Open search bar on mobile instead of an icon: +14% search use
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing an open search bar on mobile, instead of a hard-to-spot search icon, raised search use by 14% and purchases by 2.67%.
Wingify Services ran this one-week test for Panduro, a hobby and craft retailer, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The search lift was reported at 100% confidence; no confidence level was given for purchases.
- Search usage: +14%, at a reported 100% confidence level.
- Purchases: +2.67%. Significance for this figure was not shared.
- The variant was rolled out to all visitors.
The change
A small search icon became an open search bar that tucks into the header on scroll.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The mobile header had a search icon that was not well highlighted. Panduro's data showed mobile shoppers who searched converted 65% better than those who didn't.
Variant
The search bar was shown open when a visitor landed on the site. On scroll, it merged into the top navigation so it stayed available.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- An open field is easier to notice and tap than a small icon.
- Searchers already converted far better, so getting more people to search was likely to help sales.
- Merging the bar into the header on scroll kept it in reach without taking up screen space.
Caveats: The test ran for only one week, and the purchase lift has no stated significance. No sample size was shared, and the result is vendor-reported.
Who ran it
VWO ran this test for Panduro 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 show an open search field in the mobile header instead of an icon, then more shoppers will search and buy because searchers convert better and the field is easier to find.
- Primary metric
- Mobile conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Search usage rate
- Searches with zero results
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores with large catalogs where searchers convert well above average. If your search returns poor results, fix that first, or more searches may just mean more frustration.
Questions
Is a search bar better than a search icon on mobile?
In Panduro's test, an open bar raised search use by 14% and purchases by 2.67%.
A similar test at Best Choice Products also used a large header search bar.
Won't an open search bar take up too much space on mobile?
Panduro's version merged into the top navigation once the visitor scrolled.
That keeps search in reach without pushing content down for the whole visit.
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