The Challenge

Bells of Steel’s mobile product pages were showing signs of under-performance. Conversion rates were lagging, and scroll behaviour indicated that users weren’t engaging deeply with the page content. We noticed that key trust-building elements—such as financing options, urgency cues, and shipping incentives—were either hidden too far down the page or displayed inconsistently across templates.

Our hypothesis was clear: by surfacing this critical decision-support content closer to the point of purchase, we could reduce hesitation and friction—ultimately driving stronger conversion rates, particularly on mobile.

The Approach

To validate this hypothesis, I led a series of A/B tests targeting high-impact UX adjustments. The goal was to improve clarity and trust without the overhead of a full redesign. We focused on lightweight, modular experiments that could be implemented quickly, tested rigorously, and scaled if successful.

Key Variations Tested:

1. Affirm “Pay in 4” Above the CTA

We moved the Affirm financing badge to a sticky area just above the “Add to Cart” button on mobile. This repositioning made the payment flexibility immediately visible at the decision point.

• Result: 6.5% lift in mobile conversion rate
• Bonus: 33% more users scrolled to the CTA section

2. Real Time Sales Badge (“Sold in Last 24h”)

We introduced a real-time, dynamic badge—like “14 Sold in Last 24h”—near the product CTA. This small addition was designed to build urgency and social validation.

• Result: 3.2% uplift in add-to-cart rate
• Notably: No increase in bounce or cart abandonment

3. Contextual Free Shipping Message

The generic top-bar promo was replaced with a contextual shipping message placed directly above the product title. We tested “Free Shipping on Orders $299+” to align with key purchasing thresholds.

• Result: 7.8% increase in sessions reaching checkout
• Observation: Notable increase in scroll depth within the hero section

Process & Tool set

Each test followed a data-driven design process:

• Conducted behavioural audits using Microsoft Clarity maps and GA4 funnel drop-offs
• Designed test variants in Figma
• Deployed variations via intelligems.com with minimal dev lift
• Reviewed performance weekly, iterating based on statistical confidence

This iterative CRO strategy ensured we were moving quickly without compromising rigour.

Outcomes & Business Impact

These micro-optimizations collectively delivered a 9.2% increase in mobile PDP conversion rates and an 11.3% uplift in add-to-cart rate compared to the control.

More importantly, the wins helped Bells of Steel close in on their Q2 conversion target of 1.2%, and then going further to hit 1.4%. The results led to permanent UX updates across the product template and influenced how CRO experiments were scoped and prioritized across teams.

Challenges & Constraints

Working within Shopify’s theme limitations posed some placement challenges, especially when layering in dynamic third-party content like the sold-count badge. Test sequencing also had to be carefully coordinated to avoid data contamination and ensure valid attribution.

Key Learnings

• Micro-placements can drive macro-results—full redesigns aren’t always needed
• Trust-building elements perform best when embedded near primary CTAs
• Users rarely scroll past the main purchase point on mobile—so hierarchy matters more than ever