Mega menu with category descriptions: +$151,192/month
Test run byOliver KenyonConversionwise
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsOliver Kenyon tested three mega menus for a tennis and racket gear brand, and the version with a short description under each category and a testimonial won, worth an estimated $151,192 a month. A version with category thumbnails lost to it. Oliver puts the gain at 77 cents per session.
- The description-and-testimonial menu won among three versions. Oliver says the margin was clear.
- Estimated value: +$151,192 a month, or $0.77 per session.
- The thumbnail version did not beat it, even though adding images is the common approach.
- Conversion rate, sample size and duration were not shared.
The change
Winner adds a description per category, a testimonial, and demotes service links.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The menu was a plain list of category names, such as Rackets, Court shoes and Bags, with service links like delivery and returns below at full size.
Variant
Each category got one line of spec-focused description, a customer testimonial was added under the list, and the service links shrank and moved to the bottom. There were no images. A second variant added thumbnails beside each category instead.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- the category names were already clear, so a picture repeated what the word said. A spec line answered the question shoppers actually had.
- the testimonial added proof inside the menu, right where shoppers choose a path.
- shrinking the service links gave the product categories more visual weight.
- Oliver's view is that images tend to win when products are visual and names are vague, as with clothing.
Caveats: Only a monthly revenue estimate was shared; no conversion figures, sample size or duration. The variant changed three things at once, so we can't tell which part drove the win. The screenshot is an example UI, not the brand's real site.
Who ran it
Oliver Kenyon (@oliverkenyon) shared this test on X. The numbers and screenshots are theirs.
View the original post on X
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we add a short spec-focused line under each menu category and a customer testimonial, then revenue per visitor will rise because shoppers can tell which category fits their need before they click.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor
- Guardrails
- Menu click-through rate
- Collection page bounce rate
- Use of site search
- Who should test it
- Stores where buyers choose between categories on spec, such as sports gear, tools or electronics. Fashion and other visual categories with vague names may do better with images.
Questions
Should a mega menu have product images?
Not always. In this test a text-only menu with category descriptions beat a version with thumbnails.
What should a category description in a menu say?
Something the name doesn't already tell you, such as capacity, fit or a key spec. In this test the lines covered details like racket capacity and court type.
Does putting a testimonial in the navigation help?
It was part of the winning menu here, but it changed alongside the descriptions, so its own effect is unknown.
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