Updating the category link design led to severe declines across all metrics, with conversion rate dropping 20.1% and RPV falling 26.3%.
Updated Category Link Design
Goal
CVR
Result
-20.08% (CVR) CVR
Category
Collection Page (PLP)
Outcome
Loss Prevented
Before
After
IF we update the category link design to be more visually prominent and intuitive, THEN conversion rates will improve BECAUSE users will navigate to product categories more easily and discover relevant products faster.
The category link design was updated with new visual styling, sizing, and placement on the page. The links were redesigned to be more prominent with updated typography, color treatment, and hover states. The overall navigation pattern for accessing product categories was modified to test a different interaction model.
The Results
We dig through every data source to map what's actually broken. By the end, there's no confusion.
NaN%
Revenue change
-1.6%
visitors
-7.8%
Average order value
This was a significant loss across every metric — CR dropped -20.1%, orders fell -21.4%, AOV declined -7.8%, and RPV cratered -26.3%. The updated category link design clearly disrupted the established browsing pattern that users relied on to find products. The new interaction model created confusion and friction that cascaded through the entire funnel. This underscores how sensitive category navigation is to design changes — even well-intentioned visual updates can severely damage performance when they break familiar patterns.
Detailed results breakdown
Average order value
-7.8%
Lift in conversion rate
-20.1%
Change in revenue per visitor
-26.3%
Change in amount of orders
-21.4%
Revenue change
NaN%
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+1.0% Conversion rate
Search & Navigation
Simplified Navigation Bar
Simplifying the navigation bar produced modest positive trends across conversion rate, AOV, and RPV, but none reached statistical significance.
+2.35% (CVR) CVR
Product Page (PDP)
Streamlined Product Page Layout
Streamlining the product page layout drove a 9.0% conversion rate lift and 6.5% more orders, despite a decline in average order value.
+8.96% (CVR) CVR