Do star ratings below the product title lift mobile sales?
Our mobile product pages showed star ratings apart from the title. We moved them below the title and simplified them. Conversion moved 2.0% in 9 days, and revenue per visitor fell 2.4%.
Not significant Mobile 9 days Not called
The hypothesis
By moving the star ratings and review count right below the product title and making them easier to read, we will build confidence with less effort, resulting in more mobile shoppers buying.
On the mobile product page, the star ratings and reviews sat apart from the product name, with a rating number, stars and review count all competing for attention.
We wanted shoppers to take in the rating at a glance. Placing it right under the title ties the reviews to the product, and a simpler format cuts what shoppers have to read.
What we changed
We moved star ratings below the product title and simplified them.
The control showed the title with the star ratings and review details placed elsewhere in the top section. Var A moved the reviews to sit right below the title. Var B did the same, then made the stars larger, removed the rating number, and put the review count in parentheses. The test ran on cream and capsule product pages, on mobile.
- Star ratings and reviews moved below title
- Reviews moved below title
- Stars made larger
- Rating number removed
- Review count shown in parentheses
The result
Conversion moved 2.0% in 9 days, not enough to call a winner.
Conversion rose 2.0% and revenue per visitor fell 2.4%, and neither cleared our confidence bar. Average order value was about 4% lower.
Var A, which only moved the reviews, showed a large drop in conversion and revenue. Var B, with the larger and simpler stars, dropped far less. We paused after 9 days to stop the loss in Var A and test the star changes on their own.
What we would do next
Test the larger, simpler stars without moving the reviews.
Moving the reviews alone hurt, while the version with larger, simpler stars held up better. That pointed to the star styling, not the new position, as the part with promise. Our next test ran the star emphasis by itself.