Interestingly, Ulta Beauty isn’t standing alone in this trend. The numbers for in-store shopping soared to a staggering 1 trillion dollars.

It appears that in the post-COVID era, people are stepping out to local shops. But here’s the digital twist – before hitting the pavement, 2 out of 3 American consumers are firing up their devices and typing something like “XYZ near me” in search of the perfect shop and product combo. (Quote and stats from holiday shopping insights by Think with Google)

This means that for businesses with brick-and-mortar stores, it’s high time to focus on conversion rate optimization (CRO) for local search and enhance the customer journey for local customers. You wouldn’t want the majority of consumers searching for the products you sell and not finding your store or visiting your website only to drop off.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the concept of CRO for local search. You will also get to read some tips to elevate your strategy and learn how to leverage VWO for effective optimization. Let’s get started!

What is conversion rate optimization for local search?

The typical customer journey for local search usually kicks off with typing in casual queries like “near me”, or “best XYZ store in the city”. Alternatively, individuals may explore online directories. From there, it’s all about sifting through ratings and reviews, ultimately shortlisting businesses with the highest number of positive reviews and favorable reviews. 

Following this, they may choose to either visit the website or get directions to the store. When on the website, the usual practice is to seek additional information about the business before taking desired action such as completing a form, scheduling a call, or any other desired conversion method as outlined by the business.

CRO for local search starts with dissecting the customer journey mentioned earlier. It involves identifying any leaks in the conversion process and then implementing targeted campaigns to enhance it. Picture it like a detective story for your business – finding the weak points and strengthening them.

For instance, you might launch an SEO campaign aimed at boosting ratings, ensuring that positive experiences are prominently showcased. Simultaneously, improving the website’s user interface becomes crucial – making it a smooth and engaging experience for visitors. A/B testing different versions of the homepage is another smart move, figuring out what resonates best with your local audience.

In the world of local search, CRO is about understanding the journey, plugging any leaks, and fine-tuning each step to turn potential customers into happy patrons. Now, let’s delve into some effective strategies to inspire and elevate your local search CRO efforts.

Strategies to implement for local search CRO

a. Run campaigns to get more reviews as part of local SEO optimization

When a potential customer searches for your business or service in their city—say, by entering “Top salons in Akron”— they receive local search results of Google business profiles of salons with the best ratings and the highest number of reviews are prominently featured in the list.

Therefore, for a business aiming to excel in local search, it’s crucial to prioritize the accumulation of positive reviews and high ratings. To kickstart this process, consider implementing the following strategies:

i. Offer incentives

Provide coupons or discount vouchers for future purchases as a reward for customers who share a review or rating. This not only encourages feedback but also builds customer loyalty.

ii. Digital prompting

Apart from face-to-face requests to share a review, you can ask customers for their contact information during the transaction. Then, you can follow up with emails or messages, kindly requesting them to share their experience through reviews or ratings.

iii. Contests and draws

Engage your audience by running contests. Encourage participation by asking people to share their experiences for a chance to enter a lucky draw. This not only boosts reviews but also creates a sense of excitement among customers.

These are simple steps to kickstart your efforts. But is it all worth it? Let me share a compelling case study that illustrates the reasons to invest in this endeavor.

Ted’s Montana Grill, an American restaurant chain, discovered that a staggering 92% of their potential customers relied on online reviews to inform their decisions when choosing a local outlet. This significant statistic underscores the importance for any company to pay attention.

To enhance the local conversion rate, the team collaborated with a customer acquisition tool to monitor and respond to reviews across 41 Ted’s Montana Grill locations, spanning 466 online listings and business pages. A dedicated team of 61 employees oversaw review tracking for these restaurant locations and online pages.

The company implemented a multi-pronged approach to encourage customer reviews, utilizing channels such as email, SMS, in-store kiosks, printed receipts, QR codes, and online landing pages. An example of the email communication sent to customers is shown below.

This concerted effort resulted in an impressive 60,000+ reviews within six months. This not only optimized their local search presence but also provided valuable insights for the corporate team to identify locations requiring attention and enhance their overall operations. This case study on local SEO best practices underscores that gathering positive reviews and ratings is crucial not only for small businesses but also for large corporations.

By prioritizing customer feedback and employing strategies to encourage reviews, companies can enhance their local search visibility, foster customer loyalty, and ultimately drive more conversions.

b. Customize website landing page experience for local search

The heart of a potential customer’s local search intent lies in understanding the business’s relevance to the locals and how it is perceived by others in the city or area. Therefore, it is crucial to customize the page experience to be exclusively relevant to the local audience. Here are some effective ways to achieve this:

i. Build trust with testimonials and reviews

Add testimonials and reviews directly on the landing page to instill trust. Consider incorporating a widget that prominently displays ratings and reviews received.

ii. Localize your copy

Craft the copy of the landing page using local keywords and phrases. This creates a sense of familiarity for visitors, making them feel more connected to your business.

iii. Highlight local initiatives

Showcase your conducted events in the city through a dedicated section featuring carousel photos. This visual representation emphasizes your local presence and involvement.

iv. Quantify local impact

To further build trust, provide statistics on the number of clients served in the city, if data is available. Highlighting your local impact adds credibility and reinforces your commitment to the community.

A stellar example of a global brand optimizing its website for local search is Nike. The keyword “Nike NYC,” a popular local search term in New York, garners thousands of searches monthly. In response, Nike has tailored the visitor experience with a dedicated landing page for this specific query.

Upon visiting the page, the first fold features an image of New Yorkers running with Nike gear on a local street. The accompanying copy promotes a reward program exclusive to the city, creating immediate interest and showcasing the brand’s impact on the local community. This approach not only caters to the local audience but also reinforces Nike’s connection and commitment to the vibrant energy of New York City.

Additionally, the landing page features a section highlighting weekly running events in the city, accompanied by a social media widget displaying photos from previous meets. This not only enhances the brand’s image but also underscores its active involvement in serving the local community.

Towards the bottom of the page, there is a clear call-to-action (CTA) encouraging website visitors to locate Nike stores in New York. The CTA provides specific details about the types of products available in these stores, ensuring that potential customers have the information they need for an informed decision. This strategic placement aligns with local search intent, helping users seamlessly transition from online engagement to in-store visits.

Nike’s approach serves as a prime example of how attuning to local search intent elevates brand perception, fosters community engagement, and smoothly navigates potential customers from online interest to offline action. This comprehensive strategy positions businesses to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of local search.

c. Monitor and test website experiences to improve local search experience

The website is optimized for local SEO and provides a tailored experience, successfully attracting traffic from both organic and paid searches; however, there’s more to be done. The next crucial step involves understanding how visitors from specific locations interact with the website through behavior analytics. Utilizing tools such as heatmaps, session recordings, form analysis, and surveys allows for a detailed examination of the reasons behind particular visitor behaviors.

To help you understand the scope of the behavior analysis, let’s delve into a hypothetical example. A company aimed to assess the engagement rate of its homepage, prompting the backend team to employ scrollmap tracking—a type of heatmap. This analysis aimed to understand how many visitors engaged with the page relative to its scroll depth. Here’s a snapshot of the scrollmap report from VWO:

The report reveals a noteworthy observation: 96% of visitors drop off at the 50% scroll depth. This insight prompts the team to consider hypotheses for enhancing user engagement. For instance, if a crucial CTA is positioned just below this point, they might contemplate moving it upward on the page or incorporating an eye-catching element or widget to encourage users to continue scrolling.

Other tools, such as session recordings, provide insights into the mouse flow patterns of visitors. Form analytics offer a detailed report on user pain points during form submissions, while surveys enable direct feedback from visitors.

These tools collectively provide a qualitative report on users’ experiences. Leveraging this information, you can create new and improved experiences or experiments (A/B test, Split test, Multivariate test) with innovative features to enhance overall user satisfaction.

Now, let’s delve into another hypothetical scenario. Imagine a brand with multiple coffee shops in different cities, aiming to generate leads for its upcoming coffee festival in New York and New Orleans. Take a look at the registration page:

Suppose the form analysis reports indicate hesitations at the address fields, and the scrollmap report aligns with most visitors leaving the page at the address field.

In response, the marketing team can hypothesize that users might be abandoning the registration form due to privacy concerns about sharing their addresses. To test this hypothesis, the team decides to run an A/B test with a variation that removes the address fields, anticipating an uplift in the form conversion rates.

It’s important to note that this is a one-time optimization. For sustained improvement in website experience and alignment with visitor expectations, periodic behavior analysis becomes crucial. For such, long-term optimization strategies, such as an experimentation loop, can prove invaluable. (You can dive deeper into the concept of an experimentation loop in our dedicated blog post to know more.)

Having explored strategies from the search results page to landing page experiences, let’s now examine how VWO can significantly contribute to the success of your local search optimization campaign.

Using VWO for local search optimization

VWO is an all-encompassing experimentation platform designed to enhance the entire digital touchpoint experience. When it comes to local search optimization, VWO Insights proves invaluable by providing robust behavior analytics features such as heatmaps, form analytics, session recordings, and surveys.

If your website attracts visitors from various cities and you specifically aim to optimize the experience for a particular city, VWO has you covered. The platform offers a segmentation option for both VWO heatmap and VWO session recordings. By selecting the desired city through the custom segment option, you can effortlessly generate targeted reports and insights.

As you navigate through the reports, you can make a note of your observations on the right side of the dashboard, leveraging them for hypothesis creation in preparation for an A/B test.

Now, the question arises: Can VWO facilitate A/B testing and rollout new experiences directly from the same dashboard and specifically for the chosen city? The answer is a resounding yes.

Building upon the insights gleaned from behavior analytics, you can execute an A/B test using VWO Testing, tailored for the selected city with the help of the pre-segmentation feature. Within the test setup section, under “Audience and Traffic,” you can designate the city for your A/B test. This precise targeting ensures that you optimize the experience for locals in that specific area without impacting users from other locations.

To deploy a new experience, VWO offers VWO Web Rollouts. Where you can just create your new experience with an intuitive visual editor and deploy it for your location via the custom segments. Here is a quick overview of VWO Web Rollouts:

Isn’t local search CRO a breeze with these features? The amazing part is that you can test it out for free, gaining firsthand experience of how seamlessly it aligns with your distinct business goals and website requirements. If you’re intrigued, here’s your opportunity to seize a 30-day free trial.

Conclusion

Local search conversion rate optimization proves to be a crucial strategy for businesses with physical stores in the post-COVID landscape. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey and identifying conversion bottlenecks in digital marketing strategy, businesses can effortlessly convert potential customers into satisfied patrons. CRO campaigns for local search not only result in increased sales but also fortify customer loyalty, positioning local businesses for sustained success in the competitive local market.

Yes, that’s an astounding fact. 

But here’s the scoop – it’s not just a marketing tech fiesta; every corner of the B2B world is buzzing with competition, especially in the post-COVID digital boom.

What does this mean?

If you’re steering a digital ship in the B2B sea, you’ve got to be tip-top in what you offer and how you offer it. Any hiccup in meeting your website visitors or potential customers’ expectations along the sales cycles is an open invitation for your rivals to swoop in.

