Loan form hidden behind an 'Apply' button: +7% applications
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsHiding the loan application form behind a green Apply button, instead of showing it in a sidebar, lifted conversions by 7%.
Northmill ran the test on its Easycredit payday loan page in Sweden, and it was published as a VWO case study. The test ran for about five months.
- Loan applications: +7% conversions for the collapsed form version.
- The test ran for about five months, which helps smooth out weekly and seasonal swings.
- No sample size or confidence level was shared.
The change
The always-visible sidebar form is replaced by an Apply button that opens it.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The payday loan page showed the full application form in a sidebar next to the page content.
Variant
The form was collapsed. Visitors opened it by clicking a green Apply button in the top right corner.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- An open form asks for commitment right away. Hiding it lets visitors read about the loan first, with less on screen to process.
- Visitors who click Apply have already chosen to start, so they may be more likely to finish.
- A single bright button gives one clear next step instead of a block of fields competing with the content.
Caveats: Results are reported by the company through a vendor case study, with no sample size or significance figures. The audience was credit-impaired borrowers in Sweden, which may not match yours.
Who ran it
Northmill ran this test and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Northmill →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we hide the application form behind a clear Apply button, then more visitors will complete an application because they can read the offer first without facing a form.
- Primary metric
- Completed applications per visitor
- Guardrails
- Apply button click-through rate
- Form completion rate after opening
- Approval or funded rate of applications
- Who should test it
- Lead-gen and finance businesses with long forms beside their content. It may not help if your form is very short, or if visitors arrive already ready to apply from a targeted ad.
Questions
Should a lead form always be visible on the page?
Not always. Northmill got 7% more applications by hiding its form behind an Apply button, likely because visitors could read the offer first.
Does adding a click before the form hurt conversions?
It can, but here the extra click did not.
The button may filter for visitors who have decided to apply.
How long should a form test run?
Long enough to cover full weekly cycles and reach a planned sample.
Northmill ran this one for about five months.
Seer Interactive