Nudging
Conversion loss in a checkout or lead generation form can have many causes. Including uncertainty, confusion, or technical barriers. The use of Nudging is a proven method to assist your website visitors. Thereby it’s giving a lasting boost to conversion. In this article, we explain what Nudging entails. We discuss how it is applied, and most importantly, the results you can achieve with it.
What is nudging?
Nudging comes from behavioural psychology. The concept was introduced by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their book “Nudge”.
Nudging helps reduce friction in the user experience. This leads to higher conversion rates. The technique uses small changes in how choices are shown. It aims to influence behaviour in a predictable way. This happens without limiting freedom of choice or using financial incentives. The word nudging means “giving a gentle push” or “subtle guidance”.
How does nudging work in the Exatom platform?
Nudging can be activated using smart tooltips. A smart tooltip is a small popup next to, above, or below a form field. The message in the tooltip appears based on the visitor’s individual behaviour. Therefore some visitors will see it, some don’t.
This behaviour could be, for example, that the person is hesitating longer than average. Hesitating to fill in that specific field. A trigger could also be when the cursor is placed in a certain field. Or when the visitor corrects what they have entered.
Through A/B testing between a control group and a test group, you can measure the effect of nudging.
Nudging in forms: use cases
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Preventing technical friction
Forms can discourage users with strict input rules and unclear error messages. This forces users to figure out the problem themselves and correct their input. If they don’t give up right away, frustration is almost certain.Common examples include passwords, dates of birth, postal codes, and ISBN numbers.Nudges can be used in a valuable way.For example, by giving users clear information about input formats and requirements.
This helps guide them to fill in fields correctly.At the Belgian department store INNO.be, a smart tooltip reduced error messages by 35%. That’s 35% fewer mistakes when creating a password. -
Guiding users through complex forms
In industries like telecom, insurance, and automotive, forms often have multiple steps. They also include complex fields. Kia used smart tooltips to make their forms clearer. They guided users step by step. They gave helpful tips exactly when users needed them. This led to a 15% increase in conversion. All without an expensive redesign of the form. -
Building trust and clarity
When users enter personal data, they may feel unsure. Smart tooltips can give motivation and context. This helps build trust. At Track Assistant, a functional tooltip reminded users to use their new password in the app as well. This reduced support requests about this issue to zero. -
Testing and Optimising Nudging Strategies
Companies can quickly see which methods have the most impact. They can test different nudging techniques. For example, using dynamic prompts in smart tooltips. These tests show how nudging affects user experience and conversion rates. Once a successful approach is found, it can be applied permanently.
Measurable impact
The effectiveness of digital nudging is well supported by research and practice:
- Nudging strategies can increase conversion rates by 20-30% (Weinmann et al., 2016).
- Smart guidance in forms can improve completion rates by 25-40%. Specific tools like smart tooltips have also shown proven benefits. As seen with INNO and Kia.
Nudging in forms is a proven way to guide users and reduce obstacles. Applying behavioural science principles works. For example, nudging with smart tooltips. This reduces friction in forms, increases conversions, and provides a smoother user experience.
Want to learn more about how Exatom’s Smart Tooltips can help you? Visit our product page or read more about the results in these case studies.