Progress Bar Test Lifted Reg2Dep In New Player Deposit Flow
What Changed In The Funnel
A partner case examined a common problem in new player onboarding. The product used a two-step registration followed by a three-step deposit process, creating a five-step journey before a first deposit was completed. Each step was short, yet the full flow felt long enough to push users away before the key action.
Before the test, Reg2Dep sat at a stable 25% to 26%. Journey analysis showed a clear weak point. Around 40% of users who failed to deposit straight after registration dropped out on steps three and four. About half of those users never returned to make a deposit, which turned a design issue into a direct revenue leak.
The Test Design
The team tested a simple intervention. In the test group, every stage of registration and deposit displayed a progress bar and a step counter such as 1/5 or 2/5. The control group saw no changes. The stated goal was to reduce funnel exits by 15% to 20% and lift Reg2Dep by 1% to 3%.
The campaign budget was 300,000 in total, split evenly between the two groups. One detail matters for product teams. If a player in the test group completed registration, left during deposit, and later returned, the counter restarted at 1/3 because only the deposit stages remained. That kept the message accurate and prevented friction from a misleading step count.
Results After One Month
The test group delivered a Reg2Dep rate of 27%, while the control group finished at 24%. That three-point gap is material for any operator acquiring first-time depositors at scale. It means more value extracted from the same traffic and a better payback profile on acquisition spend.
Drop-off during steps three and four also moved in the right direction. In the test group, the share of players leaving the registration-to-deposit journey at those stages fell to 22%. In the control group, the same figure was 33%. Weekly cuts reportedly showed the same pattern throughout the month, which strengthens confidence that the uplift was not a short spike.
Why The Progress Bar Worked
The result highlights a simple truth in conversion design. Length matters, but perceived length matters just as much. A progress bar reduces uncertainty by showing users how much is left. When players can see that only a few short actions remain, the process feels finite and easier to complete.
For operators, this matters because the first deposit is the most sensitive point in the onboarding funnel. Small interface changes can unlock higher conversion without changing bonus policy, payments, or media buying. For suppliers, it is a reminder that UX components inside registration and cashier flows deserve the same attention as front-end promotion tools.
Why Existing Players Did Not React
The same partners also added a progress bar to the deposit flow for existing players. That version produced no meaningful change. Deposit completion share did not rise, deposit speed did not improve, and related metrics stayed flat. This suggests the intervention solved uncertainty for new users, not habit for returning ones.
That distinction is useful. New players are learning the product and need reassurance. Existing players already understand the deposit journey, so a visual completion cue adds little value. Teams looking to improve repeat deposits may need different levers, such as payment method placement, saved preferences, or faster cashier logic.
Source: igamingceo Telegram
🌐 Source: igamingceo Telegram
