A/B test – increase conversion in the online shop in a well-founded way

Anyone who runs an online shop knows how fiercely competitive the market has become in recent years. On the other hand, the digital transformation offers you inexhaustible potential – and above all the chance to do better than the others. One example of this is the A/B test. With an A/B test, you have the ultimate opportunity to increase your traffic and conversions by fulfilling your customers’ wishes. Sounds almost too good to be true? We tell you how the A/B test works for an online shop, what an A/B test actually is and what you should definitely consider when implementing it.

What is the A/B test?

An A/B test is an effective method in online marketing to find out which variant, A or B, works best. In an A/B test, you pit two or even more versions against each other, such as a newsletter subject, elements like buttons, social media ads, but also an entire website or landing page and much more. At first, only a selected group of your customers will be sent or shown the test versions at random. Based on the opening rate or clicks, you determine a winner who is then distributed to the broad masses. People within the test phase, do not know that they are taking part in it. For your customers and prospects, everything is as usual. You, on the other hand, receive valuable information.

By carrying out an A/B test, you can then respond more specifically to the customer’s wishes. You equally increase the customer satisfaction of your visitors or newsletter recipients, as you create real added value.

An A/B test answers questions like:

• Does the headline look appealing?
• Is the font size optimally adapted?
• Are the buttons prominent enough or perhaps too dominant?
• Do customers prefer a one-page checkout or a multi-page checkout?
• Do customers cancel purchases due to non-transparent information or even the page navigation?

You can find out this and more with an A/B test. With each new result, you receive well-founded optimisation potential for your online shop.

What are the objectives of an A/B test?

An A/B test in e-commerce is primarily used to increase performance and efficiency. With A/B testing, you primarily focus on the goal of increasing traffic and the conversion rate by responding to the wishes of your customers. Always bear in mind that you invest a lot of time and, above all, money in your marketing. For this reason, it seems only too smart to find out in advance what your customers really want within the scope of a target group analysis. In this way, you create added value and can increase your sales in a cost-effective way.

Where can A/B tests be useful?

There is no limit to the use of A/B tests. You can test just about anything that can be displayed in two versions. Whether images, the navigation bar, headlines, a new web design, new features, prices, payment options, etc. – an A/B test is always useful if you want to present certain elements, offers, etc. in a way that is suitable for the target group and place them accordingly with little time and expense. The A/B test is also advisable if, for example, you want to give your online shop a facelift. Simply pit the old version against the new one.

A/B test in the online shop – an example

You have a new article, let’s say it’s a T-shirt with a print, which you would like to include in your online shop. You create the product description and ask yourself which headline makes your customers curious and invites them to learn more or even to put the shirt in their shopping basket. An A/B test provides information at this point. Test two possible headlines and you will have found out what really appeals to your visitors. If you are setting up a newsletter at the same time to draw attention to the new T-shirt with print, you can also test its effectiveness with an A/B test.

The types of A/B tests

There are different types of A/B test that are more suitable for certain circumstances. In the classic A/B test, your visitors are shown two or more variants under the same URL. With the split test, on the other hand, they are redirected to a different URL. With both methods, you can test the performance of entire websites or landing pages. With the multivariate test (MVT), you primarily measure elements such as banners or buttons on the page and can question the design.

The advantages of an A/B test for your online shop

You have noticed within the checkout, based on an analysis, that your customers often abandon the purchase due to a lack of a call-to-action. You take up the idea of implementing a call-to-action in the form of a button and have designed two versions. You use A/B testing to find out which of the two versions is better received. With the result, there are several advantages:

• improved user experience
• Increased customer satisfaction
• higher customer loyalty
• well-founded customer acquisition
• getting to know the needs and ideas of the target group
• Reduction of the risk of making wrong decisions
• Savings in terms of cost and time
• Increase in traffic and optimisation of conversion

To carry out an A/B test

Now that you know what an A/B test is and what advantages it brings, we will tell you how to actually use it.

1st Step: Analysis

First, look at where your customers encounter challenges as they journey through your online shop. Where do they abandon purchases or leave your site? Use the results from your analysis tools such as Google Analytics for this. Ideally, you should also conduct a target group survey.

2nd Step: Set goals

What goal are you pursuing with the A/B test? Formulate a hypothesis and ask yourself what you expect from a change or what you want to achieve with it.

Example: With the integration of a new payment option, you want to meet your target group’s wish to have a larger selection of payment methods in order to avoid purchase cancellations at this point in the future. The hypothesis could be: “To solve the problem of customers abandoning the purchase process when choosing payment options, a new payment method such as PayPal or Amazon Pay will be integrated. By doing this, I expect XY % more customers to complete their purchase.”

With the A/B test, you can check which payment method your customers really want to use. This makes it easier for you to set priorities afterwards. Focus on the greatest potential for optimisation.

3rd Step: Choosing the tool

There are different testing tools that you can use for A/B testing. Depending on your requirements, you can choose between free and paid programmes. Take a closer look at different software solutions in terms of handling, functions and so on, compare them or ask for advice directly.

4th Step: Carry out the test

In online shops, the split test is usually used. The test phases should extend over a longer period of time and include a sufficiently large test group so that you also obtain significant data. Only test one thing at a time with an A/B test. On the other hand, it is possible to test more than two versions. Moreover, you can replace a poorly performing version with a new one within the runtime and measure its performance.

As a rule, an A/B test is carried out in the online shop for the following elements:

• Headlines
• Images
• Payment methods
• Forms
• Prices (like shipping costs)
• Navigation
• Web designs
• Category pages
• Product page
• Checkout

5th Step: Evaluate test

With the A/B test, you now get a winner of the different versions and can compare the result with your hypothesis. Now you can go directly into implementation. If the result is not what you expected, it is advisable to possibly throw both versions overboard and subject other options to another A/B test.

6th Step: Implement optimisation

Of course, an A/B test only makes sense if you use the result afterwards and embed the winner in your online shop. In this case, add PayPal as a payment method. Now it’s time to continue collecting and analysing data to see if the changes have a positive effect in the long term.

Exploit the potential of the A/B test

With an A/B test, you have an effective tool at hand to create customised content for your target group and improve the performance of your online shop. Our exit-intent pop-ups from uptain come directly with an A/B test. This takes place automatically, without you having to do anything. This way, you can always be sure that the best variants are played out to your customers – those that create real added value. Before a customer leaves your online shop, the user-friendly mouse-out trigger notices this, whereby the uptain® ALGORITHMUS plays out the right content at the right time, tailored to your customer. This is how you ensure an unrestricted user experience (UX).