Does a wider search box with hint text lift conversion?
Our site header had a compact search box. We tested a wider box with hint text that told shoppers what they could search for. Desktop conversion fell 17.6% over 18 days, so we paused the test.
Lost Desktop 18 days Called at 90%
The hypothesis
By widening the header search box and adding instructional hint text, we will get more shoppers to notice and use search, resulting in a higher conversion rate, since search users already show stronger purchase intent.
Shoppers who use site search already show stronger purchase intent than shoppers who browse. We expected a bigger box and clearer hint text to draw more shoppers into search.
The test ran on desktop, where the header has room for a wider box.
What we changed
We widened the header search box and rewrote its hint text.
Var A widened the search box in the site header and the preview dropdown that opens under it. The hint text changed to an instruction that invited shoppers to search by flower, color or style. The rest of the header stayed the same.
- Header search box widened
- Hint text: search by flower, color or style
- Search preview dropdown widened to match
The result
The wider search box cut desktop conversion by 17.6%.
Conversion fell 17.6% against the control over 18 days on desktop. Revenue per visitor also came in lower, but a few large orders in the control inflated that gap, so we judged the test on conversion. The drop in conversion was the deciding factor, and we paused the test.
What we took from it
A bigger search box pulled focus away from the main calls to action.
Our read is that the wider box changed how shoppers scanned the header. It drew the eye away from the main calls to action, so more shoppers browsed instead of taking a clear next step. On this site, search worked better as a quiet tool in the header than as a focal point.