A/B test: show three-star reviews as well
If we also show three-star reviews instead of filtering down to five-star ones, then add to cart will rise, because a product with no downsides at all looks less believable.
By Fernando Blanco Dosil · Updated November 2, 2026
Why it can work
Twenty five-star reviews in a row don't reassure people, they make them suspicious. Everyone knows no product pleases everybody, so when there isn't a single complaint, shoppers assume someone deleted them.
A three-star review saying “Lovely, but runs small, size up” does two things: it makes the rest believable and it answers a practical question. Sometimes the critical review is the most useful one on the page.
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.
- Check what shows now: many review widgets sort by rating or filter to the best ones by default.
- In the variant, sort by most recent or most helpful, with no rating filter, so three-star reviews appear where they naturally fall.
- If you have replied to critical reviews, show your replies underneath: a good reply sells.
- Run it on product pages with enough reviews for the change to be noticeable.
What to measure
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Primary metric | Add to cart per product page visitor |
| Metric that must not get worse | Orders per visitor |
| Where it is measured | Clicks on “Add to cart” on the pages in the test |