Reviews moved above the USPs: +11.76% conversion rate
Test run byDave DiederenSyntra Labs
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsDave Diederen moved a product page's existing review section up to sit right below the above-the-fold area, swapping it with the USP block, and conversion rose 11.76%. Revenue per visitor rose 10.65% and profit per visitor rose 10.30%. No new content was added.
- Conversion rate: 2.65% to 2.97% (+11.76%, range +4% to +30%).
- Revenue per visitor: $2.80 to $3.10 (+10.65%, range +3% to +38%).
- Profit per visitor: $2.07 to $2.29 (+10.30%). The gain held after costs.
- Average order value was flat: $105.53 versus $104.49. The lift came from more buyers, not bigger baskets.
- The testing dashboard estimated about +$10,500 a month in revenue.
The change
Reviews swap places with the USPs, landing right below the fold.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Below the above-the-fold section, the page showed the brand's USPs first, with the review section further down.
Variant
The review section moved up into the spot directly below the fold section, and the USPs moved down to where the reviews had been.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- after seeing the product and price, shoppers want proof from other buyers before more claims from the brand.
- reviews make the USPs believable, so showing them first may help the USPs land when shoppers reach them.
- more visitors scroll the top of a page than the middle, so moving reviews up means more people see them.
Caveats: One store, and the test duration and sample size were not shared. The confidence ranges are wide, so the true lift may be smaller than the headline.
Who ran it
Dave Diederen (@DaveDiederen) 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 place existing reviews directly below the above-the-fold section, ahead of the USPs, then conversion will rise because shoppers meet social proof while forming a first impression.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Profit per visitor
- Scroll depth to the USP section
- Who should test it
- Stores with a solid body of reviews sitting low on the page. It is unlikely to help if reviews are few, weak, or already shown near the top.
Questions
Where should reviews go on a product page?
In this test, putting them directly below the above-the-fold section, ahead of the USPs, lifted conversion 11.76%. The best spot still depends on your page.
Should reviews come before or after product benefits?
Here reviews first won. Dave's reasoning is that customer proof makes the brand's own claims easier to believe.
Does moving reviews higher change order value?
Not in this test. Average order value stayed around $105 in both groups.
Similar tests
@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon