Checkout steps and fields redesigned: +2% user conversion rate
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsRedesigning several checkout steps and form fields raised user conversion rate by 2%.
Endless Gain ran these experiments for Fragrance Direct, a UK beauty retailer, and the work was published as a VWO case study.
Many changes shipped together, so the lift belongs to the redesign as a whole, not to any one change.
- User conversion rate: +2% from the checkout improvements.
- This is a bundled result. It may combine several experiments, so it can't be credited to one change.
- No sample size, duration or confidence level was shared.
Control
The original checkout had steps and fields that research flagged as causing friction for shoppers.
Variant
Several checkout steps and the fields within them were redesigned to reduce friction. The specific changes were not described.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Checkout is where buyers have the most intent, so removing friction there turns more of them into orders.
- Fewer or clearer fields mean less effort and fewer errors before payment.
- The changes came from several pieces of research, so they targeted known problems rather than guesses.
Caveats: This was a bundle of checkout changes, possibly across several experiments, and the case study does not say what changed. No sample size, duration or significance was published.
Who ran it
Endless Gain ran this test for Fragrance Direct 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 Endless Gain →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we remove the checkout steps and fields that research shows cause friction, then more shoppers will finish their order because checkout takes less effort.
- Primary metric
- Checkout completion rate
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Payment errors
- Email sign-up rate at checkout
- Who should test it
- Stores where analytics or user research show drop-off inside checkout. If your platform's checkout is locked or already streamlined, there may be little to gain.
Questions
How much can a checkout redesign lift conversion?
Fragrance Direct saw a 2% lift in user conversion rate.
Gains depend on how much friction your checkout has to begin with.
Should I test checkout changes one at a time?
Testing one at a time tells you what worked, but each test needs more time.
Bundling is faster but hides which change mattered.
How do I find checkout friction?
Use funnel analytics, session recordings and short surveys.
Fragrance Direct's changes were based on several research sources.
Similar tests
@DaveDiederen
Convertibles
Surefoot