Why and How to Use A/B Testing for Your eCommerce Site
The ability to conduct A/B testing is one of the significant advantages of eCommerce. You can test alternative strategies and methods for various parts of your eCommerce site and business. Common benefits include minimizing wasted investments and amplifying the most efficient opportunities.
The following is an overview of why eCommerce providers should engage in A/B testing, along with some insights on how to do so.
Why You Should Use A/B Testing
Here are some of the primary benefits of eCommerce A/B testing:
Test Alternative Options: In some cases, you might have a couple of good ideas for implementing a specific eCommerce strategy. If you like two competing options, testing both allows you to figure out what the market prefers. You could test one approach with half your audience, and the other approach with the other half. Gauge key metrics like engagement, subscriptions, and conversions to determine the optimal strategy with which to move forward.
Minimize Waste: A/B testing is also a good way to rule out ineffective strategies early before the expenses pile up. If one approach performs much lower than another, your testing could save you from having to wait weeks, months, or years to cut your losses on a poor approach.
Amplify ROI: In contrast, a relative comparison with A/B testing makes it clear where the top opportunities exist to amplify your return on investment. When you identify strategies and tactics that pay off, put more money and resources into them so you can maximize your results.
How to Conduct A/B Testing
There are many approaches to conducting A/B testing, all of which depend on what you are testing, what you hope to learn, and how your eCommerce business is set up. The following are some examples:
Landing Pages: A lot of eCommerce providers want to compare different designs, layouts, and elements with landing pages. To conduct a landing page A/B test, simply create one page with one set up of elements, and another page with the comparison setup. Track outcomes for a given period of time and determine which structure is ideal.
Ad Campaigns: Providers also want to test different promotional strategies to figure out which ones drive results. On social media, for instance, you could run a couple variations of an ad message and track the amount of traffic and number of conversions generated in a given period for each. As you learn the results, increase investment in the campaign messages showing the greatest returns.
Email Subject Lines: A/B testing is also commonly used with email subject lines to determine which line earns the most opens. Some software programs allow you to facilitate subject line testing even before you deliver the message by leveraging historical data and analytics.
Conclusions
A/B testing is critical for eSellers in the hyper-competitive world of eCommerce. It is imperative to minimize wasted investment and to seize upon strategies and tactics that prove the most effective in creating the desired results. Do not leave your company’s success to chance; test instead!