How a single Shopify subscription A/B test drove an 11.9% lift in revenue per visitor

Revenue per visitor

+11.9%

Conversion rate

+11.0%

A European car diagnostics brand sells an OBD2 scanner whose most valued features need a paid app subscription. Customers repeatedly said the subscription felt hidden or unclear.

Industry

Car diagnostics hardware and app

Market

Europe

Page tested

Bundle and app subscription product pages, desktop and mobile

Testing tool

Intelligems, 22 days

Services & Technologies

A/B TestingCROCustomer researchShopify

Control buy box: paid warranty add-on ticked by default and the subscription term hidden in a dropdown

Winning buy box: what's included shown upfront, renewal terms under add to cart and guarantees as checkmarks

The context

A European car diagnostics brand sells an OBD2 scanner whose most valued features need a paid app subscription.

Customers repeatedly said the subscription felt hidden or unclear.

As part of the ongoing Shopify A/B testing programme we run for the store, we redesigned how the product pages explain the subscription: what it includes, what it costs and how renewal works.

Services

A/B TestingCRO ResearchCustomer ResearchShopify

What we tested

"What's included" line and pop-upClearer purchase optionsWhat the Pro app unlocksRenewal terms under add to cartGuarantees as checkmarks

Tools

Intelligems

The challenge: The subscription felt like a hidden fee

Shoppers who later discover key features require a paid plan feel misled, even when the information exists somewhere on the site.

Renewal adds a second worry: shoppers buying for one job fear being charged again before they remember to cancel.

Shoppers didn't object to paying for the app. They objected to finding out late.

Review mentions of hidden or unclear fees

Signals about auto-renewal anxiety

Signals about cost for occasional use

The research: Subscription opacity was the biggest conversion blocker

Our Shopify CRO research for this store analysed 500+ post-purchase survey responses and product reviews, plus analytics and a store walkthrough.

The subscription was the strongest negative theme:

Hidden or unclear fees: 36 review mentions and 16 survey mentions said the subscription was hidden or unclear.
Renewal anxiety: 17 signals about auto-renewal and forgetting to cancel.
Cost for occasional use: 12 signals from shoppers who only needed the app once in a while.
What customers liked: 23 signals praised buying a short plan, making the changes, and keeping them after cancelling.

What shoppers saw on the original bundle page:

Purchase options: "Scanner Only" or "Scanner + App Subscription" with a monthly plan in a dropdown.
Subscription value: three short icons (unlock advanced app features, money-back guarantee, free shipping), with no list of what the app does.
Renewal and cancellation: no terms next to the add-to-cart button.
Extended warranty: an add-on, ticked by default.

Our insight: Shoppers didn't object to paying for the app. They objected to finding out late and not knowing how to stay in control.

Subscription terms in plain view

01 · Hypothesis

If we show what the subscription includes, how it works, and how renewal works, before the shopper adds to cart, more shoppers will buy with confidence, increasing revenue per visitor.

The product range stayed the same. The test changed how we explained the purchase options and the subscription.

So we ran a test.

02 · The Variation

Only the buy box changed:

What's included: a line under the title listing the scanner and the 12-month Pro app subscription, with an info icon that opens a pop-up explaining what Pro unlocks, renewal and cancellation.
Clearer purchase options: the bundle marked Best Value, and "Scanner Only" explained as free app features only.
Renewal terms under add to cart: renews yearly, 14-day reminder, cancel renewal anytime.
Guarantees as checkmarks: 2-year scanner warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee. The paid warranty add-on that was ticked by default no longer appears.

03 · Results

We ran the test in Intelligems for 22 days, comparing the original product pages with the variation: +11.9% revenue per visitor, +11.0% conversion rate and 0.0% average order value.

The gain came from conversion. Clearer terms brought more buyers without lowering what each one spent.

We used RPV as the primary success metric because it captures the combined commercial effect of conversion and order value.

The test measured the combined effect of these changes and does not isolate any single element.

Key takeaways

Being clearer about a subscription didn't scare buyers away. It removed the doubt that was stopping them.

For this store, the research showed shoppers needed to know:

What the subscription pays for.
What happens when it ends.
How renewal works, and that they can cancel.

“For Shopify stores selling a product with a required or recommended subscription, test explaining it earlier and more plainly rather than hiding it to protect conversion.”

craftberry CRO team

What could A/B testing uncover in your Shopify store?

We use customer research and store data to identify testing opportunities and measure their impact on revenue.