Does a countdown timer in a lead form lift conversion?
Our multi-step lead form had no time element. We tested 2 versions of a countdown timer inside the form. The timer that started on step 2 lifted conversion 16.3% over 23 days.
Won Responsive 23 days Called at 80%
The hypothesis
By adding a countdown timer inside the lead form, we will add a sense of urgency, resulting in more users finishing the form and more leads.
The form asked its questions across several steps with nothing to prompt users to finish now. A visible timer gives users a reason to complete the form in 1 sitting.
We wanted to learn when urgency helps most, so we tested a 5 minute timer against a timer that only appeared once users reached step 2.
What we changed
We added a countdown timer inside the lead form, in 2 versions.
The control form had no timer. Var A showed a 5 minute countdown timer in the form. Var B held the timer back until step 2, after the user had already answered the first question.
- Added a 5 minute countdown timer
- Timer shown inside the form
- Added a countdown timer to the form
- Timer appears from step 2 onward
The result
The step 2 timer lifted lead form conversion 16.3% over 23 days.
Over 23 days, Var B, with the timer starting on step 2, converted 16.3% better than the control. It did not reach our usual confidence bar, but it trended the right way throughout, so we called it at 80% and implemented Var B to keep testing moving.
What we took from it
On this form, urgency worked best once users had started.
Starting the timer on step 2 meant users saw it after they had committed to their first answer. At that point the timer pushed them to finish rather than adding pressure before they began. Our next round on this form tested a shorter timer and a higher contrast timer.