Does a progress bar in the sticky header lift mobile checkout?

Our mobile checkout did not show visitors how close they were to finishing. We added a progress bar inside the sticky header. Over 35 days, conversion rose 3.6%, a result that did not reach our confidence bar.

Not significant Mobile 35 days Not called

SURFACE

Checkout

DEVICE

Mobile

VERTICAL

Ecommerce (B2C)

PRIMARY METRIC

Conversion rate

VARIATIONS

1

The hypothesis

By adding a progress bar inside the sticky header on mobile checkout, we will reduce the sense of complexity and uncertainty, resulting in more completed registrations.

Checkout is the last stretch of the process, and visitors could not see how close they were to the end. A progress bar shows where they are, which can make the remaining steps feel smaller.

What we changed

A progress bar added inside the sticky header on mobile checkout

We placed a progress bar in the sticky header at the top of the mobile checkout page, so it stayed in view as visitors scrolled and showed how far along they were.

VAR A: PROGRESS BAR

Progress bar added to the sticky header

The result

Conversion rose 3.6%, short of our confidence bar

CONVERSION RATE

+3.6%

Over 35 days, the progress bar converted 3.6% better than the original, but the gap did not reach our confidence bar. It led the original from the second week on, and that steady trend was enough for us to implement it on mobile. The same progress bar on desktop did not help.

What we would do next

Keep the progress bar on mobile and design desktop separately

The progress bar gave mobile visitors a steady, if small, push to finish. On desktop, the same bar lost, but a version with named steps that fit the wider page won. Each device needed its own way of showing progress.