Perceived Security
Experiment No: 002
Is Donation Abandonment a Concern?
People want to give online. OneCause found the main reason people give online is because it is easy. When it becomes difficult people quit.
Donor abandonment is common, too common. Anywhere from 50-70% (npengage.com) of people do not complete their donation. It is hard to fathom more people stop before giving than give.
Stats from npengage.com
Most people get to the donation page through another channel (website, email, social, online ad, etc).
How is it people click several times to make it to a donation page then stop when so close?
Converting even a small number of these potential donors makes a big difference.
Why People Bounce from a Give Page
To convert more donors, it is important to understand why people leave (or bounce) before giving. Most of the time it is due to unnecessary friction.
When people find the donation experience frustrating it causes friction.
Sometimes the page creates physical friction. Slow loading speed, too many distractions, or poor mobile experience contribute to donation page friction.
While physical friction gets most of the attention, psychological friction can also stop a person. An example of this is thinking a giving page is not secure. If a page doesn’t look secure a person will bounce.
Basics of Page Security
To know if a page is secure look at the beginning of the website address. If it uses https the page is secure. If the address begins with http the site is not secure.
This is easy enough, but how many people look at this before giving a donation?
Another set of security standards for donation pages is Payment Card Industry compliance. This makes sure all companies accept, process or transmit credit card information in a secure manner.
It is the organization’s responsibility to follow PCI compliance.
How does an organization show the page is secure?
Let’s look at this test from a nonprofit organization to find out more.
Research Question: Does adding a visual element to show a donation page is secure lead to better performance?
Hypothesis: Adding a lock image next to the credit card information form will result in a higher conversion rate.
Test Element: Image of a lock
Control- No image | Test- Lock image
Note- both forms are PCI compliant and have the highest levels of security. The design test increases the perception of security for the user.
Key Metric: Conversion rate
Sample Size: Used a 50/50 split. The control donation page (no image) went to 1,936 people. The test page with lock image also went to 1, 936. This test reached 95% statistical significance.
Results: The giving page with the lock image increased donor conversion by 20% on desktop devices.
Application: On donation pages include a visual element to signal the page is secure. It reduces friction, providing peace of mind when adding credit card information.
Future Tests: This test was conducted only on desktop devices. Testing on mobile devices is the next logical step. Other test ideas to improve the performance include:
Color of the lock image
Size of the visual
Add a sentence after the lock reassuring people payment is secure.
Final Thoughts: Add a security visual element on donation pages. This small, but significant addition, will reassure people. Supporters will feel confident when they give.
