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Simplifying the Menu Item Set: Navigation A/B Test

Fewer submenu items may make the initial menu easier to scan.

  • UI elements
  • Purchase conversion rate (CR)

Control vs Variant

Absent on one side, present on the other.

Changed
Presence
Page
UI elements
Difference
removed

Hypothesis

It may also move useful categories farther away. Define removed items and remaining access paths in advance, then compare purchases alongside access to affected categories.

How to run this test

Primary metric

Purchase conversion rate (CR)

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

Other metrics

  • 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.

What to check before and during the test

  • 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.

Setup mistakes to avoid

  1. 1Do not remove primary categories altogether.
  2. 2Avoid removing so many subcategories that discovery is limited.
  3. 3Keep iconography and visual style unchanged.
  4. 4Do not let the sticky mobile menu cover important content.
  5. 5Do not add performance-heavy features alongside the menu change.