How including a photo of a premium impacted recurring gift conversion
American Cornerstone Institute
Experiment Summary
Timeframe: 06/07/2023 - 07/03/2023
We were running a monthly upgrade ask to existing donors on the housefile and wanted to offer a special premium for those that chose to convert. We know that sometimes adding images to a donation page can cause additional friction, but we also believed adding a specific image previewing the premium that monthly donors would receive might increase clarity and appeal for this offer. So we split traffic 50/50 between the control page with no image and the treatment page that added an image of the membership card that would be available to those who made a recurring gift on the page.
Research Question
We believe that adding an image of a premium for recurring donor prospects will achieve an increase in recurring donor conversion because the clarity and appeal of the offer to give monthly would be enhanced for page visitors.
Design
Results
| Treatment Name | Conv. Rate | Relative Difference | Confidence | Average Gift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C: | Control | 8.5% | $58.03 | ||
| T1: | Variant 1 | 22.9% | 169.3% | 95.1% | $18.36 |
This experiment has a required sample size of 49 in order to be valid. Since the experiment had a total sample size of 95, and the level of confidence is above 95% the experiment results are valid.
Flux Metrics Affected
The Flux Metrics analyze the three primary metrics that affect revenue (traffic, conversion rate, and average gift). This experiment produced the following results:
0% increase in traffic
× 169.3% increase in conversion rate
× 68.4% decrease in average gift
14.8% decrease in revenue
Key Learnings
The key learning from this experiment is that adding an image of a premium for recurring donor prospects had a positive impact on conversion rates. The treatment page, which included an image of the membership card available to monthly donors, resulted in a 79.5% increase in recurring gifts compared to the control page at 80% level of confidence. We believe the visual aid highlighting the benefit they would receive if they said “yes” to the appeal on this donation page helped more people follow through with converting because they had more clarity around what a Servant Leader Membership Card means.
In future experimentation, we should continue to explore the inclusion of images or visual elements on donation pages. While this experiment showed a positive impact, further testing is needed to obtain statistically significant results. It is also important to consider other factors that may affect donor conversion, such as the placement and design of the image, the clarity of the premium offer, and any potential friction caused by the addition of the image.
It is recommended to conduct additional A/B tests with larger sample sizes and optimize the design and placement of the image to ensure that the results are valid and reliable. By testing different variations and analyzing the data at a higher level of statistical confidence, we can make more informed decisions about the inclusion of images on donation pages to increase donor conversion rates.