Does a processing timer after the form lift desktop conversion?
Our desktop homepage form sent visitors straight to the next step. We tested a 5-step processing timer that ran for a few seconds after they submitted it. Conversion rose 5.4% over 15 days, short of our confidence bar.
Not significant Desktop 15 days Not called
The hypothesis
By showing a short processing sequence after the homepage form, we will match the wait visitors expect from a registration agency, resulting in more confidence and more completed renewals.
Visitors expect anything to do with vehicle registration to be slow. A result that appears instantly can feel too easy, which can raise doubts right before payment.
A brief, visible processing step shows that work is happening on the visitor's behalf. We first ran the idea on mobile, then on desktop.
What we changed
We added a 5-step processing timer after the homepage form.
In the control, submitting the homepage form went straight to the next step. In the variation, a processing screen showed 5 steps in turn, each with a spinner, for about 9.5 seconds in total. Each step stayed on screen for 1 to 2.5 seconds before the next step appeared.
- Processing screen added after the form
- 5 steps shown in turn with a spinner
- Each step held for 1 to 2.5 seconds
The result
Desktop conversion rose 5.4% in 15 days, short of our confidence bar.
Desktop conversion was 5.4% higher than the control over 15 days. Results stayed positive for the whole run, but the lift was too small to reach our confidence bar on any measure.
The mobile version of the timer ran just before this test and came in flat, 0.8% below its control. A shorter version on mobile did not lift conversion either, so we paused the idea on both devices.
What we would do next
Move on from wait-based tests to the form itself.
Neither device responded strongly to the timer, up or down. Visitors did not seem to need a show of effort to trust the service, but the wait did not put them off either. Our next desktop round changed the order of the homepage form instead.