# A/B test: sort categories by bestsellers instead of newest

> If your listings' default sort changes from "newest" to "bestsellers", then more visitors will open product pages, because the first thing they see is what other customers like most.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/sort-by-bestsellers
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it might work

Almost nobody changes the sort order of a listing. Whatever you put at the top is what most people see, and on mobile that is four to six products. Many platforms sort by date added, so the top spots go to whatever was uploaded last, sometimes without good photos or reviews.

Sorting by sales puts at the top what has already proven it convinces people. It is a one-setting change with no design work, which is why it is one of the first things I would test in a store with a long catalogue.


## 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.

1. Check that your platform can sort by sales and over what time window (the last 30 or 90 days is usually sensible).
2. In the variant, change the default sort on category listings to "bestsellers".
3. Leave the sort selector as it is, so people who want new arrivals can still find them.
4. Run it across all categories, for all traffic.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Clicks to a product page from the listing |
| Metric that must not get worse | Orders per visitor |
| Where it is measured | Category listings |


> **When I would not test it.** If your customers are regulars who come back every week to see what is new, sorting by sales shows them the same things every time and may bore them. There I would run the change for new visitors only.


## FAQ

### Isn't this the same as the home page idea?

Same reasoning, different place. On the home page you choose one block; here you change the order of the whole catalogue, which touches many more visits.

### What about products that never make it to the top?

That is the side effect: what sells keeps selling. If it worries you, pin a couple of new arrivals in the top spots, but that is another variant.

### Which sales window should I use?

One that reflects what people like right now. With a full year, last winter's coat can top the list in July.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: a second image on the product card](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/second-image-on-product-card)
- [How to write a CRO hypothesis](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/cro-hypothesis)
- [Sample size calculator](https://bixlow.com/en/tools/sample-size-calculator)