The ultimate guide to ecommerce A/B testing: Expert tips, tools and examples

What is A/B testing?

Imagine you’re picking a spot for dinner on a Friday night.

You weigh the distance, the menu, and the overall vibe, trying to figure out which restaurant will leave you feeling the most satisfied.

A/B testing is like that decision-making process but for your product. Instead of choosing between restaurants, you’re choosing between different landing page versions to see which one performs better.

Just like you need to know your restaurant preferences to make a satisfying choice, as a marketer, you need to understand your audience’s preferences and behaviors to satisfy their needs and turn them into customers. 

A/B testing helps you test different elements—like design, copy, or pricing—to see what clicks with your audience. Take Packlane, for example. This custom packaging company uses A/B testing to fine-tune its landing pages for various campaigns and customer segments, often creating new pages in a single day to capture shoppers when they’re most ready to buy.

Packlane goes suuuuper deep on their target segments. They recognize that every individual in their audience has unique needs and preferences, so they craft landing pages tailored to deliver a personalized experience accordingly. This level of customization ensures that every visitor feels understood and valued, leading to a more engaging and effective landing page experience.

With somewhere between 12 to 24 million ecommerce stores currently online, calling the industry competitive is putting it mildly. 

What sets successful brands apart? The ability to tap into and connect with niche audiences.

Jacob Donnelly, former B2B GM at Morning Brew and founder of A Media Operator, captured this perfectly when he said:

“This attempt at blitzscaling (the specific set of practices for igniting and managing dizzying growth) consumer media is over. The era of leading with growth models rather than differentiated, audience-first content is over. Publishers realize that smaller, more engaged audiences are where their livelihoods will last.”

Understanding these niches takes time and a lot of testing. By continually running A/B tests, you can refine your approach to cater specifically to your ideal customer. 

The real competition isn’t about being the best across the board but about being the best for YOUR unique audience. 

You might not be their BFF, but through strategic testing and data-driven insights, you can get to know your customers well enough to create compelling offers and designs that make them click “yes, sign me up” without a second thought.

Why is A/B testing crucial for ecommerce business?

The ecommerce industry is fast.

New companies are popping up all the time and the industry is still set to hit a staggering $6.3 trillion by EoY 2024. Yet, despite this colossal figure, the average conversion rate across ecommerce sites hovers around a modest 1.88%.

Paddy, a founder and conversion rate optimization (CRO) specialist, hits the nail on the head in his post on X (formerly Twitter):

“CRO is one of the best marketing channels, when done right, that a brand can make use of.

Everyone usually goes for the usual trifecta of ads, emails & creatives (which you 100% need) but they don’t optimise or test where these people go? It just doesn’t make sense.

You can simply increase the revenue of already visiting customers by increasing revenue per visitor and profit per visitor from your traffic through winning tests.

If you test on the other marketing channels, and not your website or funnel. 

Then you are genuinely leaving money on the table.”

If you only focus on ads, emails, and creatives—while completely ignoring your own landing pages and “owned” properties—you’re leaving money on the table. 

Ecommerce A/B testing is quite literally a game-changing tool for your business.

There’s no better way to optimize your online store’s performance. But doing it the right way, so you don’t backtrack or harm your brand rep, relies on 10 key steps to make sure all your dots are connected.

What ideas can you A/B test in ecommerce? (with examples)

Sometimes too much choice isn’t a good thing—and you have a lot of it when it comes to choosing what to test on your ecommerce landing page.

Headlines, form inputs, images, layout, and color schemes—the combinations are endless! Probably longer than all the digits in the number pi (okay, maybe not that long). 

Take First Midwest Bank, for instance. They broke away from their industry’s outdated brand guidelines to focus on customer-first design. 

Inspired by Medalia Art’s success with artist photos increasing conversions by 95%, the bank A/B tested 26 landing pages with state-specific photos and placed their form below the fold—a move most marketers would call risky, but that decision resulted in a 52% increase in conversions. 

Variant A: Form on the side.

Variant B: Form underneath.

We like the decision to put the form below the fold because they believed so much in the value of their offer. They were confident it could stand alone and be enough to increase interest, drive the scroll, and encourage an enthusiastic click-through.

With one problem, one hypothesis, and one idea, their business benefitted greatly.

Your idea can do the same. 

One thing we didn’t see in their process, though, is what got them to that hypothesis. Why the design? That decision likely came from a group brainstorm or a consulting session. 

In case you still need to do that because you’re at the start of your experiment, here are some ideas to bring to the table.

