A/B Testing (Split Testing)

What is A/B Testing or Split Testing?

A/B testing (sometimes known as Split Testing) is comparing two products or ideas in retail market research studies to see which one performs better. By showing respondents individually or side by side – the one that gives a better conversion rate wins!

The roots of this tried and trusted market research method was from the classic direct mail tests where two versions of the same mailing are sent out to households in order to see which one gets the best returns. The approach is based on randomly assigning respondents to test one of the two products/ideas – Product A and Product B.

How is A/B testing used?

A/B testing is a very reliable approach in the development and evaluation of new ideas and in recent years has become an important tool in website design and web marketing. Vision One incorporate A/B testing into a number of their innovative research products, including; PackProbe (packaging design testing tool) and IdeaProbe our concept testing and new product development (npd) tool.

Typically A/B testing is used towards the end of the development and optimisation process, where ideas have been reduced to a small number (manageable) of products or concepts or communication components which need final confirmation one way or the other. Whilst you can test virtually anything in your concert or marketing materials: headlines, call to action, body copy, images, colours, layout etc – focus on the things that are most likely to have a big impact otherwise you could end up testing ad infinitum.

The benefits of A/B testing

• Data-driven decisions: A/B testing allows you to make decisions based on data rather than assumptions or intuition. By testing variations of your content or design on target markets through focus groups, you can see how users actually respond and make informed decisions accordingly.
• Optimised user experience: A/B testing helps improve the user experience by identifying elements that resonate better with your audience. This can lead to higher conversion rates, increased engagement, and ultimately more customer satisfaction.
• Increased conversions: By testing different variations of your content, layout, or calls-to-action, you can identify what drives the most conversions. This could be anything from the colour of a button to the wording of a headline, but it might make all the difference in determining your consumer preferences.
• Cost-effectiveness: A/B testing allows you to make gradual improvements over time, which can result in significant gains without large investments. By continuously testing and optimising, you can maximise the impact of your marketing strategies without blowing your budget.
• Insight into user behaviour: A/B testing provides valuable insights into how users interact with your brand. By analysing the results of your tests, you can gain a better understanding of your customers, their behaviour and preferences, which can inform future iterations and improvements.
• Reduced risk: By testing variations of your content or design on a smaller scale before implementing changes site-wide, you can mitigate the risk of negative outcomes. This allows you to identify and address any potential issues before rolling out changes to your entire audience.

The drawbacks of A/B testing

The disadvantages of A/B testing can be that it is not always obvious why a particular design/concept/idea is preferred. Clearly it is only designed for testing a small number of ideas – but by incorporating diagnostic questions into quantitative research studies (or supporting with qualitative research) can help fill the information gap and highlight any necessary modifications to ensure the best possible decision. As specialists in consumer research the Vision One team can help your business carry out insightful and successful A/B testing to generate accurate results. For further reading check out Wikipedia.