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Default Review Sort Order A/B Test on Product Pages

The default sort determines which reviews visitors see first.

  • Product page
  • Purchase conversion rate (CR)

Option A vs Option B

The sequence is the variable.

Changed
Order
Page
Product page
Difference
changed

Hypothesis

“Newest” surfaces recent experiences; “most helpful” uses helpfulness votes, neither of which guarantees a balanced view. Change only the default order, keeping the review set and users’ ability to choose another order unchanged.

How to run this test

Primary metric

Purchase conversion rate (CR)

Compare purchases per assigned visitor under the two review-sorting defaults.

Other metrics

  • Review visibility depthCount reviews entering the viewport; visibility does not prove they were read.
  • Sort change rateTrack manual changes without treating each change as dissatisfaction.
  • Return rateTrack returns after the same follow-up period in both arms.
  • Exit rate after review exposureReview exits in sessions exposed to reviews; do not use this subset instead of the outcome for all assigned visitors.

What to check before and during the test

  • Default sortSet either newest or most helpful as the default.
  • Review mixCheck which ratings appear first without removing negative reviews.
  • Visitor controlProvide the same sorting options in both arms.
  • Visitor historyReview new and returning visitors separately.
  • Review volumeReview predefined review-count groups, including products with few reviews.

Setup mistakes to avoid

  1. 1Do not exclude negative reviews from sorting entirely.
  2. 2Keep helpfulness votes from being manipulated.
  3. 3Do not change how reviews are collected during the test.
  4. 4Do not change sorting and review-card design together.
  5. 5Use clear labels for each sorting option.