Subcategory widgets above the grid: +31.77% RPV, conversion -24%
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding subcategory widgets above the product grid raised revenue per visitor by 31.77% for Titan Casket, but conversion rate fell 24.13%.
Add-to-cart rate rose 7.67%. Blend Commerce ran this A/B test and called it a win on revenue per visitor, which means fewer people bought but those who did spent much more.
- Revenue per visitor: +31.77%. This is the metric the agency used to call the win.
- Add-to-cart rate: +7.67%. More shoppers added products.
- Conversion rate: -24.13%. A large drop. Fewer visitors completed a purchase.
- For revenue per visitor to rise while conversion fell this much, buyers must have spent a lot more per order. The case study does not give the order value figure.
The change
Subcategory widgets added directly above the product grid.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Collection pages had only the standard filters and sort options above the product grid.
Variant
Subcategory widgets sat directly above the product grid, linking shoppers to key product groups.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Caskets come in distinct product lines. Widgets helped shoppers find the right line before scrolling.
- Shoppers may have explored a wider range and chosen higher-priced products, which would lift revenue per buyer.
- The extra paths may also have made some shoppers take longer to decide, which could explain the drop in conversion.
Caveats: Conversion fell sharply, and the win rests on revenue per visitor alone. No sample size, duration or confidence level was shared, and high-ticket stores have few orders, so a few large purchases can swing revenue per visitor.
Who ran it
Blend Commerce ran this test for Titan Casket 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 add subcategory widgets above the product grid, then revenue per visitor will rise because shoppers find the right product line faster and see more of the range.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Average order value
- Number of orders
- Who should test it
- High-ticket stores with clear product lines inside each collection. Be careful if you rely on order volume, and run long enough that a few big orders can't drive the result.
Questions
Is a test a win if revenue per visitor rises but conversion falls?
It can be, if total revenue matters most to you.
But a 24% drop in buyers is a big trade, so check order counts and run the test long enough to trust it.
Do subcategory widgets help collection pages?
In this test and others by the same agency, they lifted revenue.
The effect on conversion varied, so watch both.
Why can revenue per visitor be misleading on high-ticket sites?
With few orders, a handful of large purchases can move the average a lot.
Look at the number of orders and the order values behind it.
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