# A/B test: offer guest checkout first

> If buying without an account is the first and most visible option, then orders will rise, because creating an account is a chore nobody wants to do for a first purchase.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/guest-checkout-first
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it can work

A first-time buyer does not want a relationship with you, they want their trainers. If the first thing they see is “Sign in or create an account”, they think of yet another password, emails they never asked for, and how long this is taking.

Many stores already allow guest checkout but bury it in a small link under the sign-up form. The test is not “allow it or not”. It is about what shows first.


## How to set it up

Check your platform first. Many of them restrict what can be changed inside the checkout, and Shopify is the strictest: there you may only be able to run this test in the cart or on what shoppers see before paying. On WooCommerce or PrestaShop the checkout is just another page of your site and can be tested like any other.

In Bixlow you describe the change to the agent, it builds it on your site and launches it as an A/B test once you approve it. A/B tests are on the paid plans, starting with Standard.

1. In the variant, the first block of the sign-in step is “Check out as a guest”, with the main button.
2. Sign in sits below it, as a secondary option for people who already have an account.
3. Offer account creation at the end, on the confirmation page, with the email already filled in: only a password is missing.
4. Run it on new visitors, who are the ones without an account yet.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Orders per visitor |
| Metric that must not get worse | Average order value |
| Where it is measured | On the order confirmation page |

_Keep an eye on accounts created too, but not as the deciding metric: an account without an order pays nothing._


> **When I would not test it.** If the account is part of the product (subscriptions, refills, a customer area people really use) or if you sell to trade customers with their own prices. There the sign-up has a reason, and pushing it down can confuse more than it helps.


## FAQ

### Will I lose registered customers?

You will lose sign-ups at the first step, but you can win some back by offering the account after payment, when it no longer gets in the way. A guest buyer is still your customer and you have their email.

### My store has no guest checkout. What now?

Turn it on in your platform settings first; nearly all of them have it. Then you can test where and how it is presented.

### What if I'm on Shopify?

Shopify keeps tight control of the checkout and leaves little room to reorder that step. Check whether guest checkout is enabled and what your plan lets you change before designing the test.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: fewer checkout fields](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/fewer-checkout-fields)
- [What an A/B test is](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/ab-test)
- [Sample size calculator](https://bixlow.com/en/tools/sample-size-calculator)