That’s why, more than ever, it’s high time to bet big on conversion rate optimization (CRO) to plug leaks in your conversion funnel and ensure your competitors don’t sneak in and snatch your share. 

In this blog post, you’ll delve into essential concepts, effective strategies, and the utilization of VWO as a powerful tool for B2B conversion rate Optimization (CRO).

So, buckle up, and let’s dive in.

What is B2B conversion rate optimization?

Conversion rate optimization in B2B entails fine-tuning the website or any digital touchpoint experience. This optimization is rooted in behavioral or analytical data, aiming for a substantial uplift in the website’s overall performance. The desired improvements extend to key metrics, be it ROI, lead generation, or achieving any other specific business objective. 

Given the elongated purchase cycles in B2B scenarios, CRO takes on added significance. Maintaining a consistent and relevant digital experience is paramount. On top of this, even a minor dip in conversion rates can reverberate significantly in terms of monetary value. So, optimizing for success is not just a preference; it’s a strategic imperative!

Let’s delve into how conversion rate optimization campaigns are practically executed, using the example of VWO, a B2B SaaS product that is into CRO and experimentation.

After creating a hypothesis for increasing conversion based on behavior and web analytics data of the home page, you can run several CRO campaigns like,

• Content optimization campaign: Crafting new H1 heading (Optimize digital experiences & maximize conversions) and text to enhance keyword ranking, focusing on primary terms such as A/B testing, personalization, etc.
• A/B test campaigns: Experimenting with new colors or text for “Request Demo” and “Try VWO for Free” calls-to-action (CTAs). Testing variations in the navigation menu or lead generation forms that pop up after clicking both CTAs.
• Personalization campaigns: Tailoring content based on client backgrounds, personalizing H1 heading based on the client’s industry like Edtech, eCommerce, etc.
• Server-side experimentation campaign: Conducting complex experiments, especially after visitors transition to paying customers, like testing the B2B product features.
• Website experience enhancement campaign: Enhancing the SaaS website experience by adding interactive widgets, chatbots, pop-up forms, etc.

These CRO campaign types are just to give you an idea and are not exhaustive. All these campaigns aim to make the visitor’s experience delightful and increase the likelihood of conversions. Now let’s explore some strategies to inspire your B2B conversion rate optimization efforts.

Five B2B conversion rate optimization strategies

Exploring the B2B landscape involves a distinct set of challenges, especially given the significant financial stakes in play. In B2B scenarios, a lead’s decision to sign up or engage with a salesperson is a result of careful research and a detailed analysis of the capabilities and success track record of the B2B product. Additionally, they seek a seamless experience that allows them to efficiently move to the next steps, such as scheduling a call or accessing valuable resources like whitepapers. In light of this distinctive context, here are some effective B2B CRO strategies.

a. Use a customer data platform (CDP) for comprehensive data insights

A CDP consolidates data from multiple sources, processes it, combines it, and cleans it, providing a comprehensive view of individual customer profiles or datasets for behavior trends.

The significance of a CDP lies in laying the foundation for all your CRO programs. By deriving insights from data-backed hypotheses, you gain the ability to monitor the entire customer journey and identify weaknesses within it. This is instrumental in crafting effective CRO strategies.

While a CDP itself might not directly pique the interest of potential clients or address their queries, it serves as a powerful tool for understanding the reasons behind challenges in engaging or converting them. It acts as a diagnostic tool, allowing you to uncover insights to inform targeted strategies to enhance customer experience and drive conversions. 

For example, your CDP report highlights an underperforming segment from Japan, identified through data from web analytics tools like GA4. To delve deeper into the issues faced by this segment, you integrate your CDP with a behavior analytics tool. On the behavior analytics tool, you can watch heatmap session recordings for the corresponding segment to gain deeper insights. 

For instance, if the heatmap reveals a significant drop-off in the testimonial section, it indicates a potential trust issue. In response, you can tailor your content strategy by adding testimonials from Japan or incorporating ratings from trusted sources in the region. Alternatively, if the drop-off occurs in the first-fold, you may need a dedicated landing page for the Japan geography.

So, you see, the CDP serves as a central hub for streamlined data management. It allows you to speed up the process of pinpointing user problems, understanding their behavior intricacies, and derive actionable insights. Armed with this information, you’re well-equipped to create targeted and engaging CRO campaigns that directly address the pain points identified through the data analysis process.

b. Showcase the product’s credibility through the copy and website elements.

Potential clients often delve into the history and past performance of a company during the early stages of product research. Therefore, your landing pages should strategically convey the credibility of your product through compelling copy.

Take, for instance, the landing page of Semrush.

Semrush strategically showcases that its product is trusted by a multitude of companies, including a significant number of Fortune 500 companies. What’s noteworthy is that the credibility isn’t merely asserted through text; it’s backed up with compelling statistics.

As a B2B company, crafting copy for your website landing page that effectively highlights your credibility is a crucial step. Consider A/B testing different variations of your copy to gauge the impact it makes on your audience. For example, Basecamp, a project management software, conducted A/B tests with a variation of their landing page featuring a copy showcasing their client base in the first fold. The result? An average uplift of 7.82% based on four tests.

c. Utilize generative AI tools to scale up CRO

Generative AI is rapidly transforming various business functions, and CRO is no exception. This innovative technology is revolutionizing key aspects of CRO, such as data collection, customer feedback/delight, experimentation, and personalization, leading to faster and more effective results in meeting customer expectations and enhancing their experience.

Take, for instance, Intercom’s use of generative AI in the form of a chatbot named Fin. Visitors can interact with Fin to seek answers to their queries. While promoting Fin is one goal, it also serves the purpose of providing potential leads with quicker resolutions to their inquiries.

With this approach, potential leads experience shorter waiting times—seconds rather than minutes. This automation contributes to optimizing human resources by reducing the workload on the marketing and sales teams. Furthermore, potential clients benefit from quicker doubt resolution, streamlining their research process and increasing the likelihood of moving forward with free trials, demos, or sales calls.

Another example of a generative AI-based tool for CRO is VWO Testing-Web. It allows you to generate optimization ideas based on website pages, reducing the time spent on the idea generation stage and easing the strain on the CRO team. This tool provides actionable hypotheses for pages, streamlining the CRO team’s work and increasing the A/B test rate while ensuring test quality.

If you are interested, you can learn more about this AI-based product update.

Embracing generative AI in your CRO strategy brings forth a wave of efficiency, innovation, and quicker responses, ensuring a seamless journey for your potential leads. Whether it’s Intercom’s Fin providing instant answers or VWO Testing-Web streamlining hypothesis generation, these AI-powered tools open doors to faster optimization and enhanced user experiences. As you venture into the realm of CRO, consider integrating these cutting-edge solutions to stay at the forefront of technological advancements and elevate your conversion optimization initiatives.

d. Build an experimentation loop for lead generation

For any B2B organization, inbound marketing lead generation from the website is a pivotal aspect. Instead of conducting random A/B tests, relying on an experimentation loop proves more effective. 

But what exactly does the experimentation loop entail? It’s a systematic process where you conduct an initial A/B test and then proceed to run a subsequent experimentation campaign based on hypotheses derived from the results of the preceding test. Let’s understand it through an example.

Imagine you have a standard first-fold landing page featuring an H1 heading, followed by subtext, and a clear call-to-action (CTA) prompting visitors to either book a demo or avail of a free trial. It might look something like this:

Now, let’s say you conduct a standard A/B test, perhaps altering the H1 heading or subtext. Upon concluding the test, you observe an improvement in the conversion rate of the CTA. Instead of concluding the experimentation process, the experimentation loop approach involves delving deeper into the A/B test reports using various filters and segments. 

For example, your analysis may unveil that a particular geographical segment is lagging in performance compared to others. In response, you can kick off a personalization campaign specifically tailored to this geography. Alternatively, you might initiate another A/B test, adjusting headings to incorporate keywords relevant to the target audience in that specific region or include product information that resonates with this particular segment. This strategic iteration is likely to deliver an additional boost to your conversion rate. 

By adopting the experimentation loop approach, you not only capitalize on the positive outcomes of your initial A/B test but also harness the insights gained to refine and optimize further. This iterative process ensures a more nuanced understanding of user behavior, allowing you to implement targeted strategies that address specific challenges or opportunities uncovered during the initial testing phase.

e. Make your lead generation form less overwhelming with a multi-step format

At the heart of any digital interaction lies the lead form—a pivotal element that marks the initiation of a potential business relationship. To foster a seamless journey for customers venturing into this realm, the lead generation process must be user-friendly and facilitate progression to the next steps, such as booking a demo call or accessing a free hands-on demo.

While the ideal scenario involves a concise form with fewer fields, many B2B companies face the challenge of seeking extensive information to deliver a highly personalized experience in subsequent stages. However, presenting a single form with numerous fields may overwhelm visitors, resulting in drop-offs.

To address this dilemma, a strategic approach involves implementing a multistep lead generation form. This innovative solution breaks down a multi-field form into manageable segments, mitigating the perceived intimidation and creating a positive user experience. By allowing customers and leads to input their information in smaller, more digestible chunks, this approach enhances user satisfaction and, ultimately, boosts conversion rates.

A compelling illustration of the effectiveness of a multistep lead generation form is evident in the case of VentureHarbour, a bootstrapped venture studio. The firm strategically implemented a multi-step signup form on its website, orchestrating the sequence to commence with steps that demanded minimal effort to complete.

The impact was remarkable. The transition from a single-step to a multi-step form made their conversion rate vary from a modest 0.96% to an impressive 8.1%, underscoring the potency of this approach in significantly enhancing user engagement and average conversion rate.

Moreover, incorporating periodic analysis of the form using form analytics tools allows you to closely monitor its performance. By leveraging insights gained through analysis, you can formulate hypotheses to further improve the form and initiate targeted CRO campaigns for continuous optimization.

When it comes to achieving success in B2B CRO, crafting a solid plan is imperative. The strategies discussed above can greatly enrich and guide you toward your goals. However, having the right tool is crucial for effective implementation. If you’re still in search of the ideal tool or considering alternatives, here’s essential information about VWO that you shouldn’t overlook.

Using VWO for effective B2B conversion rate optimization

From behavior analysis to personalization, VWO stands out as a comprehensive CRO platform, offering a diverse set of features to elevate your CRO endeavors. Leveraging VWO Insights, you can employ scrollmaps, heatmaps, form analysis, and surveys to gain insights into visitor behavior and understand the reasons behind drop-offs. The seamless integration allows you to transition from behavior analysis to creating hypotheses directly within the same dashboard. Subsequently, you can execute A/B tests using VWO Testing or run a FullStack A/B test. 

Also, VWO enables you to launch personalization campaigns through VWO Personalize. What sets VWO apart is its incorporation of VWO Data 360 (CDP), facilitating easy data management.

Adding to its impressive array of capabilities, VWO embraces generative AI to generate optimization ideas, create survey reports, suggest text, and promise much more in its evolving pipeline of features.

Curious about the success track record for B2B organizations? Let’s delve into a compelling case study involving VWO Experimentation Suites.

Hubstaff, a B2B company specializing in time tracking and project management software received hundreds of thousands of visitors on the homepage. Thus, even a slight dip in the conversion rate could translate to significant revenue loss. To address this concern and elevate its conversion rate, Hubstaff turned to VWO.

