# Always-visible search bar on mobile: +19.4% conversion rate

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Site-wide (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Filters, sorting & site search, Navigation & mega menus
- Test run by: [SplitBase](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/splitbase/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://splitbase.com/case-studies/roots-of-fight
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/roots-of-fight-visible-search-bar-mobile/

Making the search bar visible across the site, instead of hiding it behind an icon, lifted Roots Of Fight's mobile conversion rate by 19.4% and revenue per user by 24.8%. SplitBase ran this A/B test for the athlete-inspired apparel brand for about three weeks.

## Result

**+19.4% conversion rate**

- Mobile conversion rate: +19.4%.
- Revenue per user: +24.8%, so the extra orders did not come from cheaper baskets.
- The test ran for about three weeks. Sample size and confidence level were not shared.

## Control

Search was hidden behind a magnifying glass icon. Mobile shoppers had to tap it before they could type.

## Variant

A search bar shown openly on every page, so shoppers could start typing right away.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- Analytics showed many visitors viewed only a few pages before buying, which suggests they arrived knowing what they wanted.
- With a large catalog, finding one specific shirt by browsing on a small screen is slow. An open search box cuts that path short.
- A visible field is an obvious prompt, while an icon is easy to miss or ignore.

## Caveats

The test ran for about three weeks, and sample size and statistical confidence were not shared. Results are reported by the agency that ran the test.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we show an open search bar on every page instead of a search icon, then mobile conversion rate will rise because shoppers who know what they want can find it faster.
- Primary metric: Mobile conversion rate
- Guardrail: Revenue per user
- Guardrail: Search exits (searches with no results)
- Guardrail: Mobile bounce rate
- Who should test it: Stores with large catalogs where many visitors arrive looking for a specific item, such as licensed or named products. It's less likely to help small catalogs where browsing a few collections is quick.

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Credit: SplitBase ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/roots-of-fight-visible-search-bar-mobile/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.