Hero image and value copy on final checkout: +13.83% sales
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a hero image, reassuring headline copy and add-on links to the final checkout page lifted conversions by 13.83% for a UK ticket broker selling Florida vacation packages.
MECLABS ran the five-day test and published it on MarketingExperiments in February 2011. Several changes shipped together, so the lift belongs to the whole redesign.
- Conversions rose 13.83% over the five-day test.
- The test also aimed to compare revenue, but no revenue result was shared.
- Bundled change: imagery, copy, add-on links, colours and the FREE bonus line all shipped together, so no single element can claim the lift.
The change
Hero image, headline, add-on links and a FREE bonus line added to the final checkout page
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A functional but plain final checkout page that matched earlier pages in design. It had no welcoming copy, no imagery and no links to add-ons.
Variant
The page gained a hero image above the cart, a headline backing the buyer's choice, links to extra package options, lighter colours and a smaller side box. A line under the selection confirmed a free bonus the buyer already got, labelled FREE.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The hero image kept the emotional pull of the earlier pages going at the final step, where a big purchase can cause last-minute doubt.
- Showing the free bonus in the cart made the existing deal look more valuable without changing the offer.
- Lighter colours made the page easier to read and scan.
Caveats: A short five-day test with no sample size or confidence level shared, and several changes bundled together. It is a travel booking from around 2011, not physical goods.
Who ran it
MECLABS ran this test for a UK ticket broker selling Florida vacation packages and published the results (MarketingExperiments). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on MECLABS →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we carry the imagery and value message from earlier pages into the final checkout page and show bonuses in the cart, then more buyers will complete, because the last step will reassure rather than feel bare.
- Primary metric
- Checkout conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per checkout
- Add-on attach rate
- Clicks away from checkout
- Who should test it
- Sellers of high-consideration, emotional purchases such as trips, events or premium gifts, where doubt peaks at payment. Low-price repeat buys probably gain less from extra imagery at checkout.
Questions
Should a checkout page have images?
For emotional purchases it can help. Here a hero image was one of several changes behind a 13.83% lift, so it is worth testing, but this test can't isolate it.
Does showing a free bonus in the cart help?
It can make the deal look better at the moment of paying.
In this test the bonus was already included and was simply made visible, labelled FREE.
Is a five-day test long enough?
Often not. Short tests can miss weekly patterns, so run for at least one full week, ideally two.
Similar tests
@joshtCRO