Fewer Fields on a Demo Request Form: A/B Test Example

Form analytics with drop-offs clustered on certain fields, long completion times, or session recordings of visitors abandoning the request form halfway point to a form whose length wears people down. If trimming it helps, form submissions rise while the qualified lead share holds. Before you start, confirm that sales does not genuinely need the fields you remove and can collect that information in follow-up when it is needed; if they cannot, a shorter form only moves the problem to the sales side.

Qualified opportunity rate

Measure qualified opportunities per eligible assigned visitor over the same follow-up period.

Also track

• Form submission rateCompare valid submissions among eligible visitors who see the form.
• Form completion timeMeasure time among visitors who start the form; report non-completions separately.
• Qualified lead shareReport the share of submitted leads that qualify and qualified opportunities per assigned visitor.
• Sales prequalification timeCompare time spent prequalifying each lead using the same method and period.

• ChangeRemove fields predefined as unnecessary for initial qualification; keep the remaining fields and follow-up flow the same.
• Keep constantKeep remaining field copy, validation, CTA and follow-up process unchanged.
• VolumeTrack completed forms and valid submissions.
• QualityMake the qualification denominator explicit; the primary decision is qualified opportunities per assigned visitor.
• Separate testsTest individual required fields or post-submission data collection separately.

1. 1Decide on the qualified opportunity rate per assigned visitor; a higher form submission rate is not enough on its own. Look at qualified lead share, sales prequalification time and the close rate over the same follow-up period; if missing information slows screening, the gain on the form can disappear in sales.
2. 2The result measures removing a predefined set of fields together, not the effect of any single field. Keep the form design unchanged and check that the remaining required fields are clearly marked in both arms, or the difference may not come from the number of fields.
3. 3Qualified opportunities are far rarer than form submissions. If the difference is unclear, use the sample size calculator to see how many visitors this comparison needs, and leave requests whose follow-up period has not ended out of the decision.