Promoting express delivery and Stripe at checkout: +16.01% revenue
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsPromoting express delivery more clearly at checkout, while making Stripe the preferred payment method, raised revenue per user by 16.01% and average order value by 4.36%.
Sculpt Digital ran this test for a UK WooCommerce store, and it was published as a Convert.com case study.
Both changes shipped together, so the result can't be pinned on either one.
- Revenue per user: +16.01%.
- Average order value: £60.46 to £63.10, up 4.36%.
- Express delivery uptake: 2.15% to 4.87% of buyers, more than double.
- A metric labelled revenue conversion rate rose from 43.50% to 48.36% (+11.15%), as reported.
The change
Variant promotes express delivery and makes Stripe the preferred payment method.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Shoppers often missed the express delivery option and fell back on free shipping. PayPal was the default payment method.
Variant
Express delivery was promoted so it was easy to see and pick. Stripe became the preferred payment option, since it costs the store less to process than PayPal.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Session recordings showed people didn't notice the faster option, so simply making it visible let those who wanted speed pay for it.
- Express delivery adds a fee to each order that picks it, which lifts order value directly.
- Stripe's lower fees help margin, but they don't change what shoppers pay, so most of the order value lift likely came from delivery.
- Changing the default payment method may also suit shoppers who prefer to pay by card.
Caveats: Delivery and payment changes were tested together, and the results table labels the arms pre-test and post-test, which is unusual for a split test. The test ran 35 days on all visitors; sample size was not shared.
Who ran it
Sculpt Digital ran this test for a UK WooCommerce store 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 Sculpt Digital →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we make express delivery a visible, one-click option at checkout, then average order value will rise because shoppers who want faster delivery will notice it and choose it.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per user
- Guardrails
- Checkout conversion rate
- Express delivery uptake
- Payment errors or abandoned payments
- Who should test it
- Stores that offer paid fast delivery next to free shipping and see low uptake. It probably won't help if few customers care about speed or express margins are thin.
Questions
How do I get more customers to choose express shipping?
Make it visible, not hidden in a dropdown where free shipping is the default.
A short banner with a one-click option is one way.
Does the default payment method matter?
It can affect cost. Making a lower-fee processor the preferred option saves on each order, though it won't raise what shoppers pay.
Is it safe to A/B test checkout?
Yes, with care. Check the test thoroughly across devices and use a tool that doesn't flicker, so the purchase flow isn't broken.
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