Does a shop by color section on the homepage lift conversion?
Visitors were already browsing color-specific collection and product pages. We tested a shop by color section on the homepage in 2 positions. On average, conversion rose 21.3% and revenue per visitor 33.5% over 14 days.
Won Responsive 14 days Called at 90% Reviewed
The hypothesis
By adding a shop by color section to the homepage, we expect more visitors to reach products, because many shoppers start with a color in mind and need a faster route to it.
The products on this site are bought largely on looks, so color is a big part of the buying decision. Our analytics backed that up: color-specific collection pages and color-specific product pages drew steady traffic.
The homepage gave visitors no way to start with color. They had to find those pages through navigation or search. A shop by color section puts that choice up front, 1 step from a collection and 2 steps from a product page.
What we changed
We added a shop by color section to the homepage in 2 positions.
Variation A placed the new section first on the homepage. Variation B placed it second. Both variations ran on mobile and desktop. Each color led to its matching collection page. The existing sections stayed in place: most popular, best sellers and seasonal promotions.
- Shop by color added as the first section
- Each color linked to its collection / product page
- All existing homepage sections kept
- Shop by color added as the second section
- Each color linked to its collection / product page
- All existing homepage sections kept
The result
Conversion rose 21.3% and revenue per visitor 33.5% on average.
The best position depended on the device. On mobile, Variation A won with the section first: conversion rose 40.7% and revenue per visitor 69.8%. On desktop, Variation B won with the section second: conversion rose 32.9% and revenue per visitor 54.6%.
Revenue per visitor grew faster than conversion on both devices, so average order value rose too. More visitors bought, and they spent more per order.
Shane’s note
What surprised me was revenue per visitor outrunning conversion on both devices. People who shop by color aren't looking for a deal. Once they find their color, they buy more of it. and spend more."
What we took from it
Color belonged first on mobile and second on desktop.
On this site, color drives the buying decision, and visitors were already hunting for color pages. The new section gave them a direct way in. On mobile, the first section is most of what a visitor sees before scrolling, so leading with color paid off most there. On desktop, where more of the page fits on screen, the section did best in second place.