# Non-blocking cookie banner instead of a consent wall: +32% conversion

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Site-wide (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Popups & email capture
- 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/32-increase-in-conversion-rate
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/sports-nutrition-non-blocking-cookie-banner/

Replacing a cookie consent screen that blocked shopping with a slim banner raised conversion rate by 32% on a sports nutrition brand's UK site. Blend Commerce ran this A/B/C test on both the UK and Ireland sites. A bottom banner won in the UK, while a top banner won in Ireland with a 10.51% lift.

## Result

**+32% conversion**

- UK, bottom banner: conversion rate +32%, bounce rate -22% and revenue per visitor +5%.
- Ireland, top banner: conversion rate +10.51%, bounce rate -9% and revenue per visitor +6%.
- Different variants won on each site, so each country got its own winner.
- Cookie consent rate was not reported. A non-blocking banner likely lowers it.

## Control

A cookie consent screen that stopped visitors from shopping until they made a choice.

## Variant

Two versions of a non-blocking cookie banner that let visitors keep shopping: one at the top of the page and one at the bottom.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- A blocking screen is a hurdle before the visitor has seen any products, and some people leave instead.
- Letting people browse first removes that early friction, which matches the drop in bounce rate.
- The best position varied by site, which suggests layout details matter. It may depend on what the banner covers on each page.

## Caveats

Each site ran for two weeks; sample sizes and confidence were not shared. The change likely lowers cookie consent rates, so check your local privacy rules and the effect on tracking before copying it.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we replace a blocking cookie screen with a banner that lets people keep shopping, then more visitors will buy because they can browse right away.
- Primary metric: Conversion rate
- Guardrail: Cookie consent rate
- Guardrail: Bounce rate
- Guardrail: Share of sessions with full tracking data
- Who should test it: Stores that currently use a full-screen or blocking cookie wall. Check what your privacy rules require first. If you rely heavily on consented data for ad targeting, the drop in consent rate may cost more than the conversion gain.

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Credit: Blend Commerce ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/sports-nutrition-non-blocking-cookie-banner/).
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.