• Headlines: The headline is crucial for capturing attention. It should communicate how long the page will take to consume, what the page is about, who it’s for, and why it matters. Adding a compelling twist can also help.
• Form fields: Simplify form fields to only the essentials, use directional elements to guide users, and A/B test different versions to optimize completion rates. Ensure forms are mobile-friendly and follow up promptly to maintain user interest.
• Calls to action: Experiment with wording, color, size, and placement. Performable, for example, saw a 21% increase in click-through rates by changing their CTA button color from green to red.
• Above the fold: While First Midwest Bank found success with forms below the fold, content above the fold generally performs better.
• Color scheme: Different colors evoke different emotions. Testing color combinations can reveal which palette best influences user actions.
• Ecommerce product scheme: Test different layouts and arrangements of products on category and search result pages to see how they impact browsing and purchasing behavior.
• Social proof: Experiment with customer testimonials, reviews, and ratings to see how their placement affects conversions.
• Messaging and body copy: The tone, length, and style of your copy can influence user perceptions and actions. Test various approaches to find what resonates best with your audience.
• Pricing and offer testing: Different pricing strategies, discounts, and promotions can attract different customer segments. Test these to identify the most compelling offers.
• Landing page layout: The overall layout, including image and text placement and CTA positioning, can significantly impact engagement and conversion rates.

The possible combinations of A/B testing ideas in ecommerce truly are endless. To stay focused, keep your hypothesis and problem statement in front of you. This will help guide your decisions on what to test next.

Recommended reading: What to A/B test: 10 A/B testing ideas to inspire your experiments

A deeper dive into how to A/B test your ecommerce landing page 

Ecommerce probably has more landing page variants than any other industry. The seasonal nature, varied customer segments, and fierce competition make it crucial to test and nail your landing page for every campaign.

It’s the gateway to that sweet Shopify notification, the welcome mat to your online store’s front door, and the key to unlocking conversions.

No pressure, right? 

The best way to ensure your landing page is up to par is through rigorous testing.

A/B (or split) testing vs. multivariate testing for ecommerce: When to choose each method

There are two primary types of landing page tests you can run:

A/B tests and multivariate tests.

Choosing which to use isn’t always as easy as you may think. Each method has its strengths and ideal scenarios. Let’s break down when to use each one and how they can help boost your page’s performance.

A/B testing

A/B testing involves creating two (or more) versions of the same landing page and running them simultaneously to see which performs better. The key here is to test only one variable at a time.

For example, Variant A could have a different headline than Variant B, but that should be the only difference between them. This approach allows you to pinpoint the exact element driving performance changes. 

To measure success, establish clear metrics or KPIs for comparing your landing page variants.

Multivariate testing

Unlike A/B testing, multivariate testing allows you to test multiple elements simultaneously. This method creates various combinations of elements together for you to test. For example, you might have:

• Variant A testing → Headline, form position, CTA
• Variant B testing → Color scheme, photos, body copy
• Variant C testing → Form fields, CTA, layout

Because you’re testing more variables, you need a larger sample size to ensure your results are statistically significant.

Traffic optimization

A/B testing and multivariate testing help determine what content works best for your audience, but optimizing traffic ensures the right people see it.

Unbounce’s Smart Traffic is an AI-powered tool that analyzes visitor attributes like device, location, and browser to optimize traffic and improve conversions.

Why landing pages are a must in ecommerce

The reality is this:

Landing pages sell your product.

You need them to give visitors a full experience of your brand and brand beliefs, and prove that you know their story well enough to sell them the product on your page.

Sustainable diaper startup, DYPER, took storytelling to another level to make sure their landing page resonated with their specific customer.

You might not know this if you don’t have children, but disposing of diapers is a major issue. In the United States, disposable diapers are responsible for about 2% of landfill waste and can take up to 500 years to decompose.

Source

DYPER aimed to combat this stat with AI-powered subscription services for their plant-based, compostable diapers in pursuit of reducing landfill waste.

It was a great mission. There was only one problem:

Their unique selling proposition wasn’t persuasive enough on its own.

Instead, they decided to expand on the story to make sure their target audience understood the gravity of their message.

Over six months, they created and tested targeted landing pages emphasizing different value propositions like discounts, sustainability, and heartwarming brand initiatives. These efforts generated over 6,000 conversions, primarily resulting in long-term subscriptions. 

Using Unbounce, DYPER efficiently created and customized landing pages, ensuring their brand story was consistently communicated, significantly impacting customer engagement and conversion rates.

Creating a landing page testing strategy involves avoiding common mistakes, analyzing essential metrics and KPIs, and following key rules for effective testing. For more insights and detailed strategies, visit Unbounce’s guide on landing page testing

Creating a landing page testing strategy for ecommerce

Creating a landing page testing strategy is a bit like being a detective in the world of digital marketing. You need to crack the case of what makes your visitors click.

Here’s how to solve the mystery:

Step 1: Formulate hypotheses

Start by playing detective with your data. Analyze what’s currently happening on your landing page and make educated guesses on what changes could boost performance. Prioritize these changes based on their potential impact and ease of implementation.

