Customer reviews instead of homepage category blocks: +9% sales
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReplacing the crowded category blocks under the homepage banner with customer reviews raised product page visits by 11% and sales by 9%.
Bunzl Retail & Industry ran this A/B test on its packaging supplies store Verzendverpakkingenshop, and it was published as a VWO case study. The test ran for 8 weeks.
- Product page visits: +11%, so more visitors moved past the homepage into products.
- Sales: +9%, the business result that matters most.
- The team ran the test for 8 weeks to capture stable behavior.
The change
The category blocks under the banner were replaced with customer reviews.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Below the main banner, the homepage showed many product-category blocks. Heatmaps showed lots of clicks there, but clicks were spread thin and visitors left the homepage quickly.
Variant
The category blocks were removed and customer reviews took their place just below the main banner.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Too many category options in one spot seemed to stall visitors rather than guide them; removing them cut the choice down.
- Reviews near the top build trust early, before a visitor decides whether the store is worth exploring.
- Visitors could still reach categories through navigation, so little was lost by removing the blocks.
Caveats: The store leans B2B, selling packaging supplies, so results may differ for consumer stores. Sample size and confidence level were not shared.
Who ran it
Bunzl Retail & Industry ran this test for Verzendverpakkingenshop (Bunzl) 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 Bunzl Retail & Industry →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we replace the crowded category blocks under our homepage banner with customer reviews, then more visitors will reach product pages and buy because they face fewer choices and see proof that others trust us.
- Primary metric
- Sales (orders per homepage visitor)
- Guardrails
- Product page visits
- Homepage bounce rate
- Navigation menu usage
- Who should test it
- Stores with a busy homepage grid of categories and a solid base of reviews, especially lesser-known or B2B shops where trust is the hurdle. If visitors use the category blocks as their main way in and your menu is weak, removing them may hurt.
Questions
Should I put customer reviews on my homepage?
In this test, reviews just below the homepage banner lifted sales by 9%.
They tend to help most when visitors don't yet know or trust the store.
Can too many category links on a homepage hurt?
They can. Here a section full of category blocks drew clicks but left visitors unsure where to go, and replacing it raised product page visits by 11%.
How long should a homepage A/B test run?
This one ran for 8 weeks. Running across several full weeks helps smooth out weekday and weekend swings.
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