A/B test tips that improves an E-commerce site: "4 minutes" for 4 elements

"4 minutes" was the name of a popular song by Madonna and Justin Timberlake, but it can also be an anthem to the amount of time retailers must target in improving their e-commerce product pages.

When launching a website, a retailer should convert product details into the following page elements:

• Headline/title
• Product image
• Product description
• Purchase details

To best refine those details, a retailer should consider a few ways to conduct an A/B test. An A/B test examines to variations of a website element to determine if visitors are responding to one version over the other.

The test durations can vary, but teasing page elements for basic element qualities can yield quick analysis. The tests can consist of basic straightforward elements such as:

• Different Headlines
• A call to action
• Product Image or Video
• Different Offers

Landing pages and test pages can be tested in conjunction with each other, or mixed. For example, one test would cover newsletter A with landing page A, and newsletter B with landing page B. A second test experiment would run with newsletter A with landing page B, and vice versa. This methodology can offer a more clarity regarding which broad elements such as offer and call to action are best, particularly if the results are very close.

To gain a reasonable comparison on test results, ensure that each page visitor is always offered the same promotion. For example, consider a test of a free gift (A) against a discount (B). An A/B test should reflect that the same visitors see the free gift as well as the discount.

There are other tips that can make an A/B campaign straightforward. Here are some ideas:

• Test your product headline to determine how beneficial and keyword rich it is. Adjusting a headline beyond a product name may yield results. (For example: "The most lightweight basketball shoes of 2014: Nike Air Force" versus "Nike Air Force")
• Ensure that your product descriptions speak to your customer, instead of sales-speak. The descriptions should mirror the natural way your customers describe the product or service. Product reviews and customer accolades can be useful sources for phrases and ideas.
• Consider product badging to call out specific product features, selling points, or customer review trigger words to make it easier to digest your product descriptions.
• Optimizing purchase details means testing how the details are explained, such as delivery details ( "Delivery by such-in-such date," or "Ships in next 24 hours") or where they are located on the page. But use basic common sense to display basic details for all-in costs before customers begin the checkout process. When a purchased product is arriving and in-stock availability are examples of all-in costs.