Free sample kit toaster: +73% sample orders on mobile
Test run bySurefootCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsA small, dismissible toaster offering a free sample kit lifted TimberTech's sample kit orders by 73% on mobile and 12% on desktop.
Surefoot ran this A/B test for the composite decking brand. Surefoot reported the lift as statistically significant.
- Sample kit orders on mobile: +73%.
- Sample kit orders on desktop: +12%.
- A version that appeared on scroll-up lost to the version shown after a short pause.
- Most orders went to one best-seller kit. A follow-up test added colour choice to the toaster and spread demand without losing orders.
The change
Variant adds a small, dismissible toaster offering a free sample kit.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Sample and decking pages with no toaster. Many visitors did not realise they could order a free sample kit.
Variant
A small 'Starter Kit' toaster offering a free sample kit, shown after a short pause and easy to dismiss.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The free kit was easy to miss. The toaster made it visible while people were still weighing materials.
- Most visitors were on mobile, where reaching the sample form took the most effort. One tap removed that friction.
- A small toaster you can close feels helpful, not pushy, so it is less likely to annoy researchers.
Caveats: Sample size and duration were not shared. The kits are free, so the test measures lead actions, not paid orders.
Who ran it
Surefoot ran this test for TimberTech and published the results (Surefoot case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Surefoot →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we show a small, dismissible toaster offering a free sample, then more visitors will order one because they learn the offer exists at the moment they compare options.
- Primary metric
- Sample kit orders, by device
- Guardrails
- Dealer and quote requests
- Bounce rate on sample pages
- Share of orders going to a single kit
- Who should test it
- Brands with long research cycles and a free or cheap sample, such as flooring, decking, paint or fabric. If your sample is already prominent, or you sell low-cost items people buy on impulse, the gain will be small.
Questions
Do popups hurt the experience on mobile?
Large popups often do. A small toaster that is easy to close and offers something useful is far less intrusive, and here it lifted orders most on mobile.
When should a sample offer appear?
Timing matters. In this test, showing the toaster after a short pause beat showing it when shoppers scrolled up.
What if everyone orders the same sample?
Let people choose. TimberTech's follow-up added colour choice to the toaster and spread orders across finishes without losing any.
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