What is Remove Unnecessary Fields?

During the early stages of digital marketing and user conversion, companies would request a wide range of details from users.

This could include anything from their home addresses to their favorite hobbies. However, marketers noticed a stark decrease in conversion rates, which they traced back to exorbitant sign-up forms. This led to the birth of the idea to 'Remove Unnecessary Fields' in these forms to improve user engagement and increase conversions.

The tactic "Remove Unnecessary Fields" is about simplifying online forms to the bare essentials. It means asking only for the information that you absolutely need from your users when they are signing up or filling out a form on your site. The idea is to make the process as easy and painless as possible, to encourage more users to complete it.

Examples of Remove Unnecessary Fields

1. E-commerce websites removing/addressing fields like 'Company Name' or 'Fax Number' during checkout.
2. An online newsletter sign-up form only asking for an email address, rather than full contact information.
3. Social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter, initially asking only for basic information during sign up, and prompting users to complete their profile later.
4. Online surveys limiting the number of questions or skip the demographic info when it's not necessary for their data analysis.
5. Mobile applications asking for only an email and password at sign-up, and providing the option to add more information in the user's profile settings.

Marketing Tactics Similar to Remove Unnecessary Fields

• Progressive Profiling: This is a method of gradually collecting information from users over time, rather than all at once.
• Field Autofill: This makes filling out forms quicker by automatically populating fields with data the user has provided before.
• Signup with Social Media: This eliminates the need for users to fill out any fields at all, as their information can simply be pulled from their social media accounts.
• Single-Page Checkout: Similar to removing unnecessary fields, this tactic simplifies the checkout process by reducing the number of pages a shopper needs to visit.
• Split-Form Signup: Under this approach, different pieces of information are requested at different stages of user's journey, reducing the cognitive load on the user.

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