Does changing the homepage category order lift conversion?
On desktop, the most visited category did not hold the first spot on the homepage. We moved it to position 1. Conversion rose 28.5% and revenue per visitor 14.4% over 17 days.
Won Desktop 17 days Called at 90%
The hypothesis
By moving the most visited category to the first spot on the desktop homepage, we will help shoppers reach the products they want faster, resulting in a higher conversion rate.
The most visited category drew 21% of mobile homepage visitors as their next page, but only 13% on desktop. On desktop, it did not hold the first spot in the category row.
We expected that putting it first would shorten the path for the shoppers who wanted it most.
What we changed
We moved the most visited category to the first spot on the homepage.
The variation reordered the category tiles on the desktop homepage. The most visited category moved to position 1, the newest product launch to position 3, and a second popular category to position 4. The test ran only while a specific hero banner was live, so traffic came in stretches.
- Most visited category moved to position 1
- Newest launch moved to position 3
- Second popular category moved to position 4
The result
Conversion rose 28.5% and revenue per visitor 14.4% on desktop.
The new order won on desktop over 17 days. Conversion rose 28.5% and revenue per visitor 14.4%, so average order value fell, by about 11%. More shoppers bought, with smaller orders.
A mobile version with a 2 column layout ran first and was not conclusive. We implemented the desktop order.
What we took from it
Putting the top category first shortened the path to purchase.
Desktop shoppers already favored this category, but it did not sit first. Moving it to the front put the most wanted products 1 click from the homepage. The lower order value fits shoppers going straight to a single category and buying from it.