Release Testing for Risk Mitigation

Are you thinking about A/B testing on your digital channels, or have you been running a testing program but are interested in learning more? You’ve come to the right place. Think of this blog series as a catalogue of optimization tests, where you can learn about what went right, what went wrong, and where you might be able to test your sites for optimal engagement and risk mitigation.

The Brand

Large women’s clothing retailer.

The Project

This brand wanted to revamp their product detail pages (PDP), and made a series of changes with the goal of reducing friction and helping customers through to purchase. As one key part of this redesign they focused on product recommendations. Initially, the PDP featured product recommendations in two places: on the right hand side of the page and again lower down on the page. The optimization team suspected that the amount of product recommendations was distracting and increasing friction. They wanted to find out if eliminating the sidebar product recommendations would lead to higher conversions while also streamlining the visuals of the page.

The A/B Test

The control version of the test featured a product detail page with a prominent image and details, and a row of product recommendations on the right margin of the page. The variation page eliminated those product recommendations, and instead widened the product detail and options (such as size selection and color). Both variations maintained the product recommendations on the bottom of the page.

The Results

This variation page saw a 5% decrease in conversions, a 75% drop in product recommendation click-throughs (these were still featured at the bottom of the page), almost 4% more search requests, 6% fewer product detail page views, and 2% fewer add to carts.

Next Steps

The brand was surprised by the results of this test, and they maintained the original product recommendations on both the side and the bottom of the page. The revenue saved by testing this release before serving it to 100% of visitors further reinforced the value of testing.

Access the Catalog of Case Studies

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