Does a license plate micro step lift desktop homepage conversion?

Our desktop homepage form asked for every detail on 1 screen. We tested a micro step that asked only for the license plate, with the rest on page 2, in the original design. Over 41 days, conversion was 7.5% lower, short of our confidence bar.

Not significant Desktop 41 days Not called

SURFACE

Homepage

DEVICE

Desktop

VERTICAL

Ecommerce (B2C)

PRIMARY METRIC

Conversion rate

VARIATIONS

1

The hypothesis

By asking only for the license plate on the first step, we will get more desktop visitors into the form, resulting in more completed registrations.

Earlier rounds found that splitting the first page into 2 steps did the most to get visitors into the form, and that leading with the plate beat leading with the VIN. A full redesign built around those steps came out flat, so we went back to the original design and kept only the plate-first step.

What we changed

Step 1 asks only for the license plate, in the original design

Var A split the desktop homepage form into 2 steps. Step 1 asked only for the license plate. Step 2 asked for all the other details. The page kept its original design, so the step change was the only difference. A matching mobile test ran at the same time.

VAR A: MICRO STEP (LICENSE)

Step 1 asks only for the license plate
Step 2 holds all other details
Original page design kept

The result

Conversion was 7.5% lower with the micro step, short of our bar

CONVERSION RATE

-7.5%

MOBILE CONVERSION

+15.1%

Over 41 days, the micro step converted 7.5% worse than the original on desktop, with revenue per visitor also down 7.5%. The gap did not reach our confidence bar. Slightly more visitors finished step 1, but fewer made it through step 2. The mobile version lifted conversion, but the combined lift was too small to call, so we paused both.

What we would do next

Set expectations for step 2 before testing desktop again

A small lift at step 1 followed by a drop at step 2 suggested desktop visitors were surprised by what came next. We would add copy that tells visitors what the first step leads to, and that became the next homepage test.