The Hubstaff team kicked off the improvement process by conducting a comprehensive behavior analysis of the homepage using VWO Insights. The insights derived from this analysis prompted them to embark on a complete redesign of the homepage.

Here’s a glimpse of the original homepage:

And here’s the variation with the new design:

The test ran for three months, encompassing a total of 259k visitors across the two pages involved. The result? The variation recorded a remarkable 49% increase in sign-ups, showcasing the effectiveness of VWO experimentation suites.

If these results have piqued your interest and you’re eager to explore more of VWO’s capabilities, here’s a 30-day free trial for you. It grants access to all the features and capabilities that VWO has to offer. So, do give it a try. 

In conclusion

B2B CRO is a must for any business looking to thrive in the post-COVID digital landscape. Fine-tuning the website or any digital touchpoint experience based on behavioral or analytical data can lead to a significant uplift in the website’s overall performance. 

By implementing effective CRO strategies like using a CDP, personalization, A/B testing, content optimization, and website experience enhancement, businesses can provide relevant and necessary information to the B2B lead along with a hassle-free experience to move forward in the sales funnel. With the help of powerful tools like VWO, businesses can drive measurable results, keep up with conversion rate benchmarks, and stay ahead of the competition.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

These two days had everyone in the business world talking. 

On the 11th of July, we bid farewell to the old Google Analytics after it faithfully served us for 11 long years. It’s a bittersweet goodbye – the comfort of familiarity versus the looming learning curve of its replacement Google Analytics 4. 

And on the 30th of October, Google pulled the plug on its once-mighty A/B testing tool, Google Optimize. The reason? It did not provide the features and services that have now become crucial to experimentation.

Now, there might be a concern among A/B testing enthusiasts because of these developments. With Google Optimize gone, they need an alternative platform to carry on with their testing activities. If they opt for a third-party platform, will it seamlessly integrate with GA4 for in-depth A/B testing analysis? Moreover, how seamlessly can they use GA4 audience data for running experiments in their testing platform? 

Given that both GA and GO have been Google products, this question of seamless integration didn’t pop up until now. 

In this blog, we provide answers to these questions and explain how VWO plays a role in addressing these challenges. Keep reading!

A/B testing analysis using GA4 – Is that possible?

Well, GA4 doesn’t come with an in-built A/B testing capability. But it does allow integration with third-party A/B testing tools. 

Keeping Google’s product line restructuring in mind, VWO introduced a two-way integration with GA4. Plus, to help businesses carry on with testing efforts, we also provided a quick migration from Google Optimize to VWO. You can read more about GO migration to VWO. 

A case study in point: Critique Jeu, a gaming and sports company, transitioned from Google Optimize to VWO and achieved a successful test. By experimenting with color changes in internal text links—shifting slightly from their brand color scheme—they observed a significant increase of 22.8% in clicks on internal text links.

How do you benefit from VWO<>GA4 integration?

VWO’s campaign data, including experiment variations, now appears in GA4 in real-time. This enhances the data in GA4 and simplifies audience creation using VWO data in GA4. Further, you can use this campaign data for launching activities using AdWords and retargeting. 

Earlier, combining these two platforms needed custom dimensions in Google Analytics, which had limited applications and demanded manual efforts. 

Imagine you manage a hotel booking website, and you’ve conducted a test on the booking form. It succeeded in driving more visitors to the cart page but didn’t significantly impact booking values. To reconnect with these cart page visitors, you plan to run retargeting ads, offering a 10% discount for bookings made within 24 hours. 

To achieve this, you can create a campaign audience in GA4 and initiate a retargeting campaign using Google ads. Also, you can conduct an in-depth audience analysis, segmenting them by demographic, location, traffic sources, and other criteria to optimize your marketing strategy further.

So, say you notice that visitors from specific regions or countries – European countries, for example – are more receptive to your offer, you can create location-specific discounts or promotions. 

Now, we talked about two-way integration sometime back.

Yes, you can run A/B tests by targeting audiences in your GA account. These audiences in GA are created based on similarity in their certain characteristics. So, for example, engaged users could be an audience group comprising individuals who have visited your website at least 5 times in the past month and have spent 5 minutes in each visit. 

These defined audience segments allow you to fine-tune your testing campaigns from VWO, aligning your marketing efforts with specific user behavior and characteristics. 

Let’s understand with an example. Suppose you own an e-learning website where users frequently view course details but don’t enroll. By transferring this audience data from GA4 to VWO, you can conduct an A/B test. In this test, you split the audience into two groups: the control group sees your current course page, and the variation group sees a revamped course page featuring testimonials, detailed lesson plans, and a short introductory video by the instructor himself. 

Alternatively, you can implement a personalization campaign by offering a bundle of two relevant courses for the price of one. 

Here’s an added bonus: You can deploy these experiences without IT involvement and with shorter lead times. Be it a small change, adding a new section, or a website section, you can get the work done hassle-free!

Watch the benefits of VWO’s 2-way integration with Google Analytics 4 in the webinar.

How can you leverage Google Analytics for your experiment setup?

Experiment, a feature absent in GA4 but present in our old Google Analytics, may seem a bit obsolete now. But let’s take a quick look back for those of you who are still interested. 

Tucked within Google Analytics’ Behavior section, you’d find the ‘Experiments’. Here’s how it worked:

1. Start by selecting an Objective: You could define a specific outcome to measure and determine the winning variation. Next, you had three options:

• Choose an existing Goal
• Select a site usage metric
• Create a new objective or goal if you don’t already have one set up

2. Once you’ve set your Objective, the next step is to add the URLs of the page variations you wanted to test.
3. Finally, add the script code to your page to start the experiment. 

How do you analyze your A/B test results with Google Analytics?

To analyze your A/B test results in GA4 is no rocket science. Let’s understand how you can go about it with an example. 

Suppose you want to boost bookings on your e-Health website. You decide to promote the ‘Same-day consultation’ offer through three distinct formats: a status banner, a side pop-up, and a modal on your website. Once you’ve segmented audiences in GA4 for each format, you can establish comparisons to evaluate their respective responses. 

You can add and tailor your metrics for a more in-depth performance analysis In this example, you can compare audiences based on metrics like successful bookings, booking abandonment rates, consultation duration selection, and so on. 

Need a step-by-step guide on how to study A/B test results in GA4? Read our guide and get all your questions answered. 

Conclusion

Google’s product line restructuring has brought some big changes for businesses. But don’t worry, dealing with these changes can be easy if you’re smart about it. 

First of all, you can ease into the GA4 learning curve using Google’s handy learning materials. And as for your A/B testing programs – they’re in good hands. Even though GO has sunsetted, you’re in luck because you can easily migrate all your campaigns to VWO in less than a few seconds. Plus, VWO and GA4 integrate nicely together to help you get the best of both worlds. 

So, keep your testing engine running and keep moving forward. Good luck! 

Disclaimer: The synergy between VWO and GA4 enhances your A/B testing analytics, but potential data discrepancies may occur due to differing handling methodologies between platforms. This is not specific to VWO and can happen with any tool, as each has its unique setup. 

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s not uncommon to anticipate growth in A/B testing. But how did JellyTelly, an internet-based television network with a low sign-up rate on the homepage, achieve such explosive growth? Well, the agency that handled CRO for Jelly Telly started like everyone else—formulating hypotheses and creating a simplified homepage variation for the A/B test. What set them apart was their savvy move of segmenting only new visitors for the A/B test, leading to a solid uplift in results.

You might wonder what’s the deal with segmentation in the A/B test and why it makes such a significant impact.

To put it simply, segmentation is similar to the meticulous strategies employed by teams in the Big League, where they segment opponents’ team players based on recent form and performance and experiment with their gaming approach. No one-size-fits-all strategy here — on such a professional and super-competitive level, the teams adjust their game plan for both in-form and out-of-form segments of opponent batters and pitchers. This approach ensures that a team can apply strategies in different situations, understand players effectively, and utilize teammates’ potential.

Similarly, you can’t always have a general A/B testing approach when you have multiple segments of visitors on your digital platform. For example, it’s far more effective to A/B test your checkout page for frequently abandoning segments than all the visitors. Segmentation gives specific insights into visitor behavior and optimizes the bandwidth of your A/B testing tool. 

So, if you’re just dipping your toes to explore segmentation in A/B testing, you’ll definitely want to check out this blog post. We’ll cover the how-to’s of A/B test segmentation and best practices and show you how easy segmentation is when you are using a platform like VWO.

Let’s understand how to segment A/B tests.

When you’re running an A/B test, you can carry out pre and post-segmentation. Pre-segmentation is all about digging into existing visitor data to create visitor segments for a test. And post-segmentation? That’s breaking down the results you get from the test. Here are some commonly used filters to create segments for pre- and post-segmentation in A/B testing:

• Geo: USA, India, United Kingdom.
• Device: Mobile, tablet, and desktop.
• Traffic Source: Direct, search engine, referral, affiliates, social media, paid, etc.
• Activity: New visitor, returning visitor, event abandonment, event complete, etc.
• Other: Time of activity, browser.
• Custom segments: Business-specific segments.

[For instance, consider using a country filter to create segments like the US, India, UK, etc.]

Now, let’s take a closer look at how pre- and post-segmentation can be useful in your A/B testing.

Pre-segmentation: The slice before the spice

“I am seeing a rise in cart abandonment, what should I do?”

“How do I reduce that bounce rate from Japan?”

“How can I improve the completion rate of that course?”

These questions naturally pop up after digging into the website data from our analytics platform. Solving these issues might involve A/B testing with some hypotheses you come up with. Well, here pre-segmentation can come in handy. Instead of testing everything on all visitors, here is how you can solve the above problems and similar ones that you face:

“I will segment cart abandoners and run an A/B test by positioning the promotion block above the fold.” 

“Let’s A/B test Japan traffic with a translation widget in the variation.”

“Let’s A/B test low-engagement students segment with a variation having smaller duration videos.”

With this approach of pre-segmentation, you will more likely see an increase in your conversion rate, as you are targeting segments that are a key source of the problem. Even if it fails, you can move to test the next hypothesis without subjecting a larger visitor base to the experiment. Also, pre-segmentation optimizes your use of the A/B testing tool as many of these platforms charge based on the usage-based pricing model. 

Keep in mind: The effectiveness of pre-segmentation hinges on the tool at your disposal and how adeptly you handle and assimilate visitor data. Contemporary businesses lean on sophisticated solutions, such as customer data platforms (CDPs), to store and seamlessly integrate data from diverse sources. This not only enhances the accuracy of segmentation but also boosts the results of activities driven by these segments.

Post-segmentation: Unraveling the puzzle

You have finished A/B testing, and now it’s time to delve into the reports with post-segmentation. It might seem like a bit of an optional thing, but whether your A/B test hits the jackpot or takes a detour, post-segmentation is the secret sauce—it spills the beans on why things went the way they did, laying the groundwork for future improvements.

In post-segmentation, you can filter all the visitor data for a particular segment to understand how it performed or you can square off two segments like mobile versus desktop or returning visitors against the new ones, revealing the nuances in their experiences and how it impacted the conversion rate. 

