Persistent navigation bars – or “sticky headers” – are now a web design standard.
Sticky navigation works best with retail, e-commerce and other types of ‘actionable’ sites – sites where the designer intends a specific action, such as a click to purchase a product. In those cases, sticky navigation has been shown to significantly improve the customer experience, as well as keeping users oriented and giving them more control.
In pages with lots of content and long scroll, navigation must be friendly and intuitive. Clear and understandable in-page navigation helps visitors make a smooth journey through the content on the page in a manageable way. While in the past this was achieved by ‘back to top’ links, today it’s sticky navigation that does the job.
On online stores using sticky headers, customers are able to see the number of items in cart and access search and navigation menu at all times and without a need to scroll, which impoves user experience and is proven to increase conversion rates.