Drill-down mobile menu instead of accordion: +7.25% conversion
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSwapping an accordion-style mobile menu for one where each category opens its own sub-menu panel lifted conversion rate by 7.25% for a sports nutrition brand.
Blend Commerce ran this A/B test. Revenue per visitor rose 6.72%.
- Conversion rate: +7.25%.
- Revenue per visitor: +6.72%.
- Main category clicks: +6.52% and subcategory clicks: +5.83%. Shoppers used the menu more.
- Add-to-bag clicks: +2.93%.
The change
Subcategories open in their own panel instead of expanding in place.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The mobile menu used '+' icons. Tapping one expanded subcategories in place, as an accordion, which could crowd the rest of the menu.
Variant
The mobile menu used '>' icons. Tapping one opened a separate panel showing that category's subcategories.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The team suspected misclicks. When an accordion opens, the items below it shift, so it is easy to tap the wrong thing.
- A separate panel shows one short list at a time, which is easier to scan on a small screen.
- The '>' icon is a familiar sign that tapping will take you somewhere, so shoppers may have known what to expect.
Caveats: Sample size, test duration and significance were not shared.
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 replace accordion sub-menus with drill-down panels on mobile, then conversion will rise because shoppers can see and tap subcategories without misclicks.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Menu click-through rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Bounce rate after menu use
- Who should test it
- Stores with several categories that each have subcategories, and mostly mobile traffic. If your menu is short and flat, there is little to gain.
Questions
Accordion or drill-down menu on mobile?
In this test the drill-down menu won. It shows one list at a time, which can cut misclicks when menus are long.
How do I know if my mobile menu causes problems?
Look at session recordings and menu click data for repeated taps or quick backtracking.
Those are signs shoppers are tapping the wrong items.
Similar tests
@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon@oliverkenyon