At Andzen, we go by the Japanese concept of ‘Kaizen’ which means continuous improvement — there’s no ‘set it and forget it’ around here. We will always look for ways to improve and strive for better results, especially as new technologies and features come out.
Why is A/B testing so important? It helps you to learn about your audience, what they respond well to, and it gives you the insights required to make better decisions. There’s a lot that you can A/B test, but for now we’ve picked our top tips and split our advice into two parts, starting with Data Capture. Stay tuned for part two, which will cover A/B testing for email campaigns and automations.
How to optimize Data Capture forms with A/B tests
Data Capture forms are a must-have for eCommerce businesses. They’re the gateway to turning visitors into subscribers, and they give you the opportunity to introduce your brand and nurture customers into making their first purchase. So, it’s important to have an effective Data Capture strategy in place, and test content to optimize the results. Here are the top 4 areas we recommend running A/B testing for on your Data Capture forms.
Timing
Like we said earlier — timing is everything. It’s especially important for Data Capture forms, as it could be the difference between a customer engaging, or hitting the exit button. Avoid having forms show immediately after the customer lands on your website (we’ll be honest, it’s just plain annoying). With the timing of your forms, you can test:
- Amount of time spent on site (try 30 seconds vs. 1 minute)
- How many times visitors see the same pop up (before they see the next one in the series)
- Is there a point where visitors stop seeing a pop up?
You could also trial showing your forms only on particular pages or collections (or exclude particular pages, such as the checkout page).
Design
It can be an instinctive reaction for customers to hit the exit button on pop ups before reading what’s on them. We’re all guilty of doing it! So by A/B testing design elements, you’re able to see what captures your customer’s attention best. Elements you can test might include:
- Image on popups vs. no image on popups
- Headings (test what tone of voice works best)
- Limited text vs. a more detailed explanation
Offers
Discounts are a great way to encourage a purchase — but don’t give away discounts unnecessarily. If you have an inline form embedded in the footer of your website, new customers who want to subscribe to your emails will go out of their way to look for a place to sign up. This means that you don’t necessarily need to offer these customers a discount.
When you do however choose to provide an incentive to encourage potential customers to sign up, consider testing out what offers attract the most sign ups. Similar to what we mentioned for email, you could offer:
- $10 vs. 10% off
- Free Shipping vs. a set discount
- Gift with purchase options
For one of our clients we tested a gift with purchase (a packet of protein balls) vs. $15 off. We ended up seeing a pretty even split in the number of sign ups we had for each form. However, for the client, offering the GWP was a much more cost effective option.
Positioning
Where you decide to place your Data Capture forms and pop ups on screen can make a big difference. If you are using a platform like JustUno, you have many options when it comes to choosing how your pop ups appear on screen. Discover what captures your customer’s attention by testing:
Placement and size
- Desktop: centre of screen, full screen, or a fly-out from the side
- Mobile: Bottom ⅔ of the screen, full screen, or centre
You can also test setting your background to fade, or completely black out so that only the pop up is visible on the page. For Runway Scout, we tested the size and placement of their exit intent Data Capture forms and saw a 240% increase in sign ups. You can check out our case study on that here to find out more.
Summarize your findings
It’s all well and good to test content, but you need to keep in mind what theory you’re trying to prove. For example, do you want to find out if your audience is more likely to sign up if offered a percentage off discount over a dollar value one? If more visitors sign up to a Data Capture form if it appears less than one minute into their visit? Keep a record of your findings from A/B tests that you run so that you can use this information to build more engaging Data Capture forms for your audience.
The wrap up
Data Capture forms are a vital part of converting new visitors into first-time customers, and long-term customers in the future. So, testing to see what works best for your customers is a must. Your list of elements to A/B test could include:
- Timing
- Overall design
- Incentives
- Positioning of the forms on your website
Don’t forget to record and evaluate the results. This will help you to improve your current Data Capture forms, as well as when you implement new forms.
Ready to get started?
After all, ‘Kaizen’ (continuous improvement) is pretty much our middle name. Reach out to our team here to get started with optimizing your email and Data Capture touchpoints.