# A/B test: show a support phone or WhatsApp in the checkout

> If we show a support phone number or WhatsApp in the checkout, then orders will rise, because knowing someone is on the other side reassures people who do not know the brand.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/show-a-real-person
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it can work

Buying from a store you don't know means trusting someone you have never met. When it is time to enter a card, that doubt grows: what if it never arrives, what if I need to return it, who do I complain to?

A phone number or WhatsApp doesn't have to be used. It just has to be there. It says there is a person, you can message them, and the store isn't going to vanish.


## 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. Write one short line: “Questions about your order? Message us on WhatsApp, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm”, with the number.
2. In the variant, place it near the pay button or at the top of the checkout. If you can't change the checkout, put it in the cart.
3. Only list hours you will actually keep.
4. Run it on new visitors, who are the ones who don't trust you yet.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Orders per new visitor |
| Metric that must not get worse | Support load (messages per order) |
| Where it is measured | On the order confirmation page |


> **When I would not test it.** If nobody can answer within a reasonable time. A WhatsApp that never replies does more harm than having none, because shoppers try it exactly when they have a problem.


## FAQ

### Will my WhatsApp get flooded?

Some messages will come in, and it is worth tracking. But many of them are questions that, without the number, would have ended as an abandoned cart.

### Phone or WhatsApp?

Whichever you will answer better. If you are unsure, that can be another test: same spot, different channel.

### Would a chat widget do the same job?

A chat also says someone is there, but a number with a name and hours tends to feel more real. They are two different ideas; test them separately.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: who we are in one line](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/about-us-in-one-line)
- [What an A/B test is](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/ab-test)
- [A/B testing without a developer](https://bixlow.com/en/platform/ab-testing)