With the rise of users reading their news primarily on a mobile device, Business Insider’s subscription team faced a challenge: Nearly 80% of users exposed to a paywall are on a mobile device.

Despite their prevalence, though, mobile readers subscribed at one-fifth the rate of desktop readers and specifically completed the checkout process at a 15% lower rate.

The Business Insider subscriptions team focuses on this conversion rate, measuring how many users successfully become subscribers after encountering a paywalled article. Our problem provided an opportunity to convert mobile readers, our largest cohort, into subscribers.

Cutting down on clicks

The team wanted to prove that simplifying and reducing friction in our paywall-to-checkout experience could increase the checkout completion rate and, ultimately, the conversion rate for our mobile readers.

We hypothesised that each click for a user was a point of abandonment in our conversion flow, which starts with reading a story with a paywall and ends once payment is completed.

For mobile users, successfully becoming a subscriber took at least 10 clicks. After digging into the data, we saw many bounce at the second click of inputting their e-mail address.

To find the most optimal solution, the team conducted a wide-sweeping competitor analysis to see how others had solved this problem and how we could improve upon it. Technology is fast, and paywalls are ever-changing. We knew we wanted to be ahead of the curve — not behind.

As a result, we implemented a solution to reduce friction by adding a digital wallet option that provided a one-click checkout using Google or Apple Pay. 

We redesigned our paywall and added dynamic logic that updated the user’s Subscribe button depending on the payment options available on their device — Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Subscribe for no digital wallet available.

Users with a digital wallet like Google Pay or Apple Pay could seamlessly pay using their device’s native payment settings, eliminating steps and cognitive load with this familiar interface. This streamlined experience removed barriers such as entering credit card information and e-mail addresses, reducing the clicks, inputs, and, ultimately, the conversion process from 10 steps to two.

Notable results

Our digital wallet solution significantly improved checkout completion and, ultimately, the conversion rate for our mobile readers.

Among users who had a digital wallet (Google Pay and Apple Pay) enabled, we saw a 15% lift on users converting compared to our previous paywall. Conversion rate can be a difficult metric to move, and this lift is incredibly impactful in raising the number of users who subscribe.

We also assessed annual share as our counter metric, or what we wanted to ensure didn’t fall as a result,  and found positive results. While boosting conversion rates is crucial, it’s also important to ensure that these conversions still translate into long-term commitment from subscribers.

We saw a 31% increase in users selecting an annual subscription vs a monthly subscription, which showcased that we didn’t sacrifice communicating the value of BI by easing the conversion process.  

Important lessons and takeaways

We learned many things from this, including focusing on making things easy for your users to accomplish their goals.

Reducing friction isn’t just about cutting down on steps, it’s about understanding the user’s mindset. People visit Business Insider to stay informed, not to navigate through a maze of payment screens. We discovered even small hurdles like multiple clicks or form inputs can be major turn-offs for potential subscribers.

By understanding the current friction to these mobile reader’s goals, we were able to assess innovative solutions to provide convenience, from encountering a paywall to completing the checkout process.

By smoothing out the checkout process and using familiar tools like Apple/Google Pay, we made it simple for users to continue their journey with BI. This streamlined approach doesn’t sacrifice long-term investment either; in fact, it encourages users to opt for annual subscriptions — ultimately strengthening their commitment to Business Insider and ensuring mutual growth and value.

The BI team learned the importance of seeking innovative solutions, such as integrating digital wallets for quick checkouts, to reduce friction and enhance user experience. This all ultimately led to a positive increase in our main KPI of conversion rate.

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