When you run an eCommerce store, there’s a lot you need to know about your audience if you want to be successful.
For example, what kind of page design does your audience respond to? What copy really speaks to their pain points and convinces them to make a purchase? Which call to action drives engagement, and where’s the best place to put it?
Sure, you could test this out slowly, making significant changes to your site based on a whim that could end up tanking your sales. Or, you could apply the power of A/B testing to your store and advertising efforts informed by customer data platform insights, to gauge your current setup against something new.
A/B testing allows eCommerce business owners like you to watch two versions of the same page battle it out against each other. This test will prove which is ultimately better for an enhanced conversion rate.
But what is A/B testing? How does it work? And how can you leverage its effectiveness to create new experiences that positively impact your eCommerce conversion rate?
That’s exactly what we’re discussing in the sections below.
What is A/B Testing?
A/B testing is a means of testing two different versions of the same page simultaneously.
You have your standard page, or control version. Then you introduce the variable selection. This new selection could be a page with a new color scheme. It could also feature a different call to action button, copy, or any new elements meant to inspire action in your target audience.
When users access your page, half will see the control option, while the other half will view the variable. Then, you can compare the statistical significance of both. Through A/B testing, you can see whether your new and improved ideas are more effective than what you already have.
This strategy gives you an unprecedented look into your audience’s preferences without having to gamble.
Simply put, A/B testing is a powerful way to optimize your eCommerce platform and boost its conversion rate. By testing different versions of your site elements like headlines, images, buttons, and copy, you can find out what works best for your audience. Then you’ll be able to improve their shopping experience.
For example, you could test different customer authentication methods, such as OAuth vs. SAML, to see which offers more security and convenience. By measuring the impact of each option on your conversions, you can choose the best one for your site. That will increase customer trust and loyalty.
A/B testing is very important to define the best page for a product you are trying to sell while tracking and understanding user preferences.
For example, suppose an eCommerce site does A/B testing on a product. It adds on the option of same-day delivery with a reliable courier service. In that case, it can analyze whether people select or ignore this option. If you were considering such a partnership, piloting the option through A/B testing could be enough to show you whether it’s a good idea or not.
How to Use A/B Testing to Boost eCommerce Conversion Rates
By now, you should understand what A/B testing is and why it’s an effective tool for increasing your conversion rate.
Below, we’ve highlighted several ways you can use A/B testing to improve your customer experience and ultimately generate more sales.
1. Perfect Design Elements
Human beings are visual creatures. When we look at a web app development company page, we take in the visuals first.
That includes the color scheme, images, and layout of the page. A poorly designed or confusing page can make a bad first impression on your audience. That can drive them away before they ever start to read your product descriptions.
Maybe you think your current page design elements are top-notch and helping to drive conversions. It’s still a good idea to test a new and creative idea through A/B testing. You can make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
When A/B testing design elements, try to engage the audience with an all-new color scheme. Bring more attention to your product images with a larger image box. Try to move your images to the left side of the page, since that’s where the eye naturally travels when reading. Furthermore, it is essential to prioritize email security and leverage DMARC reports to ensure a safe and reliable communication channel while conducting A/B testing, allowing you to focus on engaging your audience with innovative design elements.
Reviews are incredibly important to the customer experience. People tend to believe in peer reviews and social proof more than any official company messaging. Experiment with different ways to highlight your reviews. This tactic will draw the customer in and convince them of your quality before they read your product description.
2. Identify Effective Calls to Action
Your call to action is the trigger that prospective customers pull to become actual customers. It’s the verbiage and standout button they’ll click to start the checkout process and move through the buyer’s journey.
Having a bad CTA can hurt your conversion rate. For starters, if people don’t see your CTA immediately, they might get confused and navigate away.
If your CTA copy is off-putting or ineffective, it won’t drive the right level of motivation in the hearts and minds of customers. But what you think will be a compelling CTA and what actually works are often completely different.
That’s why you should use A/B testing to try out different:
- CTA positions on the page
- CTA copy
- CTA button size
- CTA button color
- And more
When you examine your A/B testing results, you’ll immediately realize which CTA strategy works better. If more people respond and convert to a specific choice, you know that’s the most effective CTA and can make a permanent switch.
3. Create More Engaging Content
Multimedia content, enhanced by the use of an AI tools, helps to convince a prospective customer to convert. Through the power of images, video content, and other interactive elements, you can showcase the power and impact of your offerings. This can go beyond what simple product descriptions bring to the table.
But, of course, this multimedia approach needs to appeal to your target audience. It must take their preferences, pain points, and sensibilities into account.
For example, by doing A/B tests, you might decide to add a descriptive video for your products within your eCommerce page.
This move could help you maintain high user engagement on the product page and drive home the messaging. If you make this choice, test out a few different options. Before you take the step of hiring a professional voice actor, try out a few options with an AI voice generator.
Create a video with a male voice and one with a female voice. Have an American accent and a British accent go against one another. Once you can examine your A/B testing results for these videos, you can make an informed casting decision on the final product.
4. Improve your Target Audience Profiles
All businesses need to segment their audiences into customer profiles. Essentially, they list all the qualities that make up your ideal customer. That includes factors like where they live, their gender, occupation, income, interests, marital status, and more.
One of the most critical elements of a customer profile is preferences. That includes preferences on things like eCommerce marketing, content marketing, messaging, visuals, social media platforms, and more.
You can use A/B testing to get a much clearer view of those interests. This research will help you create a complete customer profile and reveal valuable and actionable information on the people you’re trying to reach.
You should even consider active events and seasonality while A/B testing to improve your target audience. With the changing seasons, you should consider how your target audience’s preferences and behaviors might shift during different times of the year.
Take this example of StudioSuits, a brand specializing in wedding tuxedos and various suits. They wisely implemented A/B testing during the holiday season. They experimented with two different headings in their hero section during the holiday season to identify which works the best for them during that special time of the year.
5. Improve Advertising
A/B testing can also improve the conversion rate of your eCommerce store by helping you create targeted ad campaigns. Use A/B testing to specifically gear your ads toward ideal customers.
Use what you know about their preferences in the copy, visuals, social proof, and calls to action. Integrate those elements into your ads on platforms like Google and Facebook.
Additionally, you can run A/B testing on your ad campaigns, launching two different targeted posts simultaneously. Half of your targeted prospects will get one ad, while the rest will receive another. You can then gauge these two campaigns’ click-through and conversion rates to determine which ad draws people to your site more effectively.
Then, once they click through onto the site, they take part in your on-page A/B testing. Moving from one A/B test to another presents you with more valuable information. Use this information to improve your marketing and customer experience at the same time.
Conclusion
The quest for improved conversion rates will always be a struggle in the eCommerce world. It all boils down to how well you know your audience and whether you’ve optimized your pages to their preferences.
That’s why A/B testing is so important. By using this effective form of testing on your eCommerce store, you’ll gain valuable insight that leads to data-driven decisions. Use what you’ve learned to truly perfect your store and create a winning eCommerce formula that boosts your conversion rate.
About The Author
Guillaume is a digital marketer focused on handling the outreach strategy at uSERP and content management at Wordable. Outside of work, he enjoys his expat life in sunny Mexico, reading books, wandering around, and catching the latest shows on TV.
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