Step 2: Establish a baseline

Know where you stand. Dive into your current landing page’s performance metrics to understand what’s working and what isn’t. You need a clear starting point to measure improvements effectively.

Step 3: Set clear goals

What does success look like for you? Define specific, measurable goals such as sign-ups, downloads, or sales. These KPIs should directly align with your business objectives.

Step 4: Choose the right tools

Equip yourself with the right tools for the job. There are plenty of landing page testing tools out there. Pick one that fits your needs and budget—like Unbounce, which has A/B testing built right in.

Step 5: Identify variables and create variations

Decide which elements of your landing page you want to test. Create different versions for each element—be it headlines, images, or CTA buttons. For example, if you’re testing headlines, come up with several versions to find the most effective one.

Step 6: Calculate time and traffic requirements

Before launching your test, estimate how long it needs to run and the amount of traffic required for statistically significant results. Use a sample size calculator if necessary.

Step 7: Analyze and deploy

Once your test is complete, analyze the results. Which version won? Implement the winning version on your live landing page and start planning your next test.

Step 8: Document learnings

Whether your hypothesis was proven correct or not, there’s always something to learn. Document what worked, what didn’t, and why. This information is invaluable for future tests and broader marketing strategies.

Common ecommerce landing page testing mistakes to avoid

Even seasoned pros can stumble when it comes to testing landing pages. Here are some common pitfalls to sidestep:

• Testing without a plan: Changing elements you think will make a difference without prior research confirming that’s the right element to test.
• Testing without enough data: Just like you need to know your Cost Per Lead (CPL) before you can judge how much monthly/quarterly spend on paid campaigns is adequate, you also need enough baseline data to determine what normal engagement looks like on your page so you can test against that. This means you know what average looks like, and you have numbers to prove it.
• Stopping tests too early: This is like the saying “a watched pot never boils” or waiting for a plant to grow. If you’re too eager to move on or too eager for growth, you’ll likely make conclusions before a CRO test has enough time to reach and engage members of your audience to its fullest potential.
• Not defining a primary metric: Conversions might be the ultimate goal, but they don’t have to be the only metric that determines a successful CRO test. There are 10 key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics you should consider monitoring before you launch your CRO test. Choose wisely and track accordingly. 
• Using a sample size that is too small: Running tests on a page that gets very little traffic is unlikely to give you meaningful results for your business. It’ll either take more time, or you’ll have to set the test up all over again. Make sure you test a page that consistently gets enough traffic.
• Changing variables mid-test: Altering elements while a test is running is like changing the rules halfway through a game. Stick to your original setup to keep your results valid.
• Chasing winners: Anytime you run an experiment, you need to be aware of your own bias. If you find that every test you run proves your hypothesis right, that should be a signal that you might be thinking about yourself more than your audience.

Experiments are about learning.

You should be eager to learn something new about your audience from each test that allows you to get more specific in setting up your landing page. If you don’t, you’re not really testing, are you?

Essential ecommerce landing page testing metrics and KPIs to analyze

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of tracking data and measuring the impact of your landing page tests. To help you get started, we’ve put together a handy list of key metrics you should be keeping an eye on.

1. Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the golden metric—it measures the percentage of visitors who complete the desired action, such as signing up, downloading, or purchasing. It’s your ultimate gauge of how effective your landing page is at driving actions.

2. Click-through rate (CTR)

CTR tracks how many visitors click on a CTA or link on your landing page. A high CTR usually signals that your content or offers are compelling and engaging.

3. Bounce rate

This metric shows the percentage of visitors who land on your page and then leave without interacting further. A high bounce rate might indicate that your page isn’t hitting the mark or doesn’t meet visitor expectations.

4. Form abandonment rate

Ever wondered how many people start filling out a form but don’t finish? This metric helps you pinpoint problems with the form itself—whether it’s too complicated or feels too invasive.

5. Average time on page

Think of this like gauging how long someone lingers in a store—it tells you how engaging and relevant your content is.

According to a study by Nielsen Norman Group, the average time users spend on a webpage is about 15 seconds. However, landing pages that effectively capture attention and provide value can see average times on page of 30-60 seconds or more. If visitors are staying longer, it usually means they’re finding your page interesting and worth their time.

6. Page views/unique page views

Page views tell you how often your landing page is being seen, while unique page views filter out multiple views by the same user. This helps you get a clearer picture of your actual audience size.

7. Lead generation metrics

For landing pages focused on generating leads, tracking both the quantity and quality of leads is key. This tells you not just how many people are interested, but how many of them might turn into potential customers.

8. Traffic sources

Knowing where your visitors are coming from—be it social media, email links, or organic search—helps you tailor your content and strategies to better align with your audience’s habits and preferences.

With these metrics in hand, you’ll be well-equipped to assess and optimize your landing page testing efforts for better results.

Recommended reading: 10 A/B testing metrics to analyze results and measure success