How does A/B testing work?
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 8:32 am
A/B testing aims to validate or refute a hypothesis . It is carried out through experiments with a defined number of users (which we call a “sample”) over a given period of time.
In these tests you will always have:
A control element , which is precisely what you want to evaluate;
A variation of this element , that is, a second version to compare with the control one.
Let's take an example. Imagine you have an online clothing store and you want to know which call to action (CTA) converts best on product pages.
Is the current “Buy Now” the better option? Should it be changed to “Add to Cart”? By running an A/B test with both calls to action, you’ll find out if the change is effective and worth implementing .
As you can see, all you need to do is make phone database small changes to colors , words, and the location of elements to see positive changes in conversion metrics.
Now, keep in mind that unlike a multivariate test, A/B testing evaluates one piece at a time . The goal is to compare a control element and a variation of it to define the best one.
If you include more than one variation in the experiment, it will be difficult to identify which one actually improved your indicators .
Why perform A/B testing?
Trial and error is common in online sales, but what happens if it has a negative impact on your revenue?
By using A/B testing correctly, you will test hypotheses and implement only the changes that bring positive results for your business.
According to Invesp , a North American consultancy specialized in CRO (conversion rate optimization), 71% of companies do two or more A/B tests per month in different areas.
In addition, nearly 60% of brands use this technique to optimize their companies' conversions and consider it "highly valuable" for the development of their businesses.
A/B testing is a practice that offers great benefits to brands and it is recommended to include these tests in a broader CRO strategy. This discipline analyzes conversion, in a comprehensive way, at different points of contact in the customer journey .
When to run an A/B test?
A/B testing is especially important when your business is making website design changes , integrations, platform migrations, or when you're seeing atypical swings in your conversion rate .
In this sense, keep in mind that to do an A/B test your online store must:
Have a considerable volume of traffic;
Be active for some time (minimum 6 months).
If you launched your sales website very recently and you still don't have any visitors, the results of the A/B test are not going to be representative, either because of the lack of parameters with a previous period or because the samples are going to be very small.
In these tests you will always have:
A control element , which is precisely what you want to evaluate;
A variation of this element , that is, a second version to compare with the control one.
Let's take an example. Imagine you have an online clothing store and you want to know which call to action (CTA) converts best on product pages.
Is the current “Buy Now” the better option? Should it be changed to “Add to Cart”? By running an A/B test with both calls to action, you’ll find out if the change is effective and worth implementing .
As you can see, all you need to do is make phone database small changes to colors , words, and the location of elements to see positive changes in conversion metrics.
Now, keep in mind that unlike a multivariate test, A/B testing evaluates one piece at a time . The goal is to compare a control element and a variation of it to define the best one.
If you include more than one variation in the experiment, it will be difficult to identify which one actually improved your indicators .
Why perform A/B testing?
Trial and error is common in online sales, but what happens if it has a negative impact on your revenue?
By using A/B testing correctly, you will test hypotheses and implement only the changes that bring positive results for your business.
According to Invesp , a North American consultancy specialized in CRO (conversion rate optimization), 71% of companies do two or more A/B tests per month in different areas.
In addition, nearly 60% of brands use this technique to optimize their companies' conversions and consider it "highly valuable" for the development of their businesses.
A/B testing is a practice that offers great benefits to brands and it is recommended to include these tests in a broader CRO strategy. This discipline analyzes conversion, in a comprehensive way, at different points of contact in the customer journey .
When to run an A/B test?
A/B testing is especially important when your business is making website design changes , integrations, platform migrations, or when you're seeing atypical swings in your conversion rate .
In this sense, keep in mind that to do an A/B test your online store must:
Have a considerable volume of traffic;
Be active for some time (minimum 6 months).
If you launched your sales website very recently and you still don't have any visitors, the results of the A/B test are not going to be representative, either because of the lack of parameters with a previous period or because the samples are going to be very small.