Simplifying the Menu Item Set: Navigation A/B Test

Simplification is worth trying when menu click data shows some submenu items are almost never chosen, or session recordings show visitors scanning a long list by eye. With the leaner menu, visitors should reach their target category in fewer steps and less time while category coverage rate holds steady. If rarely chosen items are skipped because their names are unclear, look at the naming first. Write down up front which items you will remove and which other paths lead to them; leave primary categories in place and do not ship anything that slows the page alongside the menu change.

Purchase conversion rate (CR)

Compare purchases among all eligible assigned visitors over the same follow-up period; category discovery helps explain the result.

Also track

• Time to reach a categoryUse the same start and category-arrival events in both arms.
• Navigation stepsCount clicks or selections needed to reach predefined target categories.
• Category coverage rateTrack visitors who reach a product page within predefined target categories.
• Search usageTrack searches for items removed from the menu; more search is not automatically a failure.

• RemovalRemove only predefined subcategory links.
• AccessKeep other navigation paths to target pages available.
• StepsUse the same event definitions to compare navigation paths.
• ArrivalMeasure time from the same start event to the target category; report visitors who never arrive.
• DiscoveryReview access to affected categories and overall product discovery.

1. 1Let purchase conversion among all assigned visitors pick the winner. Do not treat a rise in search usage as failure on its own, but if searches for removed items climb while category coverage rate falls, the simplification may have narrowed discovery too far.
2. 2Read the effect in the categories tied to the removed items, not only in the overall average; overall conversion can hold steady while those categories lose out. Report visitors who never reach the target separately from time to reach a category, or the time will look better than it is.
3. 3Keep icons and visual style the same throughout, and check that the sticky mobile menu does not cover critical areas; either problem makes it hard to tie the gap to the number of items. If the affected categories get little traffic, the difference may stay unclear for a while. Get the visitors needed per arm from the sample size calculator using those categories' conversion rate and the minimum effect you want to catch, then divide by their daily visitors per arm to see how many days you need.