Does prepopulating information in the donation form increase donor conversion on mobile devices?
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded after the French Revolution by St. Eugene De Mazenod to work among the poor. Today there are nearly 4,000 missionaries working in more than 60 countries around the world.
Experiment Summary
Ended On:
During their fall campaign, Missionary Oblates tested whether prefilling the first and last name and email address on a donation form increased donor conversion on mobile devices. Almost 60% of gifts were made on a mobile device, and we wanted to see if prepopulating the form and making it easier to give on mobile would increase giving.
Research Question
Does prefilling in information increase donor conversion on mobile devices?
Design
Results
| Treatment Name | Conv. Rate | Relative Difference | Confidence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C: | Name not prepopulated | 41.8% | ||
| T1: | Name Prepopulated | 39.8% | -4.7% | 41.8% |
This experiment has a required sample size of 4,806 in order to be valid. Unfortunately, the required sample size was not met and a level of confidence above 95% was not met so the experiment results are not valid.
Key Learnings
While this test did not validate, it seems to indicate that with the Oblates’s audience it may slightly harm conversion to include that information. Our hypothesis is that because their audience is older, having the form prefilled might make some donors nervous rather than seeming helpful. Sometimes reducing friction, even on a device that already slows down the giving process, can harm conversion.