Moreover, delving into post-segmentation after a test flop can bring you closer to understanding customer expectations and needs. Take the example of Uncommon Knowledge, an online education portal. They hit a roadblock in their A/B test featuring the latest design trends. Still, the post-segmentation analysis revealed a key insight: their primary audience predominantly falls within the 45+ age group, who are not used to the latest trends.

So, when you engage in post-segmentation after an A/B test, you’re not slamming the brakes on A/B tests; you’re building on them. This approach addresses the common challenge of hitting a creativity wall with A/B testing as you generate fresh hypotheses through in-depth analysis. It is a more strategic approach—what we like to call the experimentation loop—to A/B testing. In this loop, you launch a new experiment based on a hypothesis from analyzing a completed A/B test. It’s a far superior method compared to the randomness of traditional testing.

Now, let’s dive into the practical side of things and explore how to effectively carry out segmentation using a tool like VWO.

How does VWO handle pre- and post-segmentation?

Let’s understand the segmentation functionality in VWO with an example. Say you’ve got a cool smartwatch e-commerce store. In recent analytics reports, you notice a decline in the conversion rate among visitors using the Windows browser. The analysis led to a hypothesis of adding a sitewide time-based discount offer widget to see whether it uplifts the conversion from Windows visitors. You create an A/B test variation having the widget below the main menu.

With VWO, if you are thinking of running an A/B test to see the effect of this offer on visitors with a Windows browser, you can pull it off with just a few clicks, thanks to its user-friendly dashboard. Once you’ve punched in the web URL you want to test and sort out your variations and goals, it’s a breeze to pre-segment using the standard segment option tucked away in the audience and traffic section. Here is how it’s done on VWO.

Now, for the same time-based widget, if you want to kick things up a notch and dive into some advanced pre-segmentation —like you have a hypothesis to A/B test visitors who have a 60-second time spent duration on the homepage. For such use cases custom segment is your playground. You can segment users by behavior-based segments such as exit intent, time spent, and scroll-based criteria. Additionally, you can segment by location, IP address, query parameters, or anything specific to your site.

Here’s how it works:

Also, you can include, exclude, and even mash up segments for your A/B test. For example, a combined segment of people who have 60 seconds spent on the watch store homepage from Idaho. 

You can even create segments based on attributes you’ve tracked with third parties like Clearbit, Segment, etc. If you want to know more, dive into the nitty-gritty of custom segments with all the details in a knowledge-base article.

Now, let’s say you’ve conducted the A/B test for all users, and you’re keen on diving into post-segmentation using VWO to see how control and variation fared across different segments. Beyond the standard and custom segments we explored earlier in pre-segmentation, VWO has got you covered for comparing how the A/B test played out for various segments of visitors. Like, you can see how conversions from the desktop segment fared against the mobile segment. You can even compare multiple-goal performances. 

Also, imagine you’ve got a boatload of data, and you’re itching to dig deeper into specific segments. Like, maybe you’re curious to slice and dice based on countries for the mobile segment. In that case, VWO lets you slice and dice those segments with visitor dimensions, making it a breeze to unravel the nitty-gritty details of the performance. 

If you notice, VWO is like your trusted toolkit, handing you all the controls you need to finely segment your A/B tests during both pre and post-stages. If you find this intriguing and want to give it a spin, we offer a 30-day full-feature trial for a complete hands-on experience. Remember to give it a go! It’s worth mentioning here that access to some of the above features depends on the chosen plan and pricing. 

Now that we’ve got the scoop on segmentation and the tool to wield, let’s dive into some savvy best practices to make the most out of it.

Best practices for A/B test segmentation to kick off on the right foot

a. Prioritize bigger segments for A/B testing

After applying basic filters like country, age, and device in your analytics tools, spot the segment with the most visitors. Make it your A-list for testing, and break it down even more based on conversion rates.

Now, for the high-converting sub-segment, A/B testing with new features, the latest arrivals, or step up your game with website personalization. These segments are your core visitors. If an A/B test variation clicks with them, consider integrating it into the regular experience for all visitors.

For the low-converting sub-segment, dive into the analysis using user behavior analytics tools like heatmaps, session recordings, and clickmaps to pinpoint friction points. Formulate hypotheses based on your findings and run A/B tests to observe the impact on the conversion rate. It’s about diagnosing the issues, crafting solutions, and fine-tuning for better results.

b. A/B test new experiences for small segments with high conversion rates

Using the same filters as before in your analytics, you might spot small segments with a high conversion rate. This could be a sign of an untapped visitor base. For these segments, consider crafting a new experience or even developing a variation landing page dedicated to this specific segment and conduct a Split URL test. To test the waters, increase traffic through paid and social promotion to observe if the newly found visitor base maintains a consistently high conversion rate. Such an approach to experimentation helps in exploring and capitalizing on hidden opportunities.

Say, for instance, in your analysis using a country filter, you might stumble upon a small segment of visitors from Canada (a region you don’t usually target) with surprisingly high conversion rates. In this scenario, consider crafting a landing page tailored specifically for Canadian visitors and test it against your original landing page using a Split URL test. To validate your findings, run a paid promotion to drive more traffic and ensure statistical significance in your tests. If the results are promising and show a positive trend, you might consider implementing long-term strategies like content marketing to fully tap into this previously untapped market.

c. Dive into post-segmentation only after the test reaches statistical significance

The allure of stopping an A/B test midway can be strong, especially when you see a higher conversion rate for a variation, thanks to the real-time reports most tools provide. However, this impulsive decision might lead to a false positive (type-1 error) result, and conducting post-segmentation based on this premature data could lead to inaccurate assumptions for future actions.

It’s wiser to let the A/B test reach statistical significance before diving into post-segmentation. Market-leading tools like VWO showcase significance in their reports, but if your tools don’t showcase it, then you can turn to online statistical significance calculators to make informed decisions about stopping the A/B test. Patience can save you from hasty conclusions and guide you toward more accurate insights.

d. Combine segments to get more precise with your experiments and results

As your business expands and website traffic surges, it becomes crucial—and almost mandatory—to merge segments for both pre and post-segmentation in A/B testing. For example, instead of solely running an A/B test or analyzing reports for people residing in Idaho, consider this: for pre-segmentation, it’s more effective to create a combined segment of individuals living in Idaho using the Safari browser. With a more targeted pre-segmentation, you’re not just scratching the surface; you’re delving into the nuances of a specific group, enhancing the precision of your testing strategy.

Now, when it comes to post-segmentation with combined segments, you gain a richer understanding and key insights compared to broader segments, especially when dealing with a high volume of visitors. It’s about fine-tuning your focus to extract more meaningful information from the data deluge. 

Note: VWO lets you combine segments via its custom segments feature. Here is a screenshot of it. 

Final thoughts

Segmentation is a fantastic addition to your experimentation mix, significantly elevating your understanding of visitor behavior. Incorporating both pre and post-segmentation into your strategy can be a game-changer. However, finding the right approach for your business might take some experimenting. The learning curve can be steep initially, and you might encounter deviations from your assumptions.

But here’s the key—keep building your road based on the data you acquire. Soon enough, you’ll witness the potent impact of segmentation driving your A/B testing programs. It’s a journey worth taking for the valuable insights and optimizations it brings to your A/B testing game. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Whether it’s through organic search or paid campaigns, a visitor landing on your product page means they’ve made up their mind about a purchase. If your product page fails to deliver what users are looking for, they might go to some other website or begin browsing on your website again. It’s back to square one for them, you see. 

And as many eCommerce players invest in paid ads to get traffic to product pages, it’s only natural that they want to try every way to get the most out of their investment.

To guide you in the right direction so you get maximum results, we offer our two cents on product page optimization. In the third blog of our “A/B testing for eCommerce” series, we go over all the key elements you need to optimize to match users’ mental models and provide a smooth user experience that leads to more conversions. So, continue reading. 

Must-try ideas to revamp your product page

Product images

Your customers simply expect to see clear and detailed pictures of your products to move ahead in their buying journey. Since online shopping doesn’t allow for the up-close examination of products as in a physical store, you can try and replicate that experience as closely as possible by displaying high-quality images only. 

A funnel analysis showed that 70% of visitors who went to the product page of our Canadian client, Hush Blankets, left without buying anything.

To boost transactions, the team moved thumbnail images to the left of the main image.  It was hypothesized that this particular change might help save space and allow users to see the images clearly, thereby impacting their buying decisions significantly.

This change led to a 5.67% rise in visits to the checkout page and a 33.1% increase in the checkout rate. Read the full case study here. 

Test idea 1 – Lifestyle and branded product images

Imagine that out of all the potential reasons for high exit rates on your eCommerce product page, you believe that stock product images are the primary culprit.

Therefore, you create a variation with lifestyle imagery, a zoom-in feature on pictures, and a couple of images that have the benefits of using your mattress written on them. See if this variation improves the add-to-cart rate more than your control, and accordingly implement the winning version.

With VWO Visual Editor, it’s easy to remove, resize, and change images on your website. If you want to show product videos to your visitors, you can add YouTube, Vimeo, and self-hosted videos as well using the Editor. Take a trial and see it for yourself! 

Product description

A well-written product description can help you convince customers to buy, while one that isn’t clear can cause confusion and lead to low sales. Hence, optimizing your product description is vital for improving conversions and customer satisfaction.

Here’s proof that it works. FoodforPlanet, the in-house agency of Josera, a premium pet food brand in Germany, identified a high bounce rate on the Josera Kids product page.

They utilized VWO to test and optimize the page by presenting a sleeker and clearer product description, resulting in a 28.79% increase in conversions.

Testing idea 2 – Information presented in an easy-to-digest style

Sometimes, important product details get lost in text-heavy paragraphs. To fix this problem, you could try putting this information into bullet points and using different colors to make it easier for users to skim.

Let us tell you that the VWO Visual Editor makes AI-based copy recommendations for the existing copy on your website. In case you’re looking to create catchy product descriptions or headlines, make use of this feature. 

You can load paragraphs with up to 200 words, and each text can have up to 15 suggestions at a time. While this feature is optimized for English-language websites, it also works with all major languages.

Product reviews or ratings

Around 99.9% of customers read reviews when shopping online! So make it easy for your customers to leave reviews, like by giving them the option to upload photos and videos of them unboxing and using the product. This will make them feel valued and heard. 

Also, make sure reviews are placed in a prominent place on your product page. Let’s take the Amazon product page for example. You can see both the product ratings and reviews toward the top.

And when you click on the link, you’ll be taken to the detailed review section located toward the bottom of the page.

Testing idea 3 – Adding review sorting options

If your product page shows a lot of reviews already, you can go a step ahead and add review sorting options. Why? It can often be challenging for customers to find the most relevant one in the sea of so many.

What if they want to view the most helpful reviews based on the number of votes the reviews have received from other customers?

Let users sort the reviews by things like when they were added, the highest rating, the lowest rating, and how helpful they were in the variation. If this experience proves effective, you can roll it out to all users.

Do you want to test both product reviews and images on your website? VWO allows you to set up mutually exclusive campaign groups to run multiple tests on the same page without overlapping visitors across tests.

This way, you can test both ideas and attribute the increase in conversion rate to the right test. Read this quick guide to learn how to go about it. 

