{"id":501,"date":"2015-09-11T15:53:25","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T15:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/?p=1"},"modified":"2020-02-12T13:40:58","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T13:40:58","slug":"too-much-choice-killing-conversion-rates-case-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/too-much-choice-killing-conversion-rates-case-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Too Much Choice Killing Your Conversion Rates? [Case Studies]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yes, yes it can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to conversion rate optimization and landing pages, the casual clich\u00e9 \u201cless is more\u201d<\/strong> really rings true. Less distractions, less links, less \u201cleaks\u201d and ultimately less choice equals higher conversion rates, more leads and more money<\/strong> in the bank. But what does \u201cless\u201d actually mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to landing page optimization, \u201cless\u201d really means one<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne Page. One Purpose. Period.<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 Oli Gardner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So yes, a landing page should have one purpose \u2013 one fundamental conversion goal \u2013 but what about those finer conversion details?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like, how many forms fields should you put on your lead gen form? Or, how many social sharing buttons should you include on your blog to maximize reach? If less is more, how much less<\/em> is optimal for increasing your conversion rates?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post will look at just that. First we\u2019ll recap the psychological study behind choice that Oli Gardner<\/a>, Gregory Ciotti<\/a> & Neil Patel<\/a> have referenced in relation to conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we\u2019ll dive into a collection of fascinating case studies \u2013 including one that has never been shared before<\/strong> \u2013 that look at how many options you should give your visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Toothpaste & Jam: The Psychology of Choice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Toothpaste<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Too many choices can lead to alcoholic beverage consumption<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Something as simple as buying toothpaste can be overwhelming. Do you want the anti-tartar kind or the cavity-busting option? Sensitive enamel protection or the one with whitening? Fluoride, non-fluoride? Then there\u2019s flavor: crystal mint, intense mint, fresh mint or sparkling mint \u2013 and that\u2019s just<\/em> mint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The famous jam study, conducted by Professor Sheena Iyengar and referenced in her book The Art of Choosing<\/em><\/a> is often cited when the topic of choice comes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During multiple Saturday afternoons in a high-end grocery store, researchers presented shoppers with two alternating sampling stations \u2013 one showcasing 24 flavors of jam and one featuring six options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turned our that when 24 flavors of jam were available, only 3%<\/strong> of those who tasted the samples went on to purchase the jam. However, when there were only six options available, 30%<\/strong> purchased at least one jar of jam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the larger selection attracted more onlookers, the smaller selection actually generated more sales.<\/strong> The study suggests that people are often overwhelmed by too many choices, which leads to what has been called action paralysis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we now know that fewer options can lead to more sales in a supermarket, but how does this psychology work online? How many options should you give visitors on your online marketing platforms to maximize conversions and ROI?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These case studies will give you some guidance, but any true conversion badass<\/a> will tell you to #alwaysbetesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Many Social Share Buttons?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Social<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re an online marketer with a blog you likely have some social buttons somewhere. At least if you want your visitors to share your content (and who wouldn\u2019t want that?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But have you considered that the number of social share buttons you include can have an effect on your social shares<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On QuickSprout, Neil Patel offered three social share options: Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Wanting to increase his total social shares, he tried adding LinkedIn and Pinterest to the list. The additional social share options actually decreased overall social shares by 29%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This case study<\/a> goes to show that your social media buttons are like mini calls-to-action; if you offer too many choices, you may confuse your readers into not sharing anything at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

So which social share buttons should you include?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not sure how many social buttons or which social buttons will maximize your social sharing, you should start by digging into your referral traffic and audience demographics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referral traffic will tell you where your visitors are coming from (exclude the one-hit wonder outliers), while demographics will show which networks your users are more likely to be on (more women are on Pinterest, B2B professionals are on LinkedIn, etc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re more or less active on a particular network, it might be important to take that into account as well. Ultimately, you should know your readers and include the buttons that are right for them<\/strong>, without flooding them with too many options that will impede their likelihood to share altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So don\u2019t just add whatever\u2019s offered to you in the plugin. Choose your buttons wisely<\/strong>. Test, optimize and make sure you make those buttons work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you