“Will this part fit my bike?” BIKE24’s Bike Matrix test boosts conversion rate 69%

There’s a fair chance you’ve kept an eye on developments regarding Bike Matrix, an idea firmly within the ‘how come no one has thought of that before’ category. It mission is to solve component compatibility for the entire bicycle industry.

And now its been put to the test by one of the largest online bike retailers on the planet – BIKE24 – and the results are in (and very positive indeed).

A comprehensive 50-day A/B test involved 6.6 million user sessions, between 13 August to 30 September 2025, and effectively proved that providing clear, accurate component compatibility information at the point of sale dramatically improves key business metrics and solves one of the largest points of friction in cycling e-commerce.

For online retailers, the question “Will this part fit my bike?” is a primary driver of cart abandonment, customer support inquiries, and costly returns.

“‘Will this part fit my bike?’ might be the most expensive question in cycling – not just in money, but in time and frustration,” said Peter Ebert, Digital Product Manager at BIKE24. “Most cyclists don’t want to become experts in bottom bracket standards. They have a passion for RIDING bikes, not studying technical specifications.”

To solve this, BIKE24 partnered with Bike Matrix, whose technology platform allows customers to select their specific bike and then browse the store’s catalogue, seeing clear visual indicators of which parts are compatible.

The Test 

The 50-day A/B test was designed to measure the impact of this technology on shoppers browsing for parts. The results for customers who engaged with the feature by selecting their bike were pretty conclusive:

• Conversion Rate: +69%
• Average Order Value (AOV): +12.1%
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): +89.4%
• Return Rate: -10%

Customer feedback from 738 surveyed users reinforced the quantitative data. 92.7% stated the compatibility information was valuable, with 24.3% calling it “Extremely valuable – I wouldn’t buy components without it.”

“When the product team first presented Bike Matrix to me, I was immediately convinced. It helps our customers find compatible parts for their bikes quickly and reliably – real added value for every cyclist.” Andrés Martin-Birner, CEO of BIKE24. “At the same time, it reduces customer service inquiries and prevents returns. I’m convinced that in the future, a tool like this will become indispensable. Bike Matrix has a real opportunity to become an industry standard in the cycling sector.”

The partnership combined BIKE24’s scale, complex catalogue, and sophisticated testing infrastructure with Bike Matrix’s specialised bike and component database and proprietary compatibility technology.

“Seeing our solution rigorously tested at scale and ultimately thrive across such a large sample size has been incredibly validating,” said Lyndal Bailey, Head of Operations and Co-Founder of Bike Matrix. “It proved that the solution we’ve built solves a major problem… Moving forward, being able to shop by bike will be an industry standard.”

Understanding Adoption and Future Potential

During the test period, 6.25% of parts purchases were made by users who had selected a bike. The partners note that this initial adoption rate represents a significant opportunity for growth.

“What really blows me away is what happens when customers actually USE Bike Matrix,” added Ebert. “That tells me the main challenge isn’t proving the value – it’s getting people to experience it for the first time… Once customers register their bike and feel that confidence… they don’t want to go back.”

The focus now will be on streamlining the user experience and helping retailers improve feature visibility to increase this adoption rate, which would scale the positive business impact proportionally.

The test results signal a significant shift in customer expectations. As compatibility-checking technology becomes more common, retailers who adopt it are likely to gain a significant advantage in customer experience, conversion, and retention, so said Bike Matrix. For component manufacturers, this technology lowers invisible barriers to purchase, ensuring their compatible products are seen by customers ready to buy.

“This test proves, not only that Bike Matrix works at scale, but that customers value the ability to ‘shop by bike’ and will expect it from their retailers,” said Adam Townsend, Head of Compatibility and Co-Founder of Bike Matrix. “Buying Bike Parts is hard. In the industry, it’s easy to forget how much you know, and take for granted. We knew Bike Matrix was the solution to compatibility confusion for riders and industry professionals, but we needed social proof to show the industry just how big the problem was and prove that there was a better way.”

For those without a foot in the online retail world – and they make up a significant portion of the industry – the compatibility matrix also has significant implications for those working the shop floor and advising customers arriving in store and also in the workshop – something that the Bike Matrix team talked about at length with CIN here.