Does a 5 minute price expiry timer lift desktop checkout conversion?
Our desktop checkout showed the order total with no time limit. We tested a note that the quoted total expires in 5 minutes, and a 5 minute countdown timer. Conversion fell 2.7% over 12 days, so we paused both.
Lost Desktop 12 days Called at 90% Reviewed
The hypothesis
By adding urgency around the quoted fees with a 5 minute expiry, we will push visitors to finish in the same visit, resulting in more completed orders.
The checkout shows a calculated total for each renewal, and renewing late can add fees. Visitors who see their total and leave may never come back.
We expected a time limit on the quote to remind visitors that waiting has a cost, and to nudge them to finish while the total was in front of them. We tested 2 forms of urgency: a plain expiry message and a live countdown.
What we changed
We added a 5 minute expiry to the quoted total, as a note or a timer.
Var A added a message saying the quoted total was held for 5 minutes. Var B added a 5 minute countdown timer that ticked down while visitors filled in the checkout. The fields, prices and layout did not change.
- Note that the quoted total expires in 5 minutes
- Live 5 minute countdown timer added
- Counts down while visitors check out
The result
The 5 minute expiry cut desktop checkout conversion by 2.7% in 12 days.
Conversion was 2.7% lower than the control over 12 days, and we paused all variations. Revenue moved by the same amount, since every order is the same price.
A drop on the last step of the funnel is costly, so we kept the original checkout with no time limit.
What we took from it
A time limit at checkout added pressure, not motivation.
Visitors at checkout had already decided to renew. A clock on their total gave them 1 more thing to worry about at the moment they were entering payment details, and some chose to leave instead. On this page, urgency worked against the trust the checkout needs.