Hypothesis
Suppressing the somewhat redundant product name in the breadcrumb trail will reduce visual distractions and result in higher RPV.
This is one of three breadcrumbs hypotheses being tested. Review early results from the SIMPLIFY BREADCRUMBS and REMOVE BREADCRUMBS experiments.
THE RESULTS SO FAR*
RESULTS DISTRIBUTION
*These results reflect the average findings of all participating merchants and are not guaranteed for all users.
THE EXPERIMENT IN ACTION
CONTROL – MOBILE
TREATMENT – MOBILE
What We Are Doing
We are suppressing the last level of the breadcrumb trail — the product name — on the treatment group and monitoring results.
Why We Are Doing It
Most merchants implement breadcrumb trails on their websites. They are a standard convention to help shoppers sort product views by category, determine which category the product is from, and find their way back if they make a wrong turn in their search. But even trusted conventions should be tested and optimized. For example, a product name breadcrumb that reloads the product page is redundant. Hiding it helps reduce visual distractions for the buyer, particularly on mobile devices.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
What It Means
Early on, suppressing the product name in the breadcrumb trail is resulting in a positive RPV lift for over 80% of merchants. The average RPV lift on mobile devices is particularly high — 17.21%.
Things to Consider
If the product name is not visible above the fold on a product page, the product name breadcrumb may be the only indicator of the product the user is viewing. Take note of this before removing the product name from the breadcrumb trail.
WHO SHOULD USE IT
We recommend this experiment for any merchants who currently use breadcrumb trails on their eCommerce site.
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