Design & UX

Do Review Stars on Google Help Click-Through Rate? [Original Study]

You know when you search for something on Google sometimes you see review stars next to a search result?

Like here:

Does it work to attract more clicks?

Inspired by our study Which Types of Social Proof Work Best?, we set out to quantify review stars as a way to increase click-through rates (CTR) in search engine results pages.

What kind of improvement in CTR can we get from including review stars in search engine results, if any? What does that mean for application in your business? We attempt to answer these questions with hard data in this CXL Institute study.

Our research was performed in collaboration with Belron® International, a automotive glass replacement and repair group.

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Price Perceptions of Products with Utility Vs. Hedonism Copy [Original Research]

Inspired by some great feedback on our Ecommerce Price Perception and Image Size Study, we wanted to explore price perceptions again, this time related to differing product descriptions.

Do consumers find more value in a blender that makes creamy smoothies and shakes, or a blender with 750 watts of power? What type of product descriptions depict a seemingly high-value product, hedonic ones or utilitarian ones? In this CXL Institute study, we test three different products to explore this question.

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Internal Promotions vs Third-Party Banner Advertisements [Original Research]

We were asked recently about the effects of using internal promotions (e.g., a discounted product sold within the site) vs. third-party (from an outside business) banner advertising on web site clarity and visitor perceptions.

Our first study used the five-second test to examine whether ads on website homepages distract visitors from understanding a site’s purpose. This follow-up study looks for differences in user perceptions between ad types: internal promotions versus third-party ads.

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Which Site Seals Create The Most Trust? [Original Research]

When internet users share private information, they want to feel safe doing so.

One of the most popular ways to convey security on a website is by using trust badges (also referred to as “trust logos” or “site seals”).

This study, conducted by CXL Institute, expands on existing research from Baymard Institute’s research in 2013 to better understand the popularity and efficacy of various trust badges online.

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The Effects of Highlighting a "Recommended" Pricing Plan [Original Research]

Previously, CXL Institute published research we did on the order of pricing plans. This study on the effects of highlighting particular pricing plans is a continuation of that study. It has the same experimental design, except here we explicitly test a new variable – highlighting a plan with a different background color.

Similar to the first study, we manipulated the pricing page for a survey tool, SurveyGizmo, to see if there are different patterns of user perception and preference (choice of plan) for various layout designs (price plan order) when one particular plan is highlighted.

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