Consumer Reports ratings are premium content available only to members. In the summer of 2018, we tested several redesigned paywall creatives. After a six week test across 5 product categories, CR saw a 23% lift in the conversion of non-members and rolled out the new paywall design below.
Prior to this test CR had a “hard-stop’ paywall blocking non-members form accessing the Ratings.
The winning paywall design gave users an idea of the exact products CR tests and what criteria they test them by. This helped users gauge the value of becoming a member. By introducing various contextual CTAs, like the lock icon, we gave users more ways into the conversion funnel.
We added a locked variant of the exact data users will see on any given products model page. This gave non-members a better idea of what they will get from CR, and reduced any bait and switch fears they may have had.