Visual mobile menu with category images: +18% conversion rate
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing every category with an image in the mobile menu raised Stone Creek Coffee's conversion rate by 18% and revenue per visitor by 28%.
Average order value rose 8%. Blend Commerce ran this A/B/C test, and the testing tool estimated about 101 extra orders per month.
- Variant 2 conversion rate: +18%. This was the strongest result.
- Variant 2 revenue per visitor: +28%, and average order value: +8%.
- Variant 2 subscription revenue per visitor: +6%. Intelligems estimated about 101 extra orders per month.
- Variant 1 also beat the control, but by less. The agency did not share its numbers on the page.
The change
Variant 2 shows every category with an image and splits the carousel into rows
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The mobile category menu gave little visual context, with a carousel of main collections at the bottom.
Variant
Variant 2 showed all categories with images and split the bottom carousel into separate rows. Variant 1 added featured category images and kept the original carousel.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Images help shoppers see the range at a glance, instead of guessing from short text labels.
- Splitting the carousel into rows shows every collection without swiping, so fewer categories stay hidden.
- Seeing more categories may lead shoppers to explore and add more, which fits the order value gain.
Caveats: Sample size, test length and confidence level were not shared. The extra orders figure is an estimate from the testing tool.
Who ran it
Blend Commerce ran this test for Stone Creek Coffee 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 every category with an image in the mobile menu, then more visitors will buy because they can see the full range and find the right collection quickly.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per visitor
- Average order value
- Collection page views
- Who should test it
- Mobile-heavy stores with several distinct categories that look different, such as coffee or food. It may help less if you have only a few categories or products that look alike.
Questions
Should a mobile menu use images?
For Stone Creek Coffee, it helped. A menu with images for every category lifted conversion 18%.
Are carousels bad in mobile menus?
They hide items behind swipes. Here, splitting the carousel into rows was part of the winning version.
How do I measure a menu redesign?
Track conversion and revenue per visitor, not just menu clicks.
Also check whether shoppers reach more collection pages.
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