Top categories in the menu instead of 'Shop': +16.7% product views
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsShowing top-level product categories, with direct product links, in the main menu instead of a generic "Shop" dropdown raised product views by 16.7%.
Enavi ran this test for cookware brand Xtrema, and it was published as a Convert.com case study.
Product views were the goal; the effect on purchases from this test was not shared.
- Product views: +16.7%, reported at 100% significance.
- Sample size: 9,249.
- Purchase conversion rate was tracked, but no figure was shared, so the sales impact of this change is unknown.
The change
Variant swaps the generic 'Shop' dropdown for top-level category links.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The main menu put all products under a single "Shop" dropdown.
Variant
The menu showed the main product categories at the top level, with direct links to products.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Before the test, 60% of visitors never viewed a product, so making products one click away tackled the main leak.
- Xtrema's buyers had shopped for cookware before and knew what they wanted, so plain category links suited them better than a generic menu.
- Category names in the menu tell visitors what the store sells at a glance.
Caveats: This ran for just 5 days and measured product views, not sales. Enavi estimated about $755,000 a year from four winning tests together, but that figure is not for this test alone.
Who ran it
Enavi ran this test for Xtrema and published the results (Convert.com case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Enavi →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show our main product categories directly in the top menu instead of a 'Shop' dropdown, then more visitors will view products because they can see and reach what we sell in one click.
- Primary metric
- Product page views per session
- Guardrails
- Purchase conversion rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Bounce rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with a few clear product categories where many visitors never reach a product page. Stores with very large catalogues may need a mega menu instead of a flat list.
Questions
Should my menu say 'Shop' or list categories?
Listing categories shows what you sell at a glance and saves a click.
In this test it raised product views by 16.7%.
Do more product views mean more sales?
Not always. Product views are an early signal, so track purchase conversion too before rolling out a nav change.
How many categories should go in the top menu?
Keep it to your main categories so the menu stays easy to scan.
Large catalogues can use dropdowns under each category.
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