Does moving the cart reservation timer above express checkout help?

Our mobile cart showed a countdown timer that reserved the order, placed below the express checkout options. We tested moving it above them, and removing it. Over 6 days, both lost, and conversion fell 11.1% with the timer moved.

Lost Mobile 6 days Called at 90%

SURFACE

Checkout

DEVICE

Mobile

VERTICAL

Ecommerce (B2C)

PRIMARY METRIC

Conversion rate

VARIATIONS

2

The hypothesis

By moving the reservation timer above the express checkout options, we will apply its urgency to every order, resulting in more completed checkouts.

The countdown applied to any order, but it sat below the express checkout buttons, so shoppers using those buttons might never see it. We also did not know if the timer helped at all, so we tested removing it.

We tagged each payment option to see which ones shoppers used. Express options made up less than 1% of orders.

What we changed

Reservation timer moved above express checkout, or removed

Var A moved the countdown reservation timer from below the express checkout options to above them. Var B removed the timer from the cart.

Var A: Move Urgency wireframe — VAR A: MOVE URGENCY

Timer moved above express checkout

Var B: Remove Urgency wireframe — VAR B: REMOVE URGENCY

Reservation timer removed

The result

Both versions lost, with conversion down as much as 17.4%

CONVERSION RATE

-11.1%

REVENUE PER VISITOR

-11.7%

VAR B CONVERSION

-17.4%

Over 6 days, moving the timer (Var A) cut conversion 11.1% and revenue per visitor 11.7%. Removing the timer (Var B) cut conversion 17.4% and revenue per visitor 19.2%, a loss that cleared our confidence bar. With both versions down, we paused the test after 6 days rather than keep losing sales.

What we took from it

Users converted better with the timer in its original place

The timer added urgency where shoppers were reviewing their order. Removing it hurt the most, so the urgency was doing real work. Moving it above the express buttons put it ahead of options few shoppers used.