A/B Testing for E-Commerce Conversions

A/B testing can take luck out of the equation by comparing the performance of a single variation in your marketing content. With simple a/b testing, a website can attain a high conversion rate for: newsletter signups, sales, feed subscriptions, downloads, and many other things. More importantly, it helps keep visitors engaged on a site, enhancing their experience, lowering bounce rate, and helping with website stats and analytics.

In this article we’ll take a closer look at how a/b testing can make a significant improvement to the elements critical in driving e-commerce sales. Get the most out of your e-commerce strategy by following the guidelines and tips mentioned here.

Get Into the Habit of Testing Regularly

Regularly perform tests to see the results a/b testing can have on your marketing efforts. Set aside time each month to test, and stick to it. Amazon is known for repeatedly testing its buy now and add to cart buttons. You shouldn’t limit yourself to one design element, however. Other elements to test include:

Email Subject Lines

E-marketing is an effective way to garner more traffic to your website as efficiently as possible. Craft two different subject lines that speak to the value of your product and send them to designated email recipients. After your testing period is complete, determine the subject line that received the most clicks as the winner.

Product Descriptions

Convey the value your product will deliver to the lives of the consumer through carefully considered product descriptions. They should be both concise, yet provide enough information to draw the visitor in. Consider testing the description itself along with the length and style – such as including lists.

Sign Up Page Headlines

The headline should grab the visitor’s attention and provoke them to signing up for your product. Make the process as easy as possible in the visitor’s mind by relaying how easy the registration process is. Test out variations of headlines that let the customer know the benefits and ease of signing up.

Purchase Buttons

Purchase button A/B testing

Like call to action buttons, purchase buttons are one of the most critical elements in fostering sales. Get the customer hooked by considering the purchase buttons style, color, placement, and text.

Pick one element for your test at a time as this has been shown to produce the most effective results in the long run. And don’t conclude too early: You won’t want a few conversions or visitors for each variation before you decide to end the test. Online calculatorscan give you a good idea of how long you should run your a/b test.

A/B Testing Tools

Setting up the test is easy with a free tool such as Google Website Optimizer. Once you’ve determined the elements that will make the most impact to your e-commerce site’s visitors. The tool will then show the content and design alternatives to your site visitors. From there you can use their customized reports to identify and implement the best combination.

Conclusion

Improving the success of your e-commerce business is simple through the regular use of a/b testing. Customers want to see how a product will benefit their lives and your job is to parlay this information quickly and easily on your e-commerce site. Through using a/b testing you’re one step closer to increased sales and conversions.A/B testing can take luck out of the equation by comparing the performance of a single variation in your marketing content. With simple a/b testing, a website can attain a high conversion rate for: newsletter signups, sales, feed subscriptions, downloads, and many other things. More importantly, it helps keep visitors engaged on a site, enhancing their experience, lowering bounce rate, and helping with website stats and analytics.

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