Shopify Mobile Menu A/B Test: Why the First Redesign Lowered Revenue per Visitor by 18.7%

TL;DR

A European car diagnostics brand sells an OBD2 scanner alongside a paid app that unlocks hidden car features, advanced diagnostics and service tools.

On mobile, the navigation menu is the main route to the products. The original menu showed three text links, Products, Supported Cars and More, and left shoppers to work out which product they needed.

As part of our Shopify A/B testing programme for the store, we redesigned the menu and tested it against the original. The first variation lowered revenue per visitor by 18.7%, and it shaped the version that later won.

The challenge: a small range behind a menu of page links

A car diagnostics scanner is a considered purchase. Shoppers want to know two things before they buy: does it work with my car, and which product do I need?

The store sells a small range, and revenue is concentrated: in our June 2026 audit, the top three products drove 94.7% of revenue. Mobile is also the stronger device here, converting at 0.19% against 0.12% on desktop.

A menu that slows mobile shoppers down costs this store more than most.

The research: what the menu needed to answer

We looked at the menu through analytics, a walkthrough of the mobile store, and what customers said in surveys and reviews as part of our Shopify CRO research.

• ✓Compatibility: 24 survey mentions named support for their exact car as the deciding factor.
• ✓Compatibility doubt: 19 negative signals came from shoppers who couldn't confirm their car was supported before buying.
• ✓Revenue concentration: the top three products drove 94.7% of the store's revenue.

The hypothesis: rebuild the menu around the products

If we rebuild the mobile menu around the products, mobile shoppers will reach the right product faster, increasing revenue per visitor.

The variation: a redesigned mobile menu

The variation replaced the original three-link menu with a redesigned version. Its execution differed from the later winning menu, which put a compatibility check and product cards at the top.

The test measured the combined effect of these changes and does not isolate any single element.

The results: -18.7% revenue per visitor in 8 days

We ran the test in Intelligems, comparing the original mobile menu with the variation.

The loss came from conversion: 20.1% fewer visitors completed a purchase, while the shoppers who did buy spent slightly more.

A drop of that size was clear within 8 days, so the variation did not need a full two-week cycle to show its direction.

What this test taught us about mobile navigation

Mobile shoppers use a menu by habit, so a change to it shows up in revenue faster than almost any other test.

The loss did not prove the original menu was right. It showed that this execution got in the shopper's way.

We kept the hypothesis and went back to the research. The next version put a compatibility check and product cards at the top of the menu, and lifted revenue per visitor by 11.8% and conversion rate by 9.7%. It is now live on the store.

Find out what your mobile shoppers need to see first

We plan, build and run A/B tests for Shopify stores, grounded in customer research rather than guesswork. Get in touch to find out what to test next.