Adding a search bar to the site: +9% conversion rate
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a search bar to a site that had none lifted conversion rate by 9% for Jackson's.
Blend Commerce ran this two-week A/B test. Returning visitors gained the most, with a 28% rise in conversion rate.
- Conversion rate overall: +9%.
- Returning visitors: +28% conversion rate, the biggest gain in the test.
- New visitors: +5% conversion rate, a smaller but still positive change.
The change
A site with no search gets a search bar in the header.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The site had no search bar. Shoppers had to browse collection and product pages to find what they wanted.
Variant
A search bar was added, powered by the Boost app, with advanced search and typo correction.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Returning shoppers often want to rebuy something they already know. Search gets them there without browsing.
- With no search at all, every product hunt depended on menus and collections. Search removed that detour.
- Typo correction means misspelled queries still return results, so fewer searches end in a dead end.
Caveats: The test ran for two weeks. Sample size and significance were not shared.
Who ran it
Blend Commerce ran this test for Jackson's and published the results (Blend Commerce A/B test). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Blend Commerce →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we add a visible search bar with typo correction, then conversion will rise because shoppers who know what they want can find it faster.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate, split by new and returning visitors
- Guardrails
- Searches with no results
- Revenue per visitor
- Search exit rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with a broad catalogue or a lot of repeat buyers, and any store that has no search today. A store with a handful of products may see little change, since browsing already works.
Questions
Does adding site search increase conversions?
It can, especially for repeat buyers. In this test, conversion rose 9% overall and 28% for returning visitors.
Do I need typo correction in site search?
It helps. Shoppers often misspell product names, and a search that returns nothing can end the visit.
Who benefits most from a search bar?
Visitors who already know what they want. Here that was returning shoppers, who saw more than five times the lift of new visitors.
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