Value message in every checkout step: +17% subscription conversion
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsA monthly wine and cheese club raised subscription conversion by 17% by working its value proposition into every step of checkout.
MECLABS ran the test and presented it in a shopping cart web clinic, published on MarketingExperiments.
- Subscription conversion: +17% against the original checkout.
- Only the headline figure is shared. The exact copy, sample size, duration and confidence are not stated.
The change
The variant repeats the club's value at each checkout step.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The checkout steps showed the forms with no messaging about why the club was worth joining.
Variant
Each checkout step included value messaging that reminded shoppers what they would get from the club.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Starting checkout doesn't mean a shopper is sure. Reminders of value can carry them through to the end.
- A subscription is an ongoing commitment, so shoppers may need more reassurance than for a single purchase.
- Value copy at each step may have answered doubts that came up as shoppers saw the price and terms.
Caveats: Old data: MECLABS presented this test in a December 2012 web clinic, and the written recap gives only the headline number. Sample size, duration and confidence are not shared. The recap does not show the value copy that was used.
Who ran it
MECLABS ran this test for a monthly wine and cheese club 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 add short value messages to each checkout step, then more shoppers will complete their subscription because they're reminded what they get as they commit.
- Primary metric
- Subscription sign-up rate from checkout start
- Guardrails
- Early cancellation rate
- Checkout completion time
- Refund requests
- Who should test it
- Subscription and membership businesses with multi-step checkouts. A short one-time purchase checkout has less room for extra copy and may see less effect.
Questions
Should checkout pages include marketing copy?
Short value reminders can help, especially for subscriptions.
Keep them brief so they don't distract from finishing the form.
What value messages work in a subscription checkout?
Focus on what the subscriber gets and any flexibility, such as what arrives each month or how cancelling works.
Test which point matters most to your buyers.
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