Product pricing and availability

Many websites make the mistake of not highlighting if a product is in stock or not, which leaves customers disappointed and frustrated. Disclosing product availability upfront helps customers manage their time and expectations.

If they know right away that a product is out of stock, they can start looking for alternatives without wasting their time.

In the same way, showing product pricing clearly is also crucial. Customers want to know how they’re going to spend before buying a product. This is especially important for those who have a budget and are not willing to overspend. 

Are you offering discounts? Strike through the original price and bolden the discount next to it. Everyone loves free shipping, so it’s best to offer that. But if you do have to charge for shipping, let customers know upfront and avoid surprising them with additional charges at checkout.

Using VWO, Fruition.net aimed to improve sales on Royal Discount’s Microsoft 2013 product page. Their hypothesis was that by emphasizing the product price, the number of visitors adding items to their carts would increase.

They made adjustments to the font size and style, resulting in a 36.54% increase in the add-to-cart and a 10.21% increase in revenue.

Test Idea 4 – Notify customers of restocked products

Inevitably, some products may become out of stock. In such cases, providing customers with the option to enter their email addresses to receive notifications when the products are restocked can create a positive impression, resulting in lower bounce rates and more browsing of other products on your website.

Test Idea 5 – Display how much users are saving

Customers find it highly satisfying when they can see the amount they save before making a purchase. Also, this is one of their ways of gauging if your brand believes in transparency and is trustworthy. 

To achieve this, you can retain the strikeout original price and discount price from the control version and in the variation, add the percentage of money saved to give customers an idea of their savings.

Social proof and trust badges

Of course, people love shopping online, but they’re equally concerned about several factors like product quality, the authenticity of sellers, and the rising concern around online scams. To help visitors overcome their doubts and apprehension, it’s important to show social proof on your website, especially on product pages. 

Social proof can come in many different forms, like reviews, testimonials, and data, and it can create a huge impact on visitors when they prepare to buy something. 

For example, one of our clients, Fietspunt, a Dutch company selling biking solutions, found that a lot of visitors left its product page, which led to low sales. Initially, they tried displaying a Facebook widget, but it didn’t yield significant results. 

But when they put the Trustpilot widget in the bottom right corner of the page, they got 36.7% more orders.

Testing idea 6 – Show social proof badges

Does your product page already show customer reviews? Complement them with expert-recommended or award-winning badges. Share positive details like the number of happy customers, the total number of items sold so far, and how quickly you’ve answered user questions in the past.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with different types of social proof, as they influence purchase decisions and move your conversions in the upward direction. 

Shipping and delivery information

Customers demand certainty, especially with shipping, returns, and delivery. To avoid surprising them, make it clear whether free shipping is available or not and if charges apply. Also, displaying estimated delivery dates is something that can give visitors peace of mind. 

Lastly, they expect to see a clear return policy, including the deadline for returning items, in case they feel the need to return what they’ve purchased.

See how Zalora utilized VWO Testing to run several tests, including one that improved the CTA copy featuring delivery and return information. Their trick was to add the keywords “free” to catch the user’s attention and “yes” as an answer to reaffirm the return and delivery information. 

Testing idea 7 – Show shipping, delivery, and return information

If your website currently displays only one or two of the essential pieces of information related to shipping, delivery, and returns, you can add the missing information to the new variation. 

Let’s say you test a variation showing ‘30-day hassle-free returns’ with a link directing visitors to the returns policy page against the control. If the variation produces statistically significant results, go ahead and roll it out to all.

Recommended products

Showing product recommendations on an eCommerce product page is a smart move. Buyers are on your product page to purchase a specific item, but what if they change their minds or start looking for something else? 

Showing product recommendations can keep their attention intact by offering more choices to explore. Sometimes customers can find an interesting or essential product that they didn’t realize they’d need.

Our Customer Success team recently helped Bear Mattress improve the cross-sell flow on its product page. This increased the revenue by 16%.

How did this happen? By making the copy more customer-focused, incorporating thumbnail images for each item in the cross-sell section, and implementing a few other modifications. You can read the detailed case study here to learn more.

I also love what Macy’s has done on their product page. As you click on the “Wear it With” badge, you’re shown more products that you may try out along with the main item to complete your look. You can even click on these products and add them to your cart.

Test idea 8 – Show ‘More items from this brand’ category

When users see more products from their preferred brand, they may be encouraged to add additional items to their cart and eventually buy them. So, in the variation of your product page, you can show a recommendation category like “More items from this brand”.

You can collaborate with your developers to conduct tests on recommendation engines using VWO Full Stack. With its server-side testing capability, you can run as many complex tests as you want without causing any flickering effects on the front end.

Thanks to feature rollouts, you can deliver a particular feature to a specific audience before releasing it to all end-users. This helps you get feedback and iterate quickly.

Size guide/comparison charts

When describing product details, we must use easily comprehensible charts, color codes, or images to help users make a buying decision without getting confused. 

Imagine when you’re on a fashion website, you want to see the size guide images to select a dress of the right size. Or let’s say when you’re on a furniture website, you’d rather see swatches than read through the text to see in what different colors a particular sofa set is available.

On the other hand, customers on websites selling gadgets or electrical items will be more interested in seeing comparison charts and examining technical details in an easy format.

Take a look at Hoover, a classic home appliance company, that uses a comparison chart to help buyers make smart purchase choices.

Test idea 10 – Display a comparison chart to encourage more purchases

Say you own an eCommerce site that sells electronic gadgets, including Lenovo laptops. To enhance sales on that product page, you hypothesize that showing a side-by-side comparison chart of different laptops can boost purchases. Conducting an A/B test can verify if the variation based on this hypothesis leads to the desired outcome.

Call-to-action buttons

“Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” are the most important CTAs found on eCommerce product pages.  The “Add to Cart” button lets visitors add something to their cart, while the “Buy Now” button takes them directly to the checkout page. 

You may also include an “Add to Wishlist” button, but make sure it’s not too prominent, as it can delay the checkout by taking users to the wishlist page. We suggest that you display a wishlist icon, which users can click to save the item for later purchase.

Further, when creating a CTA button copy, use action-driven language and keep it simple and easy to understand. Make sure the color of the button stands out and is visible against the background of the page.

Test idea 9 – Fix the position of the CTA buttons

Do CTA buttons show up in the first fold of your eCommerce product page? That’s good user experience practice. But fix the display of the CTA button, preferably on the right side. This will allow users to add items to their cart while freely scrolling down the page to find more information.

With VWO’s Bayesian-powered SmartStats, you can always be sure that the results of your tests are accurate and reliable. Our advanced reporting mechanism gives you more than the statistically significant results – you know by what probability one variation beats another. You may even slide and dice the report and understand the impact of your test across different user segments. 

Add-to-cart nudges

Your visitor has added a product to their cart. How would you nudge them to visit the cart page and prevent cart abandonment?

Often visitors add items to the cart and forget about it for the longest time. You can show a bit of animation – a fancy spark or cute bounce around the cart – when a shopper adds any product to it. But it may not be enough to nudge users to walk the path we want them toward conversions. 

Showing a pop-up or side message that your product is now in the cart can help users take the necessary action at the right time. But make sure the ‘cross’ button is easily noticeable so visitors can close the overlay and continue browsing. 

Testing idea 10 – Show mini add-to-cart

If your website has no add-to-cart prompt right now, try adding a mini cart showing the added product with two CTAs – View cart and Check out. This way, your visitors can choose which route they’d like to go. It’s also a great way to keep shoppers posted about whatever items they’re adding to their cart. 

Maximize sales with product page optimization

The product page is where visitors decide to purchase or leave. You must do what it takes to deliver a good user experience and encourage conversions – continuous testing and optimization.

And that’s where VWO Testing comes in. You can test different elements on your product page, identify what works out, and make decisions based on data, thanks to VWO’s industry-best features. 

The good news is that the VWO Testing Starter Plan lets you run tests for up to 50k visitors per month for free! So, don’t leave your eCommerce business’s success to chance. Start with a full-featured trial and work your way up to maximizing sales from product pages.

Table of Contents

• 1. Analyze the performance of your current forms 
• 2. Beware of what you’re asking for
• 3. Mandatory fields and form validation
• 4. Clear and attention-grabbing CTAs
• 5. Testimonials and social proof 
• 6. Form placement 
• 7. Concise and convincing copy
• 8. Personalize your messaging
• Keep leads coming in with simple form fills! 

In the world of B2B SaaS, free trials and demo request forms are more than shooting just a list of questions to prospects. In your pursuit to humanize B2B marketing, you should focus on building connections with your audiences, generating trust among them, and convincing them to try what we offer. And the starting point for all of this is having them sign up for a trial or request for demos. 

It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth the effort.

Of course, your forms need the right ingredients to achieve their objectives. But to tap into their true potential, turn your focus on A/B testing. This strategy not only allows you to test one experience against another but also to understand what works and what doesn’t at that point for your website.

So, let’s begin discussing how to approach revamping forms and utilizing A/B testing to increase lead generation in this blog post.

1. Analyze the performance of your current forms

Before you give your web forms a makeover, make sure to diagnose the pain points.

By examining user behavior and identifying where they’re getting stuck or abandoning your form, you can make targeted improvements that will increase your conversion rates and drive more leads.

And that’s where VWO Form Analytics tool comes in. It can track and analyze user behavior to give you all the juicy deets on what’s working and what’s not. From drop-off points to time spent filling out each field, our form analytics tool helps you delve into macro-level as well as field-level statistics. Once you’ve gotten your hands on these data, you can work towards building high-converting forms by testing and incorporating the right elements.

2. Beware of what you’re asking for

Less is often more, and in the world of forms, this couldn’t be truer! Ever found yourself abandoning a form because it was long and you did not have the time to fill it out? But your audiences don’t have to go through the same. Make this process easy for visitors by reducing the number of questions you ask them to answer. This way, they can focus on the most important ones and save a lot of time. They’ll appreciate that you’re not too curious to collect too much personal information and therefore trust you enough to try your offering. 

Suppose you’ve asked users to enter both personal and official email addresses in a free trial form. But for this purpose, entering just one email address could work. Some forms ask a ton of questions like,  “How many employees do you have?”, “What industry is your company in?” and “How long have you been in business?” which are often not important to be answered at the outset. Let’s stop overwhelming users with so many questions from the get-go. If your product is solid, they’ll stick around. 

Having said that, we also believe that asking questions can sometimes help a brand evaluate the potential fit between the product and the customer.  At VWO, filling out our free trial and request demo forms is a breeze. However, to ensure we connect with prospects who are truly invested, we’re ramping things up by scheduling one-on-one meetings with our team immediately after they submit their basic information on the request demo form. The winning experience saw an increase in clicks on the request demo CTA button by 35.32% and demo page visits by 3.01%. 

3. Mandatory fields and form validation

Imagine you spend time filling out a form but all your efforts go in vain as you see an error message telling you that you entered the wrong information after you’ve filled out most of the fields. This is where form validation comes in. Form validation helps users ensure that they are filling out all the fields correctly on the go, which reduces the chances of making errors and speeds up the submission process. 

