Boost helps you influence which products are more prominently displayed across listings, but understanding how Elevate reports on boost performance is equally important. This article explains how boost statistics are calculated.
What is counted toward boost statistics?
The Estimated Effect measures the relative increase or decrease in session activity caused by the boost.
It compares:
• Boosted group sessions – where the visitor saw products with an active boost
• Control group sessions – where the visitor qualified for the boost (e.g., correct market or audience), but was not included in the active boost group
Metrics such as clicks, displays, purchases, revenue, and profit are tracked across both groups to estimate the impact of the boost.
This allows Elevate to isolate the effect of the boost within the same conditions, while comparing sessions with and without the boost applied.
Sessions that interact with a product that is in the boost, but outside of the context, e.g. if the boost is limited to a particular page, but the session interacts with a product via a search result, are not considered at all.
Formula used
Estimated Effect =
(Activity in all sessions / Total number of sessions) ÷
(Activity in control group sessions / Number of control group sessions) − 1
This formula expresses the percentage change in activity between the two groups.
Example
Let’s say a boost action produced the following:
Control group: 5,000 sessions generated 10,000 clicks
Boosted group: 20,000 sessions generated 90,000 clicks
The calculation would look like this:
Average clicks per session (control group):
10,000 ÷ 5,000 = 2Average clicks per session (total):
(10,000 + 90,000) ÷ (5,000 + 20,000) = 4Estimated Effect:
4 ÷ 2 − 1 = 1.0 → +100%
This means the number of clicks increased by 100% as a result of the boost.
Data requirements for calculation
For metrics like Sold Units, Revenue, and Profit, Elevate requires at least 500 sold units in the control group to calculate the Estimated Effect. This ensures statistical reliability. If this threshold is not met, the corresponding metric will be highlighted in yellow in the interface.
Related question:
Q: If I boost a product, does all activity with that product count toward the boost?
A: No — only activity that occurs during the boost period and within the intended session context should count.
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