# Lower-friction subscription form layout: +13.5% subscriptions

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Signup page (SaaS)
- Elements: Form layout
- Date shared: 2013-10
- Test run by: [MarketingExperiments](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/marketingexperiments/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingexperiments.com/a-b-testing/3-tips-testing-during-promotion
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/subscription-service-form-layout-friction/

A new layout for an online subscription service's sign-up form raised the subscription rate by 13.5%, once days affected by an Easter promotion were removed from the data. MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran the test with the company, which is not named. With every day included, the lift was only 6.6% at 62% confidence, which would have looked like no result.

## Result

**+13.5% subscriptions**

- Excluding Easter promotion days: subscription rate up 13.5%, at 95% confidence.
- Including all days: subscription rate up 6.6%, at only 62% confidence. On that data alone, the test looks inconclusive.
- The company was advised to roll out the new form based on the cleaned data.

## Control

The subscription form in its original layout.

## Variant

The same form re-laid-out to reduce friction while filling it in. The exact layout changes were not described in the post.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- A simpler layout likely made the form feel quicker to finish, which matters most to visitors with normal, not boosted, motivation.
- The Easter email brought in highly motivated visitors who would subscribe on either form, which drowned out the layout effect.
- Removing those days showed how the form performs for everyday traffic.

## Caveats

The win only reached 95% confidence after removing promotion days from the analysis, which is a judgement call made after the fact. Sample size and the exact form changes were not shared, and the data is from 2013.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we re-lay-out our subscription form to cut friction, then more visitors will finish subscribing because the form will feel shorter and easier.
- Primary metric: Subscription rate from form view
- Guardrail: Form error or abandonment rate
- Guardrail: Paid conversion or retention of new subscribers
- Guardrail: Results with and without promotion days
- Who should test it: Subscription SaaS and consumer subscription services with a multi-field sign-up form. Avoid launching it during a big promotion, or plan from the start to analyse promo days separately.

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Credit: MarketingExperiments ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/subscription-service-form-layout-friction/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.