Three-quarters of SportsShoes.com’s traffic now comes from mobile. For the UK’s number one online retailer for running, gym and hiking gear, the mobile channel is vital and mobile optimization is therefore a top priority.
A recent test of social proof messaging focused on mobile and animated icons, and resulted in a 1.07% uplift in conversion rate, 300 additional orders, £41,800 in incremental revenue, and a projected annual ROI of 251%.
Mobile as the primary driver
SportsShoes.com sells a 12,000-strong product range spanning leading brands like Nike, Adidas and New Balance, backed by expert guidance including free online gait analysis and training advice hubs. Its customers are athletes and fitness enthusiasts who are often on the move, and increasingly shopping on the go.
“Mobile is the primary driver for our business, accounting for more than three-quarters (76%) of our traffic. It’s therefore vital to optimize any way we have of engaging our customers and offering the best experience we can on mobile.” – Sian Wells, Senior Performance Marketing Manager at SportsShoes.com
That’s the mindset behind SportsShoes.com’s latest test with Taggstar, a partner it’s worked with since 2020 to support product decision-making for both existing customers and those acquired during the pandemic.
The test: animated icons, built for mobile attention spans
SportsShoes.com already knew that social proof works on mobile, but the team wanted to create a more engaging experience to drive even better results,
The Taggstar team introduced animated icons layered onto existing social proof messages, including “Athletes’ Choice — X sold in X hours” and “Trending — X sold in X hours.” The moving icons were designed to catch the shopper’s eye and draw attention to key messaging, while staying tightly aligned with SportsShoes.com’s brand identity.
The full-funnel test ran for 46 days, from 16 February to 17 April 2026, comparing animated icons against the retailer’s current messaging across mobile.
The results
On the mobile site, animated icons delivered:
- 1.07% uplift in conversion rate
- 300 additional orders
- £41,800 in incremental revenue
- 251% projected annual ROI
For a retailer where mobile drives the majority of the business revenue, a mobile-specific lift of this size has an outsized effect on the bottom line.
What’s next
Following the impressive results, SportsShoes.com is implementing animated icons into its app experience and testing further messaging formats, including Brand Bestseller messaging. Review Messaging is next in line to combine social proof with customer ratings.
If most of your traffic is mobile, your biggest optimization opportunities probably are too. SportsShoes.com’s results show that small, well-targeted changes to the social proof mobile experience can translate directly into orders and revenue at scale.
Want to see what social proof could do for your mobile conversion rate? Get started with Taggstar or read the full SportsShoes.com case study.
