Full search bar in desktop header: +13.4% conversion rate
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReplacing a desktop search icon with a full search bar lifted conversion rate by 13.4% for a sports nutrition brand.
Blend Commerce ran this two-week A/B test on desktop only. Average purchase revenue per user rose 7.47%.
- Conversion rate: +13.4%. This was the main metric.
- Average purchase revenue per user: +7.47%.
- Checkout visits: +13.9%.
- Visits to product and collection pages through search fell slightly. Shoppers seemed to reach what they wanted in fewer clicks.
The change
The desktop search icon becomes a full, open search bar.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The desktop header showed only a search icon. On mobile, the same site already showed search prominently.
Variant
The desktop header showed a full, open search bar.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Shoppers who used search converted 137% above the site average, so more searching was likely to mean more sales.
- Desktop homepage visitors converted at 3.11% versus 4.20% on mobile, where search was already visible. The gap pointed to hidden search.
- An open bar invites shoppers who would never click an icon to try search.
Caveats: Statistical significance and sample size were not shared. The test covered desktop only, over two weeks in 2024.
Who ran it
Blend Commerce ran this test for a sports nutrition brand and published the results (Blend Commerce A/B test). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Blend Commerce →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show a full search bar in the desktop header instead of an icon, then conversion rate will rise because more visitors will use search, and searchers convert better.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per visitor
- Search exits with no results
- Who should test it
- Stores where searchers convert well above average and desktop search is hidden. If few visitors use search, or desktop traffic is tiny, gains will be limited.
Questions
Does exposing search help on desktop, not just mobile?
It did here. Conversion rate rose 13.4% on desktop, where search had been hidden behind an icon.
How do I know if search is worth exposing?
Compare the conversion rate of visitors who search against the site average.
A big gap, like 137% here, makes a strong case.
Why would product-page views drop if sales rose?
Search can take shoppers straight to the right item.
They view fewer pages because they waste less time browsing.
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