A/B Testing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Part 4 – Thinking Small

By Kevin Plankey

May 24, 2023

Share

Optimization teams, especially new ones, A/B test aspects of their digital properties that have been frequent subjects of debate, like button colors, calls to action, and hero images. These tests can be important to conversion rates and average order values.

These A/B tests are simple to set up, easy to explain, and winners are usually easy to deploy. But in addition to relatively safe tweaks like these, we encourage you to think big. This brings me to my next topic on A/B Testing Mistakes: Thinking Small. Missed my other posts in this series?

You have likely been working on your site for a long time and have probably already improved the conversion rate many times through various A/B tests. Hundreds or even thousands of shoppers make purchases on your site every day. It may bring in a substantial portion of your company’s revenue. It works! It’s good.

But never forget. The largest impediment to improvement is the risk of failure.

Start With Your Shoppers

One of the best resources for A/B test ideas is your shoppers. Who succeeds, who doesn’t, and why? Start with these questions to gain a better understanding of your shoppers and what they might be missing on your site.

  • How many of your shoppers scroll down three-quarters on your product detail page (PDP), and what’s the correlation between PDP consumption and purchase?
  • How many PDPs does the average shopper visit?
  • Is there compelling PDP content below the fold? Should it remain there?
  • How do the conversion rates between first-time shoppers and returning shoppers compare?
  • Do your shoppers search or browse more? Which path converts better?
  • What percentage of shoppers begin checking out but never finish?

Talk to Coworkers

Another excellent resource for A/B test ideas is your co-workers. Most of us shop online for clothes, gadgets, vacations, and many other items. We’ve all had good and bad experiences online, and when asked for honest opinions, we’re all more of an expert than we might think. Get them to tell you how your site could be better.

Remember, A/B testing mitigates risk and allows the best ideas from the entire team to prevail.

Look at Your Competitors

Research several of the competitor websites that you think might be better than yours. By performing a competitor website analysis, you can gain insights into what strategies and tactics they’re using to attract customers and grow their business. Then think of how you can optimize your site to go above and beyond your competitors.

The real risk to your business is not exploring the bold possibilities and never finding next-level improvement. If your competitor is A/B testing big ideas and you’re not, they’re just a click away from stealing your next customer.

Summary

By daring to explore bold possibilities and conducting A/B tests on significant ideas, businesses can maintain a competitive edge and prevent losing potential customers to rivals.

Ready to redefine your optimization strategy? Speak with an experimentation expert to see a personalized product demo. It will be time well spent!

Share

Kevin Plankey

Kevin Plankey

Kevin Plankey is the Director of Demand Generation for SiteSpect and is responsible for marketing operations to include strategy and implementation of all demand generation efforts: social, email, website, organic/paid media, and event planning & promotion.

Suggested Posts

Subscribe to our blog: