Win Report: How improving first impressions increased conversions by 19%

Published: June 2024

Win Reports help you to grow your business by showing our methodology at work. Each article highlights a real-world test, sharing the research, insights, and techniques that led to the win.

In the next three minutes, we’ll show you how changing the default order of listings grew conversions by 19% for one client.
The image shows the original and variation screens beside each other.

Trusted by Headspace, Pinterest, and Revolut, Mobbin is the world’s largest mobile and web design reference library. Subscribers take inspiration from over 300,000 searchable screens, UI elements, and workflows.

The original page (or control)

Visitors to Mobbin’s website see a grid of screens from the moment they land on the homepage. The company’s business is built on the collection and curation of digital assets, so in one sense, the listings are the product.

The image shows the screens list on the homepage, ordered by most recent.
The Control: The results show the most recent screens added to this part of Mobbin’s library.

During our user tests, we noted the “gravitational pull” that the listings had on our participants, particularly the persuasive power of recognizable, big-brand assets. This was not surprising as users were keen to learn from best-in-class apps. However, these well-known apps weren’t always what first-time visitors saw.

One of Mobbin’s USPs is the speed and regularity of its updates. As a consequence, each listing was ordered by recency, ensuring that subscribers would see new assets often. Although this made sense for subscribers, it has some downsides for users assessing the service:

  • The most recent assets may not be the most attractive or useful.
  • The listing can be “stuffed” with multiple screens from a single app.

How could we reorder the listings to improve Mobbin’s conversion rate?

The tested page (or variation)

To test an alternative approach, we utilized a recently added “Sort by” function. This allowed the default listings to be ordered by Most Popular.

The screens list is now ordered by popularity.
The Variation: The listing shows the most popular screens in this part of Mobbin’s library.

Although the “most popular” results will change depending on the area of interest, the listings are more likely to surface well-known or well-regarded brands. In this example, the screens come from apps like:

  • Netflix
  • Wise
  • Revolut
  • Klarna
  • Affirm

Would defaulting to best-in-class apps like these improve Mobbin’s conversion rate?

Result: Conversions increased by 19%

During the test, we observed a 19% increase in transactions and a massive 48% lift in user engagement with the listings themselves.

This test channels what traditional brick-and-mortar stores have known for decades—that putting your most-popular products front-and-center builds attention, engagement and sales.

First impressions matter. Are you putting your best foot forward?

What next?

As usual, we added the test to our proprietary Wins Database, then looked for ways to apply its lessons to other parts of Mobbin’s business and then to other clients.

If you want us to grow your profits—quickly and efficiently—check if you qualify for a free one-on-one strategy session with one of our CRO consultants.

We’ll only work with you if we believe we can get amazing results together. Our success has come entirely from positive word of mouth, and we plan to keep it that way.

Thanks to Mobbin for letting us share these insights (and lending their expertise to the interface design).

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