50+ conversion experiments across D2C brands, including the ones that failed.
Not every test wins. In fact, roughly 40% of our tests failed. But that is the point.
We ran disciplined experiments with clear hypotheses, measured rigorously, and learned from both wins and losses.
Flygrubs (chicken feed, US market) · Collection page
Hypothesis: Highlighting subscription benefits and bestseller products on the collection page will increase conversion and subscription sign-ups.
Rationale: Why the collection page? It had the most organic and paid traffic. More traffic means bigger impact.
| Metric | Control | Variant | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion rate | 6.53% | 7.68% | +17.5% |
| Add to cart rate | 13.80% | 15.03% | +9% |
| Avg session duration | 4:32 | 4:41 | +3% |
| Odds to win | – | 95% | – |
| Metric | Control | Variant | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion rate | 10.75% | 12.38% | +15.2% |
| AOV | $43.94 | $46.58 | +6% |
| Odds to win | – | 97% | – |
Outcome: Winner. Implemented site-wide.
Learning: Customers needed clearer subscription value props at the browsing stage, not just on the product page.
KettlebellKings (fitness equipment, US market) · Site-wide theme and product detail pages
Hypothesis: Upgrading to the latest theme version and adding A+ content on product pages will improve engagement and conversion.
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall CVR | 1.97% | 2.48% | +25.8% |
| Sessions with PDP views | 42.4% | 53.8% | +26.8% |
Outcome: Winner. Major conversion lift from the combined improvements.
Learning: Sometimes you need a bigger swing (a full theme upgrade) rather than incremental tweaks.
RDN (home decor, US market) · Homepage hero section
Hypothesis: A custom hero section based on competitive research will increase product discovery and engagement.
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Product views | +30.88% |
| Engagement | +20.36% |
| Bounce rate | +8.13% (worse) |
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Product views | +0.67% |
| Engagement | +1.49% |
| Bounce rate | −0.80% (better) |
Outcome: Partial win. Mobile showed a significant product view lift; desktop was flat. We implemented it for mobile and iterated on desktop.
Learning: Mobile and desktop users behave differently. Sometimes you need device-specific solutions.
Silvon (bedding, US market) · Homepage
Hypothesis: A new homepage template with better information hierarchy and competitive positioning will improve revenue.
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Conversion rate | +34.40% |
| Scroll depth | +6.78% |
| Bounce rate | +1.31% (slightly worse) |
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Scroll depth | +23.92% |
| Avg session duration | +4.84% |
| Conversion rate | −13.64% |
Outcome: Split decision. Desktop revenue significantly up; mobile engagement up but revenue down. We implemented the desktop version and continued iterating on mobile.
Learning: Longer sessions do not always mean more purchases. Mobile users may have been overwhelmed by the additional content.
KettlebellKings (fitness equipment, US market) · Homepage and product pages
Hypothesis: Adding customer videos will increase social proof, engagement and conversion.
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Engagement | +7.19% |
| Avg session duration | +7.19% |
| Bounce rate | −0.08% (slightly better) |
| Revenue goal | −1.81% |
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Engagement | −5.07% |
| Avg session duration | −0.53% |
| Revenue goal | −1.92% |
Outcome: Failed. Engagement improved on mobile but did not translate to revenue. Desktop was worse across the board.
Learning: Video content can increase time on site without improving conversion. Users may have been distracted rather than persuaded. We reverted and focused on static social proof instead.
Baby Merlin (baby products, US market) · Product detail page
Hypothesis: Adding UGC images, testimonials and detailed benefits below the fold will improve engagement and conversion.
| Metric | Desktop | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| CVR | −10.5% | −2.47% |
| ATC rate | −14.7% | −14.4% |
| Session duration | −10.3% | −13.4% |
Outcome: Failed. All metrics declined.
Learning: More content is not always better. For the Baby Merlin audience of new parents, the original concise product page was more effective: they wanted quick answers, not more information to process.
Results often diverged significantly between devices.
Especially for audiences seeking quick decisions.
Longer sessions and more scroll depth do not automatically mean more purchases.
If you are winning 90%+ of tests, you are not being ambitious enough.
3% here, 5% there, 15% there. It adds up to 25%+ over time.