Countdown timer at checkout: -7.1% revenue per visitor (loss)
Test run byDave DiederenSyntra Labs
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a countdown timer to checkout cut revenue per visitor by 7.1% in Dave Diederen's test. Conversion rate fell 5.4% and average order value fell 1.8%. The control had about a 78.5% chance of being the better version.
- Revenue per visitor: -7.05% ($1.16 to $1.08). The tool estimated a loss of about $30,080 per month. Negative result.
- Conversion rate: -5.37% (2.55% to 2.42%). Fewer people finished checkout with the timer. Negative result.
- Average order value: -1.78% ($45.57 to $44.76). Slightly down.
- Probability to beat control: 21.5% for the timer. The tool favoured the version without it.
- Profit per visitor was not measured, because product costs weren't entered.
The change
The variant adds a countdown timer to checkout; exact placement was not shown.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The normal checkout page with no timer.
Variant
The same checkout with a countdown timer added. The post doesn't show the timer's design, wording or length.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- by checkout the shopper has already decided. A timer at that point can read as pressure, not help.
- urgency at the payment step may make people stop and question the offer, which adds friction where the page should feel calm.
- Diederen says checkout timers have lost across several brands lately, while timers earlier in the journey can still work. This test fits that view.
Caveats: Sample size and test length were not shared, and the revenue range ran from -23% to +12%, so the loss isn't certain. The claim that this repeats across brands is the practitioner's view; only this test's data was shown.
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 remove the countdown timer from checkout, then more shoppers will complete payment because the final step feels calmer and more trustworthy.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor
- Guardrails
- Checkout completion rate
- Average order value
- Promo code usage
- Who should test it
- Any store that currently runs a checkout timer, especially one that won a test years ago. Keep timers for earlier steps like the navbar, product page or cart, where they may still help.
Questions
Do countdown timers at checkout increase sales?
Not in this test. The checkout timer lowered revenue per visitor by 7.1% and conversion rate by 5.4%.
Where do countdown timers work better?
Dave Diederen suggests the navbar, product page and cart, where urgency can push a decision. This test only measured checkout.
Should I remove my checkout timer?
Diederen recommends retesting it against a version without the timer. That's a cheap test, and this result suggests it may pay off.
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