A survey among mobile site visitors revealed that 67% want to share products, with 80% preferring WhatsApp and 81% stating their reason as: to consult with others.

Van der Looy and De Groot removed the ‘Share this product’ link and replaced it with a ‘facilitating trigger’: a ‘Share via WhatsApp’ button accompanied by the supporting text ‘need to discuss?’. This was rolled out to two segments: returning and new visitors.

Visitors indeed share products to consult with others; the link recipients aren’t the buyers (only 1.7% of recipients place an order).

Both new and returning visitors use the share function more often in the test variant. However:

New visitors get disrupted from their purchase process by sharing and are more likely to abandon.

Returning visitors are actually helped by sharing in making their decision, resulting in better conversion.

A 9.2% uplift in orders within the returning visitor segment!

“By leveraging our data optimally, we’re better able to help our customers find the right products. We see winning this award as the crowning achievement of our work!” – Marijke van der Looy (e-commerce manager lampenlicht.nl)

“The case from lampenlicht.nl and Mintminds Digital Optimizers stands out for its effective use of tracking to measure the modified element throughout the test. The jury noted that the test setup included strong qualitative validation of the quantitative findings. Additionally, the analysis carefully examined behavioural differences between new and returning visitors. The jury views this test as a valuable learning experience, as it clearly demonstrates how visitor needs can be much better served.”