Copy rewrite on a free shampoo bar offer page: +5.97% new orders
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsA bundle of copy edits on Grüum's free shampoo bar offer page lifted new orders by 5.97%.
Frictionless Commerce ran this A/B test for Grüum, and it was published as a VWO case study.
Dozens of changes shipped together, so the lift can't be credited to any single edit.
- Conversion rate for new orders: +5.97%.
- The test ran for 5 weeks with nearly 25,000 new visitors on desktop and mobile, and 2,778 new orders were recorded.
- No confidence level was stated, and the result covers all the copy changes at once.
The change
Same layout with rewritten copy, a shipping explainer and an optional brand story.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The original offer page gave away one shampoo bar for free, with the buyer paying shipping. The page was already converting well.
Variant
The layout stayed the same, but the copy got dozens of small edits. These included a clickable note explaining why shipping isn't free, framed around fairness, notes on why the first bar is free and on the brand's awards, and a 'The Whole Story' button that opened the brand's anti-plastic story in a lightbox.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Explaining the shipping charge up front may have softened the surprise of paying for a free product.
- Answering why the bar is free can remove suspicion that there is a catch.
- The optional brand story gave curious readers more depth without slowing down people who skim.
Caveats: Many copy changes were bundled into one variant, so no single edit can be credited. The product was free with paid shipping, which is unusual and may not carry over to paid products.
Who ran it
Frictionless Commerce ran this test for Grüum 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 Frictionless Commerce →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we explain the reasons behind our offer and charges in plain copy and add an optional brand story, then more new visitors will order because their doubts are answered on the page.
- Primary metric
- New orders per visitor on the offer page
- Guardrails
- Repeat purchase or subscription rate from offer buyers
- Refund or cancellation rate
- Clicks on the story element versus checkout clicks
- Who should test it
- Brands running free-sample, trial or low-price offers to first-time buyers, especially with a mission or story worth telling. It is less likely to help pages where shoppers already know the brand well.
Questions
How do I tell shoppers a free product still has a shipping cost?
Be clear early and give a reason. In this test, a note framed around fairness was part of a winning copy bundle.
Can copy changes alone lift conversion?
Yes. This test kept the layout the same and changed only copy, and new orders rose 5.97%.
Does a brand story belong on an offer page?
It can, if it's optional. A button that opens the story lets interested readers dig in while others go straight to checkout.
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