# A/B test: a visible search bar on mobile instead of an icon

> If search shows as a visible bar on mobile instead of a magnifying glass icon, then more people will search and reach a product page, because a bar invites typing and an icon gets overlooked.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/open-search-bar-on-mobile
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it can work

The mobile header is crowded: menu, logo, account, cart and the magnifying glass. The search icon is one small symbol among four others, and some people never notice it.

Someone who searches knows what they want, which puts them closer to buying. With a large catalogue, browsing menus on a phone is slow, and a bar that says “Search 2,000 products” saves that shopper half a minute of tapping.


## How to set it up

In Bixlow you describe the change to the agent, it builds it on your site and launches it as an A/B test once you approve it. A/B tests are on the paid plans, starting with Standard.

1. In the variant, a full-width search bar appears under the header, with example text: “Search by product or brand”.
2. Tapping it opens the search you already have, with its suggestions.
3. Decide whether the bar stays fixed on scroll or disappears; start with disappearing, it takes less space.
4. Run it on mobile only, on every page.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Visitors who reach a product page |
| Metric that must not get worse | Orders per visitor on mobile |
| Where it is measured | Product page visits and search usage |

_More searches is only good news if they lead to product pages and orders. People searching more and finding nothing can be a sign of weak search._


> **When I would not test it.** If you have twenty products, nobody needs to search: a good menu is enough. And if your search returns poor results (no plurals, no typo tolerance), fix that first; making it more visible only shows the problem to more people.


## FAQ

### How much space does the bar take?

A strip of about 50 pixels. That is why it should hide on scroll and come back when scrolling up, so it doesn't eat into product pages.

### What text goes inside the bar?

Something that says what can be searched: “Search by product, brand or code”. Avoid a bare “Search…”, which gives no hint.

### Does this apply to desktop too?

On desktop the bar is usually visible in the header already. If it isn't on your store, that can be another test, but start with mobile.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: delay the newsletter pop-up](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/delay-newsletter-popup)
- [What an A/B test is](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/ab-test)
- [A/B testing without a developer](https://bixlow.com/en/platform/ab-testing)