Required phone fields cause abandonments

Required but unexplained phone fields were observed to be a direct cause of abandonments for the subgroup of users who are suspicious of a site’s motives. – Baymard

 

58% of brands don’t provide an explanation

Below is a poll done by Baymard to 2800 shoppers.
 

Do you need their number?

  • Reconsider whether you actually need their phone number
  • If you do, then give an explanation as to why the phone number is required. (e.g. “used in case of delivery issues”, or “For order questions only”)
 

Three solutions

Baymard (source) suggests 3 options to alleviate user concerns about giving away their phone number:
  1. Short inline description
  2. Tooltip
  3. Optional phone number

Examples