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20.7: Case study - Tinkoff Bank

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    43157
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    One-line summary

    Tinkoff Bank, one of Russia’s top four credit card issuers, improved its website conversion rate using split testing.

    The challenge

    Tinkoff Bank relies on its website for finding new customers, as it operates on a digital platform rather than using physical branches. Users fill in an application form on the website and submit it for approval, then receive their credit card at their homes.

    clipboard_e372befa87f0f2d40e7cb21799b50e24a.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The original credit card application page for Tinkoff Bank Adapted From VWO, 2015

    The application page involves a multi-step form and details about the application process and credit card plan. The form submission counts as a conversion. Tinkoff is always looking for ways to increase these conversions.

    The solution

    Tinkoff identified key pages on the site that could be optimised. It used web analytics data to discover that the credit card application page had a high bounce rate, so it focused on helping the user stay on the application page to complete the conversion. They introduced new features in three areas:

    1. An additional information box
    2. Gamifying the form with a progress bar
    3. Allowing users to fill in their details later on.

    Additional information box

    Tinkoff worked off the assumption that offering additional details about the credit card would increase signups. They created two variations of the original page. The first had a hyperlink to ’more details’ under the CTA, which led to a new page with additional information.

    clipboard_e1925b9d6269f63cec373bf9c58dee512.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): The first additional information variation for Tinkoff Bank Adapted From VWO, 2015

    The second variation opened a box right below the link instead of leading to another page.

    clipboard_efaa72ebe66aeb02b746031f2387fd7aa.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): The second additional information variation for Tinkoff Bank Adapted From VWO, 2015

    Progress bar

    Here, the bank used the hypothesis that a progress bar on top of the four-step application form would encourage users to fill in the form completely.

    They used two variations. The first had a yellow banner-like progress bar above the form that highlighted the step the user was currently on and used a black line to show the user’s progression.

    clipboard_e3c156aa70e9ef4c3104ec74655f8a49d.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): The first progress bar variation for Tinkoff Bank Adapted From VWO, 2015

    The second variation had a green progress bar without an extra line to show the user’s progress. Instead, the green portion of the bar grew as users moved through the form.

    clipboard_e3fa83ef46563e97b57405eb40dff3eb9.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\): The second progress bar variation for Tinkoff Bank. Adapted From VWO, 2015

    Filling in details later

    Tinkoff Bank thought that allowing users to fill in passport details later on would increase the number of submissions. This time, they only created one variation to compare to the original.

    When users reached the section for passport information, they could click a box saying, “Don’t remember passport details”, and a window would appear asking them to choose phone or email to provide their details later on.

    clipboard_e43b9f3287ca3f2ef11d395d0ca22497e.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\): The variation allowing users to fill in details later for Tinkoff Bank. Adapted From VWO, 2015

    The results

    Additional information box

    The first variation, with a link to another page with extra information, did worse than the original page. However, the second variation:

    • Improved conversion rates by 15.5%
    • Had a 100% chance of beating the control.

    Why these results? Key differentiators on a web page can improve conversions, and emphasising free shipping and the bank’s credibility both made users feel happier about their choice. However, the first variation led users away from the signup form, adding additional effort to return to the form.

    Progress bar

    Both progress bars outperformed the control. The first variation had a 6.9% higher conversion rate than the control, and the second variation improved the conversion rate of the original by 12.8%. Both had a 100% chance to beat the original page.

    Why? Users don’t like lengthy forms but a progress bar can be reassuring.

    Filling in details later

    The variation was a resounding success:

    • The conversion rate of the form improved by 35.8%
    • The after-filling conversion rate improved by 10%.

    Remember, users are less likely to complete a form if they are led away from it, and fetching a passport would mean leaving the form (VWO Blog, 2015).


    This page titled 20.7: Case study - Tinkoff Bank is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Rob Stokes via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.