# Search bar shown in the mobile header: +17.45% conversion rate

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Site-wide (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Filters, sorting & site search
- Test run by: [Blend Commerce](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/blend-commerce/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://blendcommerce.com/blogs/ab-tests-shopify/17-45-increase-in-conversion-rate
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/sports-drink-brand-exposed-mobile-search/

Replacing the mobile search icon with a visible search bar lifted ecommerce conversion rate by 17.45%. Blend Commerce ran this A/B test for a sports drinks brand over 33 days. More shoppers viewed search results and clicked 'Add to Bag'.

## Result

**+17.45% conversion rate**

- Ecommerce conversion rate: +17.45%. This is the headline win.
- Search result views: +16.86%. More people used search once it was in plain sight.
- 'Add to Bag' clicks: +8.63%. The extra searches turned into more products being added.

## Control

The mobile header hid search behind a small icon. Shoppers had to tap it before they could type a query.

## Variant

The search bar was shown open in the mobile header, ready to type into on every page.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- Shoppers who search usually know what they want, so making search easier tends to bring in high-intent visitors.
- Most of this brand's sessions were on mobile, where a hidden icon is easy to miss.
- A visible field removes one tap and signals that search is there to use.

## Caveats

Sample size and confidence level were not shared. The test ran for 33 days.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we show an open search bar in the mobile header instead of an icon, then more mobile visitors will buy because high-intent shoppers can find products faster.
- Primary metric: Mobile conversion rate
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Guardrail: Clicks on navigation menu
- Guardrail: Search exits (searches with no product click)
- Who should test it: Stores with mostly mobile traffic and a catalogue big enough that people search for specific items. It is less likely to help a store with a handful of products, where search is rarely used.

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Credit: Blend Commerce ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/sports-drink-brand-exposed-mobile-search/).
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.