Payment options shown in the mini cart: +1.7% conversion, inconclusive
Test run byClean CommitCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsListing accepted payment methods and partial-payment options in the mini cart raised conversion rate by 1.7%, which is too small to call.
Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store over 19 days.
The variant had a 63.8% probability of beating the original.
- Conversion rate: +1.7% (primary metric), with a 63.8% probability to beat the original. Inconclusive.
- Revenue per visitor: +1.3%. Within normal variation.
- Average order value: -0.5%. Flat.
- Desktop leaned positive at +3.8% conversion, while mobile was flat at -0.2%. Neither is a clear result.
The change
The variant adds payment method icons and partial-payment options to the mini cart.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The mini cart showed no information about payment methods.
Variant
The mini cart listed the store's accepted payment gateways and highlighted partial-payment options. The product page stayed the same.
Why it likely came out this way
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Shoppers at the cart stage may already know they can pay, since the checkout shows payment options anyway.
- Partial-payment options may matter mainly for high-priced items, so the effect could be diluted across all orders.
- Extra content in a small drawer competes with the checkout button for attention.
Caveats: 51,409 visitors over 19 days, with a 63.8% probability to beat the original. Device results are sub-segments and not conclusive.
Who ran it
Clean Commit ran this test for a Shopify store (anonymized) and published the results (Clean Commit A/B test library). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Clean Commit →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show accepted payment methods and partial-payment options in the mini cart, then conversion rate will rise because shoppers feel more confident about how they can pay.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Checkout start rate
- Mobile conversion rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with higher-priced products where pay-later options can ease the decision. For low-priced items, shoppers rarely worry about payment, so expect little change.
Questions
Do payment icons in the cart increase conversions?
Not clearly in this test. Conversion rose 1.7% with a 63.8% chance of beating the original, which is too weak to act on.
Should I promote pay-later options in the cart?
It may help for expensive items, but test it.
In this case it made little difference overall.
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