Engraved case option at checkout: -3.04% conversion rate
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsOffering an engraved, personalised carrying case for an extra €6 during checkout lowered conversion rate by 3.04% and revenue per visitor by 2.96%.
Dash of CX ran this test for Loop Earplugs on mobile shoppers, and it was published as a Convert.com case study.
Shoppers clicked the option, but the extra step cost more sales than it added.
- Conversion rate: -3.04%. This test lost.
- Revenue per visitor: -2.96%, so the paid add-on did not make up for lost orders.
- Add to cart: -5.68%.
- 6.89% of users clicked the new personalisation option, so interest was real.
- Results were significant at 99% confidence with no sample ratio mismatch.
The change
Variant adds an optional engraved-case upsell inside checkout.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Mobile shoppers went through the original checkout flow with no personalisation option.
Variant
The checkout offered a carrying case that shoppers could engrave with their own text for an extra €6.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Checkout is where people want to finish, not make new choices. An extra decision there adds friction.
- Typing custom engraving text on a phone takes effort and can make people stop and reconsider.
- Clicks on an option measure curiosity, not purchase intent, so a high click rate can hide a loss.
- The team suggested the offer might work better earlier, on the product page or in the mini-cart.
Caveats: The test ran for 28 days on more than 300,000 mobile users, so it covers mobile only. The case study was entered in the GuessTheTest awards.
Who ran it
Dash of CX ran this test for Loop Earplugs and published the results (Convert.com case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Dash of CX →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we offer personalisation on the product page or mini-cart instead of at checkout, then revenue per visitor will rise because shoppers can add it without slowing their purchase.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Checkout completion rate
- Average order value
- Who should test it
- Brands thinking about paid add-ons or personalisation. If you plan to put the choice in checkout, test it first; this result suggests checkout is a risky place for new decisions.
Questions
Do upsells at checkout hurt conversion?
They can. In this test a €6 personalised add-on at checkout lowered both conversion rate and revenue per visitor.
Where should I offer product personalisation?
Earlier in the journey is usually safer, such as on the product page or in the cart. That way the choice doesn't interrupt payment.
If lots of people click an add-on, is it working?
Not necessarily. Here 6.89% clicked the option, yet orders and revenue per visitor still fell, so judge add-ons on revenue.
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