# 'Shop by category' sub-hero on the homepage: +40.41% collection views

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Homepage (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Hero & above-the-fold section, Navigation & mega menus
- Test run by: [Enavi](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/enavi/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://www.convert.com/case-studies/optimize-product-discovery/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/xtrema-homepage-shop-by-category-sub-hero/

Replacing a 'Shop Best Sellers' button with a 'shop by category' section in the homepage sub-hero lifted collection views by 40.41%. Enavi ran this test for the cookware brand Xtrema, and it was published as a Convert.com case study. The goal was to help visitors find a product, since most of the site's traffic never viewed one.

## Result

**+40.41% collection views**

- Collection views: +40.41%, the primary goal. Many more homepage visitors went on to browse a category.
- Reported at 100% statistical significance on a sample of 7,937 visitors, with a 50/50 split over 8 days.
- Purchase conversion rate was tracked, but the result for this test was not shared. Treat this as an engagement win, not a proven sales win.

## Control

The homepage sub-hero, just below the main hero, had a single 'Shop Best Sellers' button.

## Variant

The button was replaced with a mobile-friendly, icon-led section that let visitors jump straight to the main product categories.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- Xtrema's buyers had shopped for cookware before, so letting them pick a category may suit them better than pushing one list of bestsellers.
- Icons for each category give several clear paths at once, instead of one button that only fits some visitors.
- A category grid works well on small screens, where a single button is easy to scroll past.

## Caveats

The test measured collection views, an early engagement step; its effect on purchases or revenue was not reported. It ran for only 8 days, and the source is a testing-tool vendor's case study.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we replace a single 'Shop Best Sellers' button below the hero with a shop-by-category section, then more homepage visitors will reach a collection page because they can go straight to the type of product they came for.
- Primary metric: Homepage-to-collection click-through (collection views)
- Guardrail: Purchase conversion rate
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Guardrail: Bestseller product page views
- Who should test it: Stores with a few clear product categories and many homepage visitors who never view a product. It may matter less for single-product stores or sites where most traffic lands straight on product pages.

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Credit: Enavi ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/xtrema-homepage-shop-by-category-sub-hero/).
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.