Do cleaner shipping options and address fields lift conversion?
The desktop checkout listed shipping options and address fields in an unusual way. We tested 2 cleanups that followed familiar checkout patterns. Conversion rose 1.9% over 25 days, not a conclusive lift, and we implemented the cleanup anyway.
Not significant Desktop 25 days Not called Reviewed
The hypothesis
By following familiar checkout patterns for shipping options and address fields, we will make checkout easier to get through, resulting in more completed transactions.
Most shoppers have used many online checkouts and expect a certain layout. Ours spread the shipping options apart and labeled the address section in a way that did not match what people see elsewhere.
We split the cleanup into 2 variations so we could see which part mattered: the shipping options or the address section.
What we changed
We grouped the shipping options and reworked the address section.
Variation A grouped the shipping options together, suggested next business day delivery and made each option look clickable. Variation B renamed the shipping address to delivery address and lengthened the address, phone and email fields to follow a familiar layout.
- Shipping options grouped together
- Next business day option suggested
- Each option made to look clickable
- Shipping address renamed delivery address
- Longer address, phone and email fields
- Layout follows a familiar pattern
The result
Conversion rose 1.9% over 25 days, not a conclusive lift.
Both variations led early, and Variation B looked like the likely winner after 10 days. Then the control crept up while both variations held steady, and the result went flat. Conversion ended up 1.9%, which did not reach our confidence bar.
The changes did no harm and brought checkout in line with common patterns, so we implemented the cleanup.
What we would do next
Test both cleanups together in 1 variation.
Each variation fixed 1 part of checkout, and neither pulled clear of the control once it leveled out. A version with both changes would show whether they add up to a bigger lift. The early lead also faded before the end, which is why we let checkout tests here run at least 14 days.
