adds a star rating summary under the product title.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Product pages had customer reviews at the bottom, but no star rating summary near the product name.
Variant
A star rating summary was added near the top of each product page, with the full reviews still lower down.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Shoppers often add pricier fashion items to cart as a bookmark, then come back to the product page to decide. The stars may have helped at that second visit.
- A rating near the top gives social proof without making shoppers scroll to the reviews.
- For $100+ items that are mulled over, signs that other buyers were happy can ease doubts about fit and value.
Caveats: The conversion rate lift reached 94% significance, below the 95% convention. Sample size, duration and test date were not shared.
Who ran it
GrowthRock ran this test for an apparel brand selling $100+ fashion items and published the results (GrowthRock blog). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on GrowthRock →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show a star rating summary near the top of product pages, then more visitors will buy because positive social proof is visible when they weigh the purchase.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per session
- Average order value
- Add-to-cart rate
- Who should test it
- Stores that already collect reviews but only show them low on the page, especially for considered purchases. It may not help if your ratings are few or mixed, or if a luxury brand image depends on keeping reviews off the page.
Questions
Where should star ratings go on a product page?
Most stores place a rating summary near the product name and price.
In this test, moving it there from the bottom of the page lifted orders.
Why would star ratings raise orders but not add-to-carts?
Many shoppers add items to cart to save them, then return to the product page before buying.
The rating may have helped at that later decision point.
Do luxury or fashion brands need reviews?
Some premium brands leave reviews out to protect their image.
This brand sold $100+ items and still saw more orders after showing ratings, so it is worth testing rather than assuming.
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