Streamlining checkout process: HotelTonight's A/B test

The bottom line

HotelTonight raised conversions by 15% by dropping the mandatory account creation screen from checkout. Removing friction at the point of purchase led more users to complete a booking.

Key takeaways

• Removing the account creation step increased conversions by 15%. The team expected less friction to produce more bookings, and the result confirmed it.
  • The test compared the original checkout flow with a shorter variant.
• The variant asked only for a name and email on the order summary screen. This kept the data needed to identify the customer while cutting the form.
  • Password creation was removed from the flow.
• A reset link replaced the password step. Users could still reach their account later without setting a password up front.

The test setup

HotelTonight tested whether removing mandatory account creation would boost bookings.

• The hypothesis was that less friction would lead to more bookings.
  • The control was the original checkout flow with a required account creation screen.
  • The variant requested only a name and email on the order summary screen.
  • The variant replaced password creation with a reset link.

The result

The streamlined checkout beat the original flow on conversions.

• The variant produced a 15% increase in conversions.
  • The test belongs to the checkout and sales category.