Highlighting mandatory fields is also crucial in helping users save time. Imagine your prospects are to fill out your request demo form which is quite lengthy because you need to ensure the product-customer fit. But the form doesn’t clearly indicate which fields are required. When mandatory fields are highlighted, users can identify which fields should be filled in and focus on them, resulting in a faster form submission rate. 

4. Clear and attention-grabbing CTAs

CTA buttons can make a big impact on your leads and bookings. They are the ones that seal the deal and get those leads coming in. But if they are not attention-grabbing, they are highly likely to be overlooked by users. 

Suppose your free trial form features a “Try now” CTA button, but it’s barely getting any clicks. A CTA like this one might fail to motivate visitors to take action. What you can do now is run a test by creating a variation featuring a far more interesting CTA copy – “Start your 30-day free trial now” This specific CTA gives visitors a clear picture of what they’ll get by clicking it. With years of experience helping brands, we’re confident that this variation will be a winner. But we still suggest you study visitor behavior on your website and then decide if you’d like to run this test or not. 

5. Testimonials and social proof

Testimonials and social proof are like stamps of approval from your existing customers. They show that these customers have already taken the plunge and had a great experience using your product. As a result, prospective clients can also take the leap following their footsteps. 

If your form ticks most of the boxes of best practices yet doesn’t bring in any leads, try adding testimonials and see how that performs. Below is how Chargebee encourages users to sign up for a free trial by displaying a testimonial on the left side of the form. 

Using VWO Visual Editor, you can add any type of form modal or widget to pop up on your website. You can also edit and customize them to suit your brand guidelines and improve request demo/free trial conversion rates. It’s also possible to preview the changes on both desktop and mobile before the test starts. Sounds fascinating? Try it out to fully understand its capability.

6. Form placement

If your forms are not easily noticeable, visitors are less likely to take the pain to find them all by themselves. So, keep them in a prominent position, making it easier for visitors to engage with it and use it to submit their information. 

To determine the right placement of your form, you can A/B test different form placements. At VWO, we ourselves champion the use of pop-up forms on our website. Our pop-ups are not at all intrusive in nature as they show up only when users click the CTA button. 

Why not give your website visitors a hassle-free experience by embedding your form above the fold? This smart placement eliminates the need for scrolling and allows them to fill out the form with ease. 

Human Interest, a US-based SaaS company, opted for VWO FullStack to integrate with Contentful and improve lead generation on its landing page. By showing the contact form above the fold, the number of form submissions increased by 3.77% and the number of calls scheduled with prospective customers increased by 75.84%. To know the details of this case study, read here. 

Alternatively, you can also place the CTA of the form in a sticky header that remains at the top of the page as visitors scroll down. Clicking the CTA button can open either a separate landing page or display a web pop-up. 

The age-old question, pop-ups or landing pages, which is the better form submission tool? We say, test them and see which one of them brings the maximum conversions for you.

Pop-ups ask for minimal information, such as an email address, to sign up for a free trial. Landing pages, on the other hand, show detailed information about your product or service and may ask for more information to be submitted, such as name, company, or phone number. 

If you go for landing pages, make a statement with head-turning information and take advantage of all that extra space. Give your landing page the attention it deserves by including SEO keywords, showcasing your success with testimonials, and adding reviews or security badges. Plus, you can add a compelling video that showcases what your product can do for your prospects. 

Does VWO help you test landing pages? Oh sure, it does! You can use VWO to test either individual elements of your landing page or conduct split-URL tests to validate complete overhauls. Request a demo and have our experts explain this in detail. 

7. Concise and convincing copy

One of my favorite sayings on LinkedIn these days is ‘Sell benefits, not features”. And that’s what I’m suggesting you do in your free trial or request demo forms. Users want to know how your product helps them solve their problems. If you’re not getting that part right, they can switch to brands that do that better. 

Tell your users what they can expect by signing up. Apart from a catchy headline, you must also list the benefits awaiting them after they are up for request demos. Think your current copy is not performing well? Our Visual Editor can come to your rescue. Its AI-powered copy generator can suggest great copies that resonate with your prospective customers. A/B test and see if the improved copy helps drive more conversions or not. The results will impress you, we’re sure. 

8. Personalize your messaging

Personalizing your forms can increase the likelihood of conversions. Here’s an example to help you understand how.

Let’s say yours is a customer relationship management platform. You’ve observed that most new visitors are starting to fill up the free trial form but not completing the signing process, based on the insights uncovered from segmented visitor groups on VWO Form Analytics. To push them down the lead conversion funnel, you can personalize your form and test it against the non-personalized generic form for this audience group. 

Suppose the control has something like “Unlock a 15-day free trial to start building better business relationships.” To appeal to this segment of the audience specifically, you can now tweak your offer to “Unlock a 30-day free trial to start building better business relationships”. The duration of the free trial can make a big difference in driving responses from visitors. 

Similarly, for a request demo form, you can offer 3 days of free inbound marketing consultation with one of your in-house experts who can customize a plan in the areas of marketing and sales for a prospect’s business. Run this test against the regular request demo form without a consultation offer. Roll out the experience that drives maximum demo bookings to all new customers. 

Keep leads coming in with simple form fills!

Free trial forms and request demo forms are the gateways to your SaaS products that spark user interest and guide them towards exploring what you have to offer. Whatever we discussed in this blog are the basic components of a good free trial form. But remember, with user experience being unique to each website, A/B testing is key to finding your perfect fit.

Whether you’re analyzing current form performance or testing out new optimization ideas, VWO has got your back. From form analysis to a range of testing options, it’s the ultimate tool for boosting your leads and taking your business to the next level. So, don’t settle for mediocre results. Let your free trial and demo forms soar with VWO!

You must have started with lots of questions (related to the use case, budget, impact, etc.). Then, there is a very high probability that at each stage of the buying process, you must have come across some content that answered a doubt and let you move forward. In the end, you must have chosen the tool that resolved all your doubts.

Content is like a signpost that leads you to the destination while moving on an unknown path. On that unknown path, you followed the signpost that made things clear for you. Similarly, your potential client is also moving on that unknown path. So, do you want to build signposts that will appeal to them? 

If you’re interested in building content that will brighten your potential client’s path to the destination, we have six B2B content ideas for you. Each idea includes examples that have leveraged these formats to increase engagement and conversions. 

1. Pillar pages

In any successful content marketing plan, pillar pages play an integral role. Essentially, a pillar page refers to an extensive and detailed content piece that delves into a broad topic within your industry or business. It functions as a central hub that connects all the relevant subtopics and content on your website, providing links to and from other pages and content.

Pillar pages should give a comprehensive and captivating perspective on a subject matter. Additionally, they should be visually appealing, user-friendly and incorporate a variety of multimedia elements, including images and text. 

Pillar pages work best in improving conversion at the top of the funnel (ToFu). A pillar page can attract more traffic to your site as it showcases expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, which makes content rank higher in SERPs. 

Take the example of the pillar page created by VWO on A/B testing. 

It touches on the broad topic of A/B testing and explains all the related subtopics to make it exhaustive and compelling simultaneously. The guide page showcases a table of contents that makes visitors aware of the content and jumps to a section of interest. 

The guide has images and actionable tips, making it visually appealing and easy to digest. Also, a call-to-action to email the guide allows for achieving the objective of generating a lead. 

The landing page has achieved a top-five ranking in the SERPS for keywords such as A/B testing, with a monthly search volume of over 10,000 in countries like the USA. This has resulted in a substantial influx of traffic to the page. Additionally, it projects VWO as a thought leader in online experimentation. 

That’s the power of pillar pages. Though it takes significant time and effort to create these, the rewards are worthy of all the input. 

2. Visual-based storytelling

In the age of information overload, the human attention span is fleeting, and your content strategy must include modern content delivery mediums based on visual storytelling. Content formats like Google Web Stories, short videos, and video series are becoming popular as they are visually appealing and quick to consume. 

Visual-based storytelling does not aim to replace long-form content formats such as pillar pages, guides, landing pages, and blog posts. Instead, it offers a distinct approach to engaging with audiences by conveying content concisely and narratively. This unique mode of storytelling can be highly effective in enhancing brand awareness and expanding the reach to a broader audience, which in turn increases the conversion at the ToFu.

Mailchimp is one of the leading players in the email marketing and marketing automation space that incorporated visual base storytelling with its Mailchimp Presents initiative.

Mailchimp Presents shares content related to entrepreneurial spirit via video and audio-based content. The video series and films engage the audience with stories and motivate them to be entrepreneurial. The subtle CTAs to Mailchimp offerings promote the brand and how it can help businesses scale up.

Such initiatives bring a fresh perspective to the brand’s outreach initiatives rather than just promoting links to new blog posts. Though such initiatives require significant capital and human resources investment, a small business can start with other visual-based mediums like Google Web Stories, YouTube Shorts, etc.  

3. Webinars

A webinar is an incredibly engaging and powerful way to communicate ideas, share knowledge, and build connections with your audience. A survey in 2021 that included 115 marketing practitioners concluded webinars as the most effective ToFu demand generation tactic.

Additionally, webinars are one of the few strategies where there is two-way communication between you and your audience. Many companies conduct ask-me-anything (AMA) webinars to resolve doubts and questions related to the product, which helps increase the conversion rate at the middle of the funnel (MoFu).

By bringing in guest speakers and thought leaders from your domain, you can capture your listeners’ attention and draw them in, helping them to connect with your content on a deeper level. Also, by incorporating personal anecdotes, case studies, and examples from your own or other brands’ experiences, you can bring your content to life and inspire your listeners to take action.

For example, CNBC organized a @work Spotlight Series event in 2020 for CXOs on changing business scenarios and leveraging technologies at work. 

The virtual event series featured esteemed guest speakers from Fortune 500 companies, offering invaluable insights to participants. With an intuitive and engaging experience, including targeted breakout rooms, the event fostered dynamic two-way conversations between attendees and guests. 

The results were remarkable, with over 20,000 average views on weekly live streams and a staggering 1 million unique visitors to CNBC’s Digital Events Hub, showcasing the event’s widespread success.

4. Case studies

In the B2B realm, case studies serve as a powerful medium to highlight the positive impact your product has brought to your clients. They also serve as compelling evidence for potential clients to evaluate your product based on the tangible results achieved by competitors or players within the same industry. 

Case studies are a collaborative effort between your company and your clients, and the data presented in them must be accurate and genuine. Exaggeration or understatement can lead to legal implications, which is why case studies are considered a highly reliable source of information for companies to assess the effectiveness of a product.

Take the example of VWO’s Success Stories. 

The success story landing page indicates the brand name, industry, utilized VWO product, and improvement in the conversion metric. 

It allows a potential customer to easily skim through the numerous success stories, identify their industry, and report uplift before delving deep to get more information. Additionally, it enables the sales team to share relevant case studies while they are conversing with a potential client to finalize a deal. 

Thus, case studies aid in giving a final nudge to a client to buy the product, as they showcase the product’s potential and answer doubts related to the product’s performance. Which helps in converting leads from the bottom of the funnel (BoFu) into clients.

5. Online courses

Online courses have become increasingly popular over the years and for good reasons. Many companies offer paid and free courses to increase brand affinity, revenue, customer retention rate, and project domain expertise.  

