5 Tips for A/B Testing on Shopify Plus

When making changes to your site, set up a plan to make intelligent, data-driven modifications that improve it for good. 

One method is A/B testing for eCommerce, which is the perfect solution to improving your site, increasing conversion rates, and enhancing your user experience.

What Is A/B Testing?

A/B testing, also known as split testing, is the act of testing a control web page (called A) against a variant page with a slight change (called B). The goal of the variant page is to increase conversions compared to the control page.‌

You send 50% of visitors to version A and 50% to version B. This ensures that you get the same sample size for both versions. When both samples are the same size, you avoid problems with your statistical analysis.‌

Once you’ve finished your test, it’s time to study your results. If version B got more conversions, you can set that as the new control page and repeat the process with a new variant page. If version B is the same or worse than version A, then you create a new variant page and keep the current control page.

The A/B testing process is a significant part of eCommerce conversion rate optimization (eCommerce CRO). Every test you run puts you one step closer to a fully optimized site. However, to run a test, you need to collect a lot of information. Depending on the popularity of your site, you need anywhere from hundreds to thousands of visitors to get results you can trust.

Why Testing is So Important

Testing is a lot of work, but it’s worthwhile. Why? Because it gets results. While A/B testing takes time, it’s one of the best methods available to increase your conversions and increase your revenue. It also has the benefit of improving your conversions every step of the way. Your website is constantly getting better instead of remaining static until you attempt a single overhaul that may not even be an improvement.

Since you can test many elements on your web page, A/B testing can take some time to complete. A few of the features you can test include the layout, designs, copy, CTAs, buttons, and menus. You can test each one to find the best version to increase your eCommerce CRO and create a cohesive and successful website.

Best of all, testing helps you learn about your customers. When you know what kinds of CTAs, copy, and color schemes appeal to your customers, you can use that knowledge to improve your entire sales funnel. A/B testing is a great investment in your business as a whole.

5 Tips to Perfect A/B Testing for eCommerce

A/B testing takes more than just coming up with two versions of a page. If you want to collect data that means something, you need to test your site and manage CRO the right way. These five tips can help you make the most of your tests and get actionable data and genuine improvements the first time.

1. Choose and Follow a Timeline

The most important rule of A/B testing is that you need to be patient. You can’t shortchange your tests, or you won’t get the statistically significant results you need. On the other hand, you can’t leave your tests running too long or things like holidays, sales, weekends, or other factors could ruin your data set. Instead, aim for a mid-point: one to two business cycles.

That’s long enough where you can get customer data that’s statistically significant without introducing too many variables. Set your timeline in advance, and make sure you follow it, and you’ll get much better results.

2. Use a Sample Size Calculator

The timeline isn’t the only thing you need to consider. You also need to make sure that enough people visit during your test to make it reliable. That’s why you need to figure out your sample size in advance. The easiest way to do that is to use a sample size calculator.‌

The calculator runs the statistical math to determine how many visitors you need to get a valid sample. If your selection is too small, you could see results caused by random chance instead of actual customer preferences. Once you’ve hit the sample size you get from your calculator, you can trust that you have valid results, and you can stop your test.

3. Set Your Process Priorities

Once you know your sample size and how long you should run your test, you need to set your testing priorities. You can choose to test different parts of the process like a single page, a whole website, popups, or paid ads. It’s best to focus on one part of the process at a time, so you can get clear answers about which changes are leading to improved customer experience and conversion rates.

4. Determine the Elements That Need Fixing

Next, decide what part of that process you want to improve first. Looking at your page, popup, or ad, you can probably spot something that could be providing a better user experience as compared to what already is. It might be the general copy, photos, layout, CTAs, or the design of the buttons. Start improving that first, then choose an order to test the rest of the screen.

5. Use the Right Tools for the Job

When you’re getting into A/B testing for eCommerce on Shopify or any other site, you need to use the right tools. Some great Shopify Plus CRO tools are Shogun Page Builder and Google Optimize. Both tools let you perform in-depth A/B testing on your site without worrying about wasting time or getting poor results. They also have robust Shopify integrations, so you can install them on your site without a problem.‌

Start Improving Your Shopify Site Today

If you’ve never done it before, eCommerce CRO can be daunting. Once your site starts seeing significant traffic, A/B testing can make it simple. If you’re ready to start improving your Shopify Plus store but want some support, don’t worry. Our CRO experts are here to help. Reach out today to get started making your site the best it can be.