Shorter path from estimate to next step: +40% lead form conversions
Test run bySeer InteractiveCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsStreamlining the flow between getting a cost estimate and taking the next step lifted lead form conversions by 40% on the Trex Cost Calculator.
Seer Interactive ran this A/B test for Trex, the composite decking brand.
It was the second of three tests that together moved the calculator's conversion rate from about 16% to about 24%.
- Lead form conversions: +40% against the control flow.
- This was test 2 of 3. Test 1 gave +23% lead form conversions and test 3 gave +3% detailed estimate conversions.
- Across the program, Seer reports the calculator's conversion rate rose from roughly 16% to roughly 24%.
- Sample size, test length and confidence level were not shared.
The change
The variant removes steps between the estimate and the lead form.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The calculator flow as it stood after the first test, where the lead form had already been repositioned as part of the calculator experience.
Variant
A streamlined user flow that cut the steps between seeing an estimate and choosing to move forward with Trex.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Usability testing found the route from estimate to next step felt unclear and low priority. Fewer steps make that route obvious.
- Visitors who just got an estimate are at peak interest. Asking for the lead while that interest is fresh likely loses fewer people.
- The test built on a winning first test, so it refined a flow that already treated the form as part of the tool.
Caveats: Sample size, duration and significance were not shared, and the source does not detail exactly which steps were removed. The result is reported by the agency that ran it.
Who ran it
Seer Interactive ran this test for composite decking brand (cost calculator leads) and published the results (Seer Interactive case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Seer Interactive →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we cut the steps between showing a visitor their estimate and asking for their details, then more calculator users will submit the lead form because the next step will feel like part of the same task.
- Primary metric
- Lead form submissions per calculator user
- Guardrails
- Lead quality (sales-accepted or qualified rate)
- Calculator completion rate
- Form error or abandonment rate
- Who should test it
- Lead-gen businesses that use a calculator, quiz or estimator as a top-of-funnel tool and see many completions but few form fills. It matters less if the form already sits directly beside the result.
Questions
Should a cost calculator ask for contact details before or after showing the estimate?
This test does not answer that directly. It shows that once visitors have an estimate, a shorter path to the lead form brought in more leads.
How many steps should sit between a calculator result and a lead form?
As few as you can manage. In this test, cutting the path between estimate and next step lifted form conversions by 40%.
Does a shorter flow lower lead quality?
It can, so track qualified leads as well as form fills.
The source reports more qualified leads overall but did not share quality data for this test.