The document outlines three strategies for prioritizing A/B tests in e-commerce to maximize conversion optimization: focusing on perceived opportunity, addressing pain points, and increasing revenue per customer. It emphasizes the importance of testing areas closest to the checkout process to maximize revenue impact and suggests methods for identifying bottlenecks and low-performing pages. The text encourages e-commerce marketers to strategically allocate their testing efforts to achieve the highest possible returns from their traffic.

1. 3 Strategies for
Prioritizing
A/B Tests
for the Highest Impact

2. Conversion optimization is one
of the key techniques to getting
the most out of your traffic.

3. Even a marginal improvement to
conversions can dramatically
affect your revenue.

4. The issues of what to test
and when are critical to developing
a strategic approach to A/B testing
for Ecommerce marketers.

5. Every test you run has an
opportunity cost.

6. If your efforts do not target the
areas with the highest possible
impact

7. then you are not getting as much
out of your tests as you should.

8. So…
!
Where’s the
money?

9. Take your conversion funnel

10. and turn it upside down.

11. The upward pointing triangle
you’re looking at corresponds to
the expected value of each user
in the funnel based on their
probability of purchasing.

12. More accurately, the expected
value of each user is equal to the
probability of converting times
the value of the items in the cart.

13. As they move closer to
checkout, they signal
their intent to continue
with the purchase.

14. This method of visualization
demonstrates the value to
be gained by testing the
areas closest to the money.

15. Even a small improvement
to the checkout process
can make a significant
increase to your revenue.

16. Okay, let’s turn the conversion
funnel back around.

17. Okay, let’s turn the conversion
funnel back around.

18. The top of the funnel can be
seen as the persuasive end.

19. Only the most deliberate of
shoppers will focus wholly
on purchasing what they
came to the site for.

20. Only the most deliberate of
shoppers will focus wholly
on purchasing what they
came to the site for.
Those who clicked your site
at a time when they weren’t
ready to begin shopping will
bounce.

21. Only the most deliberate of
shoppers will focus wholly
on purchasing what they
came to the site for.
Those who clicked your site
at a time when they weren’t
ready to begin shopping will
bounce.
The vast majority of users at
this point still need to be
persuaded to buy from you
and move forward with their
purchase.

22. You have their
attention, but now
you need their
interest and desire.

23. The bottom of the funnel is the action end.
This is where the intention to purchase is
put to the test.

24. The timeliness and fit of the
checkout experience with the
user’s context is the most
important factor here.

25. The timeliness and fit of the
checkout experience with the
user’s context is the most
important factor here.
Things that they are
concerned about will be
further deliberated at this
stage.

26. The timeliness and fit of the
checkout experience with the
user’s context is the most
important factor here.
Things that they are
concerned about will be
further deliberated at this
stage.
The users will keep mentally
weighing whether the purchase
is a good idea based on a
multitude of factors.

27. What methods are
most commonly used
for prioritizing A/B
tests?

28. Prioritizing
based on
perceived
opportunity

29. Prioritizing
based on
perceived
opportunity
Test based on the
expected impact of
the changes on
conversion rate and
other key metrics.

30. Prioritizing
based on
perceived
opportunity
Test based on the
expected impact of
the changes on
conversion rate and
other key metrics.
This includes
changes to template
pages that can have
a site-wide impact.

31. Prioritizing
based on
pain points

32. Prioritizing
based on
pain points
Pain points include:
Unexpected heatmap
activity, lower than
normal metrics, or
other data uncovered
suggesting a problem.

33. Prioritizing
based on
pain points
Pain points include:
Unexpected heatmap
activity, lower than
normal metrics, or
other data uncovered
suggesting a problem.
See the top “% Exit”
pages on Google
Analytics for the
most obvious areas
of improvement.

34. Prioritizing
based on
increases to
revenue per
customer

35. Focus exclusively
on increasing order
value per customer.
Prioritizing
based on
increases to
revenue per
customer

36. This means
identifying areas
where upselling may
occur and facilitating
browsing and
product discovery.
Prioritizing
based on
increases to
revenue per
customer
Focus exclusively
on increasing order
value per customer.

37. This means
identifying areas
where upselling may
occur and facilitating
browsing and
product discovery.
Time on site is
a key metric
for this.
Prioritizing
based on
increases to
revenue per
customer
Focus exclusively
on increasing order
value per customer.

38. What are the best
strategies for identifying
opportunity and pain
points in your store?

39. Funnel
bottlenecks

40. Funnel
bottlenecks
Map out your
conversion funnel and
find the bottlenecks (the
pages with the lowest
micro-conversions).

41. Funnel
bottlenecks
Map out your
conversion funnel and
find the bottlenecks (the
pages with the lowest
micro-conversions).
If you’re using a
common URL slug for
various page types,
you can figure this out
in Google Analytics.

42. Funnel
bottlenecks
Map out your
conversion funnel and
find the bottlenecks (the
pages with the lowest
micro-conversions).
If you’re using a
common URL slug for
various page types,
you can figure this out
in Google Analytics.
Otherwise, plot
the data in Excel
to figure it out
manually!

43. Rank pages
by traffic vs.
conversion
rate

44. Rank pages
by traffic vs.
conversion
rate
Sort your product
pages by the
highest traffic and
lowest converting
product pages.

45. Test closest
to the money

46. Test closest
to the money
Testing closest to
the money can
have the highest
impact on your
bottom line.

47. Test closest
to the money
Testing closest to
the money can
have the highest
impact on your
bottom line.
Start with your
checkout and move
backwards through
the process

48. Test closest
to the money
Testing closest to
the money can
have the highest
impact on your
bottom line.
Start with your
checkout and move
backwards through
the process
This will allow you
to see the most
direct improvement
in conversions and
revenue.

49. Although the above strategies will help increase your
conversion rates, find out why A/B testing is not
enough.
Download the Free Whitepaper!

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