A good online course targets a specific topic catering to a specific user segment. It enables learners to delve deep into the topic and equips them with valuable knowledge. An online course should clearly outline its duration, prerequisites, a comprehensive table of contents, and expected learning outcomes. 

Online courses are efficient in converting leads at the ToFu by providing domain-specific courses and at the BoFu by providing product-related courses. 

Take the example of HubSpot to understand the power of utilizing online courses as part of the content strategy.

HubSpot offers a wide range of online courses that include certification programs related to marketing/sales and training programs on the HubSpot Product stack. Here is how it has helped Hubspot:

• Established HubSpot as a thought leader in the marketing and sales space. Which in turn, enhanced brand reputation and credibility.
• Lead to higher customer satisfaction and retention rates because training courses offered on HubSpot Academy have helped customers achieve their marketing and sales goals using HubSpot’s products. 
• Enabled a partner ecosystem, which includes agencies, resellers, and integrators, by offering partner-specific training and certifications. It has helped partners gain expertise in using HubSpot’s software and services, enabling them to deliver better results to their clients and drive business growth. 

The utilization of online courses has been instrumental in creating an ecosystem where HubSpot clients and partners receive comprehensive training to maximize their return on investment (ROI). 

As a potent medium for delivering valuable content, online courses have played a pivotal role in building a loyal customer base, fostering customer success, and enabling partners to deliver exceptional results using HubSpot’s offerings.

6. Whitepapers

A whitepaper is a detailed and comprehensive report that focuses on a particular topic. It aims to present a problem and its solution in an unbiased and convincing manner. Unlike promotional materials, a whitepaper does not endorse or criticize any company. Its main purpose is to educate rather than sell products or services. Normally, whitepapers are around 10 to 15 pages long and offer an authoritative perspective on the subject.

The structure of a whitepaper comprises several sections, including a title, an extensive summary, a table of contents, an introduction, an overview of challenges, proposed solutions, recommendations, a concluding statement, a brief company background, and a call-to-action (CTA).

A whitepaper by The OpenGroup on cloud computing can serve as a great guide to understanding how a whitepaper is written and structured. This whitepaper focuses on building Return on Investment (ROI) in cloud computing. It begins with an executive summary and an introduction that outlines the context and existing challenges. The subsequent sections delve into specifics, including financial value and ROI models. These insights are designed to assist you in maximizing ROI from cloud computing. The whitepaper concludes with a summary, references, and acknowledgments. 

Notably, it incorporates factual information and statistical data to establish credibility and underscore the expertise of The OpenGroup. The entire whitepaper educates you and elevates your knowledge about the topic without being promotional, which is the purpose of this content format.

Whitepapers are created to establish expertise and cultivate trust within the industry. Positioned at the initial stages of customer engagement, they provide valuable insights and help generate potential leads. Importantly, whitepapers offer informative solutions without directly promoting a product or service. 

Boost content performance with VWO

It’s not enough to just create content and never look back. In order to truly optimize your content and improve engagement, you need to take a data-driven approach. 

It means understanding how visitors interact with your content, identifying areas for improvement, and A/B testing to ensure that your content is not only high-quality but also effective in achieving your goals.

VWO enables you to enhance conversion rates by monitoring and optimizing your content. One common use case is to utilize VWO Insights to analyze the scroll depth at which the majority of users exit high-traffic content formats such as pillar pages and blog posts.

A scrollmap looks like this:

Once you know the scroll depth where most users are leaving, you can utilize VWO Testing to test how adding an image or interactive element can improve the conversion. Additionally, you can move important elements like newsletter sign-up above the point. 

Furthermore, VWO Insights provides access to useful data like heatmaps, session recordings, and survey responses, which can aid in understanding visitor engagement with your content, enabling you to generate data-driven hypotheses. You can then optimize your content by conducting experiments with VWO Testing.

Grab a free trial of VWO and learn how to improve important media conversions like social media shares, email-ups, user duration, etc.

Tying it all together

To conclude, these six content ideas can play a significant role in B2B improving conversion rates at different stages of the sales funnel.

The pillar pages provide comprehensive information on broad topics and bring traffic from organic sources, while visual-based storytelling engages audiences and increases brand awareness. 

Webinars build connections and offer a two-way communication platform, case studies highlight a product’s positive impact, and online courses foster an ecosystem of thought leadership along with a loyal consumer base. While whitepapers help you build trust, showcase authority, and generate leads at the top of the funnel.  

Although it requires significant resources and effort, the results are undoubtedly worth it in the long run.

If yes, then you will agree that training is a very important component of outdoor sports. The training simulates the real scenarios of the game to identify shortcomings and make improvements. Yet, its benefits extend beyond mere performance enhancement, as it also facilitates learning in areas such as nutrition and psychology, ultimately leading to an overall improvement in one’s sportsmanship.

Similarly, conducting online experiments is like training your digital property. It not only enhances your conversion rate but also provides valuable opportunities to gain insights into various facets of the digital landscape, resulting in the overall growth and development of your company.

Don’t believe it? 

In this blog, we have aggregated five real-life examples to showcase how experimentation induces learning related to various aspects impacting your visitors’ digital experience like content, conversion funnels, experimentation approach, and design. 

Let’s begin.

1. Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies, a technology giant, places significant emphasis on experimentation. The company’s commitment to this practice is exemplified by CEO Michael Dell’s occasional communication with the Digital Analytics team regarding ongoing tests. Experimentation has not only made a positive contribution to the multi-billion dollar revenue, but it also has induced some learnings for the company. 

In one of the fireside chats with VWO, Narayan Keshavan, Head of the Design Analytics Team, shared his insights. The following learnings helped them improve their whole experimentation cycle and approach.

a. Don’t follow experimentation trends blindly

In one of their experiments for the website in China, the team at Dell tried to add a promo banner in the Navigation bar, a trend followed by a leading eCommerce website in China. But for Dell, the conversion rates dropped by adding a banner.

They learned that a trend should be followed carefully as every website is unique, and the user experience analysis should preside over each experiment.

b. Keep a neutral eye on an experimentation idea

The Dell Technologies team found that it’s natural to expect a lift in conversion rate from variations. But, the foundation of the whole effort is to run an experiment and not prove something. Thus, the optimization team must have a neutral approach toward each idea. It helps negate biases while running the experiment and post-analysis of the data.

c. Don’t fall for testing myopia

Testing myopia is a term used by the Dell Technologies team, which means you are so focused on improving a metric that you forget the effect on other metrics. 

Let’s say you aim to enhance the Click-Through Rate (CTR) of the primary Call-To-Action (CTA) button on one of your landing pages. You conduct tests using captivating banners and observe a surge in the CTR of the primary CTA. While this experiment may seem successful based on this one metric alone, a deeper analysis reveals that the bounce rate has increased due to a decrease in website speed caused by the banner’s size. As a result, even though the conversion rate has improved from people who engage, many visitors are leaving the site without engaging because the page takes too long to load.

Therefore, it’s crucial to take a holistic approach to experimentation and analysis instead of obsessing over a single metric.

Watch the complete webinar:

2. Uber Eats

Uber Eats started its operation in South Africa as an online food delivery service. But can you imagine that it is now a virtual mall that sells jewelry, clothing, and other accessories? Here is the screenshot of its product page:

Starting with the food delivery and diversifying to become a virtual mall happened because of experimentation. Uber Eats in South Africa has ingrained a culture of experimentation, where they depend less on market research and more on experimentation in the real world. Experimentation has allowed Uber Eats South Africa to grow 149% month-on-month in its non-restaurant vertices. 

Here is what the experimentation taught them and facilitated expansion outside food delivery.

a. A tool with an easy setup and automation enhances the experimentation culture

Uber Eats’ team recognized that a simplified experimentation setup means less dependency on development and fewer entry barriers, which motivates team members to partake more in experimentation. Also, by automating post-analysis and deploying the winning variation, the workload on the team is reduced, which speeds up the experimentation rate. It collectively promotes a culture of experimentation within the company. 

b. It’s important to take time while creating a hypothesis

The hypothesis is the foundation of the experimentation, and even simple-looking tests might turn complicated if there is a fault in the hypothesis. A hypothesis must be based on data insights and behavioral analysis. Also, the hypothesis must specifically mention the website element that needs to be tested and the expected improvement that you expect at the end.

For instance, if a CTA button on a landing page with a low conversion rate is identified through heatmap analysis to have fewer clicks and less attention, changing the button color to make it more prominent could be a potential solution. In this case, the hypothesis could be: “Changing the color of the CTA button to X color will result in a Z% increase in conversion.”

In addition, the team at Uber Eats advocates for testing one hypothesis at a time with various methods like A/B testing and Multivariate testing rather than testing multiple hypotheses with the same method to achieve better results.

3. MakeMyTrip.com

MakeMyTrip.com is an online travel aggregator in India that gets 44 million visitors per month. The two-decade-old company has first-hand experience with digital transformation and changing user demands. The experimentation culture has positively contributed to the 64.1% Y-O-Y growth that the company saw in 2022.

In one of VWO’s webinars, Aakash Kumar, head of the user experience at Makemytrip.com, revealed some critical experimentation-induced learnings. 

a. Fewer purchase cycle stages don’t necessarily mean more conversion

It’s a general notion that a few stages between awareness and purchase will lead to more conversion. However, the design team at MakeMyTrip.com found something interesting.

Their typical hotel search user flow started with searching for destinations on the homepage, which led to a page with a list of hotels. On clicking a hotel tab, a page opens with a hotel description followed by offered accommodation types. The team noticed that many mobile users who ended up converting were choosing the cheapest room option and there was a low conversion rate for premium rooms. 

After conducting a thorough analysis of user behavior and data collection, the team found that the hotel details page’s description was causing users to scroll excessively, leading them to select the first room type they saw after scrolling. To address this issue, the design team introduced an additional step that allowed users to select the room type before completing the transaction.

The whole optimization effort led to an increase in the booking rate for premium room types. 

b. Design changes should be gradual and not drastic

Drawing on their decades of experience in experimentation, the design team has discovered that design changes aligned with user needs should be gradual rather than drastic. Following the ideate-experiment-learn cycle during website design experimentation is crucial. Subsequent design changes can be based on the team’s previous experimentation and learnings, which helps to minimize risks and reduce negative impacts on the conversion rate.

Watch the complete webinar:

4. Netflix

Netflix has a culture of experimentation and learning, which helped it transform from a DVD mailing service to a streaming service giant with 230+ million paid subscribers worldwide. Here is what Netflix has learned about experimentation from decades of experience.

a. A successful idea can come from an unlikely source

Netflix has an open culture where anybody can see the running tests and associated results. The naturally low win rate of experiments brings humility and humbleness to the team. It opens up doors for every team member to share ideas and experiment with user experience. There are instances at the company where ideas from experts have failed, but ideas from executives and engineers have brought unexpected wins. The democratization has enabled them to get massive revenue-generating ideas from unlikely resources. 

b. A failed experiment in the past can achieve success in the present

Customer behavior and preferences are evolving, and at Netflix, they have found that revisiting past failed ideas and deploying them at present can find success. Sometimes, the analysis of the failed ideas suggests that they may achieve success in the present or the new user group. So creating a repository of each experiment along with its analysis is beneficial to redeploy and find success in the future.  

