"Order reserved" checkout timer: +9.50% conversion rate
Test run byDave DiederenSyntra Labs
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding an "order reserved" countdown timer to checkout lifted conversion rate by 9.50% and revenue per visitor by 4.83% for a US brand. Dave Diederen ran this test and shared a second run with +5.39% conversion and +3.49% revenue per visitor. In both, average order value dipped.
- Conversion rate: +9.50% (4.28% to 4.69%), with a range of 1% to 18%.
- Revenue per visitor: +4.83% ($2.96 to $3.10), estimated at about $81,759 extra per month. The range crossed zero (-6% to +17%).
- Average order value: -4.26% ($69.03 to $66.09). Shoppers added less to each order.
- Second test: +5.39% conversion rate, +3.49% revenue per visitor and -1.81% order value.
The change
An order-reserved countdown banner added above express checkout.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The standard checkout, with express payment, contact and delivery fields, and no timer.
Variant
A green banner at the top of checkout said the order was reserved, with a countdown in minutes and seconds, above the express checkout buttons.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- a reserved-order message adds gentle urgency, so fewer people leave checkout to think it over.
- the same urgency seems to cut the urge to go back and add more items, which explains the lower order value.
- framing it as a reservation sounds like a service rather than pressure.
Caveats: Revenue per visitor ranges crossed zero in both tests, and sample sizes and durations were not shared. The checkout pictured was a visual example, not the tested store, and profit was not reported.
Who ran it
Dave Diederen (@DaveDiederen) shared this test on X. The numbers and screenshots are theirs.
View the original post on X
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show an order-reserved countdown at the top of checkout, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers feel a reason to finish now.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Refund rate
- Customer complaints
- Who should test it
- US stores with a checkout they can customise and a fair amount of checkout drop-off. It may backfire for high-priced items where buyers need time, or if the timer looks fake to your audience.
Questions
Do countdown timers at checkout work?
In these two tests, an order-reserved timer lifted conversion rate by 9.50% and 5.39%. Revenue per visitor rose too, though less.
Do checkout timers lower average order value?
They did here, by 4.26% and 1.81%. The conversion gain more than made up for it.
What should a checkout timer say?
This version said the order was reserved, followed by a countdown in minutes and seconds.
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