Effective online sales are achievable if only we conduct activities in many fields. Google Ads, content marketing, marketplaces, but also all kinds of tests or analyzes lead to achieving optimal financial results. One very helpful tool is A/B testing. Tests of this kind are especially valuable in the context of an online store. Striving for the best e-customer service, it is A/B tests that help build the best possible experience among consumers by verifying the effectiveness of individual elements that make up e-business.
A/B tests are used to compare the effectiveness of two different versions of e.g. a website, PPC advertisement, mobile application or marketing campaign, in order to determine which version performs better according to user behavior and brings better business results. In A/B tests, two versions of the above-mentioned marketing activities are created, which will differ from each other in one element, e.g. headline, color of the button, image used in the slider, etc. Different versions, e.g. of e.g. mailing, are presented to users randomly. Their behavior is then tracked. by verifying clicks or time spent reading the e-mail.
As soon as enough data is collected, the results are analyzed to determine which version performs better. If version B performs better, it is usually chosen as the preferred version, and in the next step, another test can be run to optimize it even further.
A/B testing is a very popular tool used in internet marketing. They allow you to measure the effectiveness of marketing activities and make decisions based on data, and not only on intuition or hunches. This is an important action because even in the area of one industry, different actions will be effective in one e-shop than in the other.
If you have not yet decided to conduct an A/B test for various types of marketing activities promoting your online store, it is worth taking a look at the benefits of implementing this type of testing in your e-business strategy:
A/B tests should be carried out mainly to increase conversion from marketing activities. The basic assumption of the tests is to ensure that the online store effectively encourages users to e.g. make purchases. You should also be aware that the level of conversion depends on many variables. The obtained CR (conversion rate) is influenced by seemingly trivial elements of the online store, such as colors, button placement, but also the page layout itself and many others. That is why it is so important to conduct a series of A/B tests, thanks to which we will bring the e-shop to a condition that will allow it to achieve optimal sales results.
Let us also bear in mind that A/B tests are not reserved solely for conducting them on websites or e-shops. Tests of this type work equally well in the already mentioned mailing campaigns, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.
We should be properly prepared for A/B tests, we should approach them wisely to develop a strategy that makes sense. Therefore, it is worth taking appropriate steps to ensure that the tests bring the best results.
First, select a variable for your test. Regardless of whether we are analyzing a Google Ads campaign or the online store itself, it is possible that many variables need to be carried out. However, the A/B test itself should measure one factor, thanks to which it will be possible to measure its effectiveness. If we introduce more variables, we may have problems with assessing what really influenced this or that result. If we want to run more variables, let's prepare a separate test for each one.
We also need to define the goal for the A/B test we are preparing. That is, we should decide what we are testing, whether it will be CTR, website traffic, time spent on the website by the user, cart abandonment rate or subscription to the newsletter.
In the next step, we should focus on preparing the test and control versions for the A/B test. So if we want to verify, for example, the layout of a product page, we test the current version of this page (control version) and the page with a new layout (tested version). In this test, it is worth using the available tools and practices that will help us assess what specifically needs to be modified. We have at our disposal a heat map, customer path analysis, feedback form, session registration on the website, various types of software for analyzing user behavior. It is also worth getting acquainted with the Google Analytics report in the context of conversion paths or goal flow.
Another important issue is the definition of test groups. Depending on which element we will verify, we should configure the test groups accordingly. For example, in the case of a newsletter, we should designate at least two groups. However, if we want to select elements to be changed on the website, we should focus on the duration of the tests. We need to set a time limit to get the right amount of views.
Once you've run an A/B test, it's time to analyze the results. Only an appropriate analysis will verify which version of a campaign, website, newsletter or Google Ads campaign is more effective. Here are some key elements to consider:
The analysis of these elements allows you to thoroughly compare the two versions of the A/B test and choose the one that is more effective and brings better business results.