5. Frictionless Commerce

Frictionless Commerce is a 13-year-old digital marketing agency with a focus on enhancing the sales of Shopify websites by utilizing buyer psychology techniques to influence and convert new buyers. The agency has helped 118+ DTC brands and carried out A/B tests for them to improve conversion rates. Here is what the people at Frictionless Commerce have learned about buyer’s psychology due to these experimentations, which can help create copies and headings for landing pages.

a. Showcasing expertise and brand story create a sense of connection

People like to associate with brands who are experts in their domain and specialize in crafting the product or service. Additionally, a brand’s narrative, detailing its origins and the obstacles it overcame, can foster a sense of connection with the visitor and drive them further down the path to purchase.

b. Adding surprising facts can negate the midway quitting

Behavior analysis can help you understand the scroll depth at which most visitors leave. The team at Frictionless Commerce has found that adding a surprising fact at such points can reduce the midway quitting as it gives a burst of energy to a visitor to know more. 

c. If doubts are not solved, then the visitor will leave

If a landing page fails to address a visitor’s specific query, they may feel hesitant to trust the product or service being offered. The team discovered that four particular factors – the absence of features, unclear pricing, subpar features, and confusing design elements – can all contribute to a negative perception and generate doubts in the visitor’s mind.

To avoid these pitfalls, marketers should aim to view the landing page from the visitor’s perspective and ensure that any potential doubts or concerns about features, pricing, or design are addressed and resolved through testing.

This learning, along with other insights, helped the company in shaping A/B testing campaigns for their clients. 

One of their clients is into selling shampoo bars. The team at Frictionless Commerce carried out an A/B test which was influenced by the above learnings. Here are the controls and variations of the test created with VWO. You can see that the variation is trying to solve a doubt that will come naturally to a visitor’s mind. 

The test resulted in a 5.97% increase in the number of orders. 

Begin your experimentation journey with VWO

The five examples show that experimentation not only enhances the conversion rate but also generates valuable insights that can lead to new user experiences, business ventures, and cultural shifts, ultimately propelling the company to greater heights.

Also, we saw in the case of Uber Eats, one of the key contributors to success is the availability of a user-friendly experimentation tool that enables the rapid scaling of experimentation efforts. 

However, choosing an experimentation tool is not an instant decision. You have to evaluate the compatibility with your business and get hands-on experience with the tool before spending a buck. 

To facilitate this process, we have created a 30-day free trial that provides full access to all the offered capabilities without any financial obligations.

So, If you are new to experimentation or considering a switch from your current setup, we recommend reading our detailed guide on VWO’s free trial, which provides complete information about working with the world’s leading experimentation platform.

The key is to strategically spend on marketing to maximize your return on investment during these challenging times.

Table of Contents

• Get the right team by your side
• Accelerate the testing speed 
• Set your focus on lifetime value 
• Inform experiments with user research 
• Make the most of user segmentation 
• Recession-proof your business with experimentation

If your next plan is to audit your marketing strategy to adjust spending, ensure experimentation sits at the top of your list of priorities. Anyone who says you can forsake experimentation is probably taking you for a ride. 

In fact, experimentation is hands down the best way to convert all that traffic into customers by allowing you to ship the best-performing experiences to audiences. Instead of spending on acquiring new customers right now, it makes a lot more sense to focus on converting what is already on your website.

But yes, experimentation during a recession might require you to pivot your strategy. So, if you’ve been wondering how to harness the power of experimentation during testing times like this, we’ve got some tips to share with you. 

Get the right team by your side

If you decide to start with experimentation now, building an exclusive team for this exercise will consume a lot of your resources in an already cash-strapped market. At the same time, without skilled people by your side, you’ll be remote from getting the best result out of the testing platform. 

This is where the VWO customer success team can lend you a hand! Our dedicated success managers plan and support your journey with VWO, training your team to get the best out of our product. Throughout your optimization process, they are your true friend, guiding you to early successes and monitoring your progress. Further, they keep you informed about the latest developments in VWO and the industry, all while helping you achieve the highest possible ROI from using VWO.

Accelerate the testing speed

During an economic downturn, businesses shift into high gear and take all the necessary steps to keep their business surviving and even thriving. The approach should remain the same when it comes to your experimentation. The faster you test, the quicker you will know what can work and what cannot to protect your business from the effects of the recession. If you have an experimentation program laid down already, audit it and see if it’s possible to increase the velocity of testing with high-impact tests first.

For example, Dorado Fashion, a US-based fashion website, added a bundle offer in the mini-cart on all devices to improve the Average Order Value (AOV). An A/B test was run only for 26 days where the variation emerged as the winner with a 14.14% increase in clicks to the Thank You page. Explore other small tests that led to impressive results in our Small Tests. Big Wins. eBook. 

Further, VWO’s A/B Test Duration Calculator can be of great help in this regard. Enter details like existing conversion rate, minimum improvement expected, number of variations, average visitors every day, and percentage of visitors included in the test – and you will get the duration for which you must run the test to achieve a statistically significant result. Prioritize tests that can be run quickly and contribute to conversion uplift. 

The more you reduce your dependencies on the developing and engineering team, the faster you can set experiments and get results. Not only can you make all types of changes to your web pages through VWO’s Visual Editor, but you can also make these changes go live without involving the IT team with VWO Web Rollouts. Plus, you can release a change only to a particular set of visitors, whom you can segment in more than 1000 ways. 

So, let’s understand with an example. Consider you want to show a 10% discount to new visitors on your hotel booking website against the control without a discount offer. Using the VWO editor, you can add a standard widget template to let’s say the homepage of your website. Next, you decide that you want to direct this offer to new visitors using mobile and in the age group of 25-40 from Connecticut, where you’ve just started your operations. You then combine multiple parameters together to target a very specific segment for this test. This is just one example; you can target visitors in various ways using custom segments on VWO. Run the test for a set time and see if the variation wins. If successful, launch it with VWO Web Rollouts. 

Set your focus on lifetime value

Acquiring new customers is 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones. This makes maximizing the Lifetime Value (LTV) of existing customers all the more crucial, especially in a tight financial market.

Of course, you should test every piece of content on your website before shipping them, but prioritize the ones that may have a greater impact on your LTV. For example, changing the color of a CTA button may increase the click-through rate but there is no guarantee that it would contribute to the business metric. 

Test loyalty programs, up-selling/cross-selling, free shipping, or any idea that delights your customers and encourages them to continue purchasing from you. Remember, there is no one test against another. It all comes down to prioritizing when times are tough. 

Let’s see how Bear Mattress, a bed mattress-selling brand, increased the number of purchases by improving cross-sell flow on its mattress product page. They partnered with the VWO team who observed that user interaction with cross-sell items was minimal, images for cross-sell products were not present, and the copy was not customer-friendly on the product page.

For the variation, they implemented a number of changes, including making the copy more customer-centric and adding thumbnail images if cross-selling items. 

This test was run for 19 days and led to a 16% increase in revenue. Drawing inspiration from this case study, you can run cross-sell tests on your website, provided your research shows the scope of implementation of such a test.

What we must mention here is that VWO Data360, our customer data platform, lets you create and track complex business metrics like LTV by considering customers’ page-level engagement. Using this capability, you can roll out an experience that can help you retain customers, repeat purchases, and drive revenue. Want to discover what this experimentation platform can do to sharpen customer experience other than this? Sign up for a free trial today! 

Inform experiments with user research

Don’t sacrifice research at the altar of faster implementation. When we suggest that you should increase the velocity of the test, we don’t mean you can pick any random tests that you ‘think’ can improve conversions. Rely less on your convictions and more on how visitors behave on your website. 

For example, if you see users dropping off from the checkout, you can implement a guest checkout hoping to increase revenue through this test. This is where VWO Insights helps you big time with its user behavior analytical prowess. While heatmaps show you the visual representation of users’ activities on your website, session recordings give you a walk-through of their journey on your website from landing on the website to exiting or converting. 

When you plan experiments that are in line with what users expect to experience on your website, they are more likely to emerge as winners and impact conversions positively. Hence, combining the power of VWO Insights and VWO Testing empowers you to turn user insights into data-focused testing strategies.

The Australia-based IMB bank has been using our experimentation platform since 2017 to optimize its website. Funnel analysis using VWO Insights showed that users dropped off from the first page of the loan application form. For the first campaign, the team introduced a number of elements like awards, USPs, and total time to complete the steps in the hope of arresting drop-offs from the page. 

For the second one, an exit pop-up was added that asked visitors to save the application form and continue according to their convenience. The two campaigns saw an increase of 52% in form completion and 85% in completed saved form respectively. To know more, read the case study. 

Make the most of user segmentation

Running tests that are targeted to specific user segments gives you more impactful results. Loyalty programs work great during economic tough times. They helped several businesses entice returning customers during the recessions of the 1990s, 2008, and COVID-19 times. Taking inspiration from this, you can segment returning customers and run a personalized campaign where you show a loyalty program sign-up option in a website pop-up. 

Since you’re targeting this campaign to returning customers, the chances are high that your variation will outperform the control. On the other hand, had you run this test without segmentation, everyone, including new visitors, would have become a part of this campaign. Because new visitors are less likely to sign up for a loyalty program as they haven’t tried your products/services yet, including them would have skewed the result of this campaign.

Now let’s say you sell luxury cosmetics online. To attract new customers, you can offer 15% off on the first purchase and build a test based on it. Along the same lines, you can create tests by segmenting users based on shared geographies, age, gender, and so on. But that said, remember, over-segmentation can reduce the sample size you need to divert to your variations and prevent you from arriving at a statistically significant result. So, create segments based on the traffic your website gets and the number of variants you’re testing in an experiment. 

Looking to build a culture of experimentation in your organization? Check out our conversation with Manuel Da Costa for some insightful tips and strategies.

Here’s a case study proving how businesses can pull off a test using custom segmentation – OneClick is a US-based eyewear retailer that has been using VWO Testing and Insights for conversion optimization on their website. 

One of their experiments using VWO aimed to increase conversions by personalizing the checkout page for One Click’s customers based on their country. The hypothesis was that, as a global brand, tailoring the experience to each user’s location would make it more engaging and relevant. 

The personalization was achieved using VWO’s custom segmentation, which dynamically altered the content on the checkout page to include localized information such as shipping rates, delivery time, and currency. This was done in order to enhance the customer’s shopping experience. For example, customers visiting the website from Canada would see relevant information such as Canadian shipping rates, estimated delivery time, and Canadian currency on the checkout page. 

The variation outperformed the control and increased the conversion rate by 30%. You can read here how VWO helped One Click conduct other winning tests. 

Recession-proof your business with experimentation

Experimentation allows businesses to make data-driven decisions, rather than relying on intuition and assumptions. This is especially important during a recession when resources are limited and every dollar counts. 

And to come through all of these challenges with flying colors, arm yourself with VWO. From user behavioral analytics and testing to personalization and customer data platform – VWO will help you navigate the woes of recession with its multifarious capabilities. 

To use all of its capabilities to your advantage, sign up for a free trial now. Don’t let the recession hold you back, start experimenting with VWO and see the difference it can make for your business.