Category links on the checkout page: +10.45% checkout clicks
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding links to the main product categories on the checkout page lifted clicks on the checkout button by 10.45%.
Wingify Services ran this A/B test for Kutts, a Swedish men's grooming store, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The measure was button clicks, not completed purchases.
- Clicks on the checkout CTA: +10.45% with category links added.
- This is a click metric. The effect on finished orders and revenue was not shared.
- Statistical significance and sample size were not shared.
The change
The checkout page adds links to the main product categories.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The checkout page had no links to product categories, even though many visitors reached it by clicking the cart icon with an empty cart.
Variant
The checkout page added links to the main product categories, giving visitors a quick way back into the range.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Visitors who opened an empty cart hit a dead end before, and the links gave them somewhere useful to go.
- Quick routes to categories may have helped some shoppers add items and come back ready to check out.
- Links on a checkout page can also distract, so watching completed orders matters here.
Caveats: The metric is clicks on the checkout button, not purchases. No significance or sample size was given.
Who ran it
VWO ran this test for Kutts 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 add links to our main categories on the cart and checkout page, then more visitors will go on to check out because an empty cart will no longer be a dead end.
- Primary metric
- Completed orders per checkout page visitor
- Guardrails
- Checkout button clicks
- Checkout abandonment rate
- Average order value
- Who should test it
- Stores where analytics show many visits to an empty cart or checkout page. It is less likely to help, and may distract, if most checkout visitors already have full carts.
Questions
Is it a good idea to add links to a checkout page?
Normal advice is to remove distractions from checkout.
But if many visitors arrive with an empty cart, category links can turn a dead end into a path back to products.
What should an empty cart page show?
Links to your main categories or bestsellers are a simple start.
The aim is to give visitors a clear next step.
Do more checkout clicks mean more sales?
Not always. This test reported button clicks only, so track completed orders before calling a similar change a win.
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