Instant search suggestions on tap: +20.4% purchases
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing top searches and top categories as soon as a visitor taps the search bar lifted purchases by 20.40% for Safety Gear Pro.
Wingify Services ran this A/B test, published as a VWO case study.
It followed an earlier test that made the mobile search bar larger.
- Purchases (thank-you page visits): +20.40%.
- The test ran for 9 days across all traffic on every page with the search bar, split 50/50.
The change
Tapping search instantly shows top searches and categories.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The search bar only showed suggestions once the visitor started typing.
Variant
Tapping the search bar right away showed a list of top searches and top categories. The list came from the most-searched terms and from high-traffic category pages with strong page value.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Visitors no longer had to think of a search term. They could tap a popular one.
- The suggestions were built from real search data and valuable categories, so they pointed people to pages that tend to sell.
- It built on the larger search bar from the earlier test, so more visitors were already opening search.
Caveats: The test ran for only 9 days, and sample size and significance were not shared. The data dates from around 2020.
Who ran it
VWO ran this test for Safety Gear Pro 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 top searches and categories as soon as visitors tap the search bar, then purchases will rise because people reach popular products with less effort.
- Primary metric
- Purchase conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Search usage rate
- Searches with no results
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores with steady search traffic and a clear set of popular terms and categories. If your search is rarely used, make it easier to find first, as Safety Gear Pro did.
Questions
What should pre-filled search suggestions include?
Use terms your visitors search most and the categories that sell best.
Safety Gear Pro built its list from both.
Are instant suggestions better than autocomplete?
They work alongside it. Suggestions help before a visitor types anything, and autocomplete helps once they start.
How long should I run a search test?
Run it for at least two full weeks so you capture different weekdays and buying cycles.
This test ran 9 days, which is on the short side.
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