ASOS tested removing “Bestseller” and “Popular” badges from product listings.
Badges created comparison anxiety. Shoppers clicked badged items, then felt overwhelmed by choice. “If this is the bestseller, why are there 47 other options?” Paradox of choice kicked in. Browse time went up, purchases went down.
They stripped badges from category pages and only showed them on product detail pages after someone had already committed to clicking.
Conversion from category page to purchase increased 8%. Less noise, faster decisions.
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