Filter menu removed from a small category page: +27% engagement
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsRemoving the filter menu from one small category page raised engagement by 27%.
UK Tool Centre ran this test on its Cuprinol woodcare category, and it was published as a VWO case study. Only engagement was reported, not sales.
- Engagement: +27%. The source says visitors clicked around more and looked at more products, which is browsing, not buying.
- No sales, revenue or conversion figures were shared.
- No sample size, test length or significance level was given.
The change
The filter menu is removed from the category page.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The Cuprinol woodcare category page showed a filter menu alongside the product listing.
Variant
The same category page with the filter menu taken out, so shoppers saw only the products.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The category held only one brand's products, so filters added choices that shoppers didn't need.
- Without the menu there were fewer ways to leave the page, so shoppers looked at more of the products.
- On a short list, scanning the products is faster than narrowing them with filters.
Caveats: This was one small category, and the only metric was engagement, with no sales data, sample size or significance shared. Treat it as a hint for small categories, not a rule for removing filters.
Who ran it
UK Tool Centre ran this test for UK Tool Centre and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on UK Tool Centre →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we remove the filter menu from small, single-brand category pages, then more shoppers will click into products because there are fewer distractions and exits.
- Primary metric
- Click-through rate from category page to product pages
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Category page exit rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores with small, narrow categories where filters have few useful options. Don't expect it to work on large categories, where shoppers rely on filters to find the right item.
Questions
Should I remove filters from my category pages?
Only test it on small categories with few products.
Large categories usually need filters, and other stores have seen gains from adding them.
Is engagement a good metric for a filter test?
It's a weak one. More clicks don't always mean more sales, so track clicks to product pages and conversion rate as well.
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