Test archive / Collection page
Do new product badges lift conversion on a collection page?
A collection page listed its products without marking which ones were new. We tested a 'New' badge on selected products, alone and with those products moved to the top. Conversion fell 41.1% over 20 days, so we paused the test.
Lost Responsive 20 days Called at 90%
The hypothesis
By marking new products with a badge, we will draw more shoppers to them, resulting in more sales of those products while overall conversion holds or improves.
The merchandising team wanted new products on this collection to get more attention, and picked which ones to highlight. A badge is a light way to point them out without changing the page layout.
We ran 2 versions: the badge only, and a version that also moved the badged products to the top of the grid. Revenue per visitor was the main measure, since the goal was more sales of the new items without hurting the rest.
What we changed
We added a 'New' badge to selected products on the collection grid.
Var A added a small 'New' badge to the product cards of the new products the merchandising team picked. Var B added the same badges and moved those products to the top of the grid.
- 'New' badge on selected new products
- 'New' badge on selected new products
- Badged products moved to the top of the grid
The result
Shoppers preferred the page without badges, at -41.1% conversion.
Results were down from the start and stayed down. Over 20 days, conversion fell 41.1% and revenue per visitor fell 10.1%. Traffic to this collection was low, but the drop was steady enough that we paused the test rather than wait for more data.
Shoppers preferred the control, with no badges.
What we took from it
On this page, the badges likely made the grid harder to shop.
The badge likely added clutter to the product cards and pulled attention away from the products shoppers came for. A lighter approach, such as a separate row for new products, might draw attention without crowding the grid.