don\u2019t need any social share buttons at all<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Comparison<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The case study above speaks to social share buttons on your blog, but these buttons are found on many many pages across the web \u2013 on landing pages, product pages, you name it. But are they always necessary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This recent case study by VWO<\/a> showed how Taloon.com, a Finland-based hardware eCommerce store, increased their conversion rate by 11.9%<\/strong> on their product page by removing the social share buttons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case study boiled down the test results to two main factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Lack of Social Proof<\/strong>: According to Taloon the number of shares on their product pages were low to zero. Joanna Wiebe sums up negative social proof<\/a> this way: \u201cA lack of a reaction IS a reaction<\/strong>.\u201d She points out that it takes two clicks to tweet someone\u2019s page or post, so if you don\u2019t have any tweets you are telling visitors that your page isn\u2019t worth two clicks. That doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s no good, but sometimes perception is everything.<\/li>
  2. Distraction from the main goal<\/strong>: Although Taloon used prominent CTAs, it was clear that the social buttons acted as a distraction from the main purpose of the page. Remember: \u201cOne Page. One Purpose. Period.<\/strong>\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    How Many Form Fields?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Reducing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    Source: How Reducing Options Can Increase Your Conversions<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s the eternal question: How many form fields should your lead gen landing page have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The infographic above shows that a quick and dirty way to increase conversions is to simply decrease the number of form fields in your lead gen form. Less is more<\/strong>, remember? ImageScape <\/a>reduced the number of form fields from 11 to 4 and the number of forms submitted increased 160%, all while the conversion rate increased 120%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Adjusting<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    But the real question you need to ask yourself is: Do I need more leads or more high quality leads?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If your answer is more leads, then keep your form short and simple. If it\u2019s more high quality leads, than maybe it\u2019s time to add some more form fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You should also keep in mind your marketing funnel. Is this a first touchpoint? If so, you might want to stick to a few form fields. It\u2019s like the first time you meet someone \u2013 you don\u2019t want to overwhelm them by asking for too much information. Once you see them again \u2013 maybe they\u2019ve downloaded another piece of your content or registered for a webinar \u2013 you can ask them for a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Again, you should always test<\/strong> your form fields. Not only the amount of form fields, but also the hierarchy (order) of information you\u2019re asking for \u2013 and what you\u2019re asking for in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Reduce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    Source: How Reducing Options Can Increase Your Conversions<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Brand new case study! How asking for a phone number can decrease conversions by 52%<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The University of Wisconsin-Extension<\/a> focuses on online education. Their campaign goal was to generate leads for student recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chris Hofmann, Director of Marketing, had a hunch that requiring a phone number on a given form field was hurting conversion rates. Within 24 hours Chris was able to measure a 52% drop in conversion with a 96% confidence when making a phone number mandatory on the landing page form field<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"University<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    After quantifying the results, The University of Wisconsin-Extension made the phone number on the form optional. Their goal was to get as many students as possible in the pipeline. In other words, more leads versus more high quality leads<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Again, this case study exemplifies that every conversion decision revolves around the singular purpose of your landing page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In an older study, MECLABS<\/a> tested moving the phone number field from the first step to the second and conversion rates on their lead gen form increased by 68%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Again, testing where and when<\/em> you ask for information is just as important as what you\u2019re asking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Over to You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So there you have it. Several case studies demonstrating that more is less when it comes to your social shares, landing pages and form fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Let me know in the comments what you thought of these case studies. Was there anything that shocked you?<\/li>
    2. Do you have any case studies you\u2019d like to share that embody the \u201cless is more\u201d conversion theme throughout the post?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Thanks for reading \u2013 I\u2019ll see you in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Yes, yes it can. When it comes to conversion rate optimization and landing pages, the casual clich\u00e9 \u201cless is more\u201d really rings true. Less distractions, less links, less \u201cleaks\u201d and ultimately less choice equals higher conversion rates, more leads and more money in the bank. But what does \u201cless\u201d actually mean? When it comes to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":19,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/09\/less-is-more.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Stuart Frank","author_link":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/author\/stuwl9783\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wishloop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}