When it comes to conversion testing, A/B test results can illuminate fascinating findings in regard to what works and what doesn’t.
And for eCommerce, finding a subtle change in wording, color, placement, etc. that really resonates with customers can make a substantial impact on the success of your business.
While one thing worked for one website, it doesn’t mean that it will work for the next, but by understanding why something worked we can develop new test ideas.
In this post, we’ve pulled together 6 eCommerce A/B test wins that produced remarkable results, and will look at what you can learn from their success.
1. Button Color
Everyone wants to know if there’s a magic button color that ups sales, right?
Well, ContentVerve produced some interesting A/B test results for one of its major European eCommerce clients that sells hand-painted porcelain products.
Findings: After testing product landing pages that used a blue button with sharp edges versus a green button with rounded edges, they discovered that the green button was more effective, in that it boosted sales by 35.81%.
Why it (may have) worked: It’s safe to say that these a/b test results didn’t discover that green is the magical button color–but rather that a brightly-colored button that stands out from the page makes it easier for a customer to know where to click to complete conversion.
Try this: Test different button colors on your site to see which version stands out most against your site’s background color.
2. Spacing on Product Pages
VeggieTales is a Christian-based children’s series with many different online products for sale. They conducted conversion testing to see how de-cluttering their product pages would impact the revenue per visitor (RPV.)
Findings: By removing distractions (like the sidebar featuring related products) and leveraging whitespace that allowed a viewer’s eye to rest, they found that RPV increased by 14%.
Why it (may have) worked: Eliminating the distracting items that drew a customer’s eye away from the call to action button made it easier for customers to focus on the specific product being viewed. Plus, with less clutter surrounding the call to action button, it displays larger and stands out more from the page.
Try this: Test different arrangements and layouts for your product landing pages to see if removing clutter or suggested item features improves overall sales.
3. Authenticity Vs. Price
Express Watches wanted to know if their customers cared more about the authenticity of their watches or the price, so over 30 days, they carried out a test to see which one their customers favored.
Findings: The badge that guaranteed customers that their products were authentic outperformed the badge stating a price match guarantee by 107% (which, in turn, doubled their sales for the month.)
Why it (may have) worked: For certain types of products sold online, there is quite a bit of fear surrounding fakes or knock-offs. When a buyer can be assured he or she is paying for the real deal, price isn’t as much of a concern–especially for luxury items.
Try this: Think about what makes a customer buy a product from you, and test different badges one at a time that tout those aspects. From there, you’ll have a clearer picture of which badge boosts sales.
4. Use Your Testimonials
Social proof is a favorite tool for anyone selling a product or service because it alleviates some of the stress associated with decision-making.
Humans inherently trust recommendations from others, so it makes sense to put the kind words from your customers to work. WikiJob used conversion testing to see if including testimonials would increase sales, and was pleasantly surprised.
Control:
Variant:
Findings: Adding testimonials to the page increased conversions by 34%, even in a text-only format that was located below the fold.
Why it (may have) worked: WikiJobs noted that they specifically chose more sober testimonials in place of exceedingly energetic ones to make them feel very practical and real. This, paired with the element of social proof, clearly had an impact on customers.
Try this: Include testimonials on your sales page, and do multiple rounds of testing to see if different placements, types of testimonials, or sizes impact the conversion rate.
5. Bigger Product Images
Skinner Auctions sells antiques online, and allows customers to bid on items in an auction format. They wanted to see how enlarging their product images would impact the number of people who bid on items, so they took product images from 250 pixels wide to 350 pixels wide (almost 30% larger.) The enlarged images meant pushing down the item descriptions to a point where a viewer would have to scroll to see them.
Findings: The larger product images boosted bidding rates by a dramatic 69%, while 329% more people took the time to complete the form required for bidding.
Why it (may have) worked: When buying items online, people want to be able to see robust product images that showcase details–especially when buying items like detailed antiques. It’s interesting to note that there appears to be no rollover zoom feature for these images, so the larger product image could have given shoppers the level of detail they were missing before.
Try this: Try instituting larger product images, or at least a zoom feature that lets a buyer look at products in detail. If your items have textural details, include writing, or have any features that a buyer may want to explore in a close-up format, you can help buyers feel more confident about making a purchase with this small adjustment.
6. Shipping Countdown
A European clothing company wanted to see if adding a next-day shipping countdown to product pages would increase the number of orders they had. They conducted conversion testing between a page with the countdown and one without to see if this little reminder was enough to get customers to make a purchase right away.
Findings: The pages with the countdown for next-day shipping overwhelmingly increased conversions. More than 50,000 customers were studied in this A/B test, and nearly 10x more orders were placed when shown the version with the time-sensitive shipping offer.
Why it (may have) worked: Urgency is a powerful motivator for shoppers, so as the clock gets closer to running out for the next-day shipping offer, more people feel compelled to take action. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is also part of this phenomenon, as it’s been proven people have a very real fear of missing out on information, offers, etc.
Try this: Both on your eCommerce site and within your promotional materials, leverage FOMO to make your customers want to act–NOW. Study how using time-sensitive offers works to speed up conversions with customers, and make note of what tactics work best.
Lessons from Conversion Testing
One of the only ways successful tactics can be discovered in an eCommerce context is through conversion testing since every eCommerce provider has a unique audience. Use some of the recommended A/B tests in this post to find out what works (and what doesn’t) with your customers–especially during the busy holiday shopping season when traffic to your site is at its peak.
