Top 21 ecommerce A/B test

ideas: what works more often

than not
Top Testing Ideas Derived from User Testing Research for the
Ecommerce Best Practice Report

There’s nothing that always works and pretty much nothing that never works either. Websites are
highly contextual.

That being said, there are tests that tend to have a very high win rate. These are test ideas that,
while they don’t work 100% of the time, work more often than not.

Naturally, everything depends on the specific implementation - a good idea implemented poorly
will not yield any results.

The following 21 testing ideas come from a combination of the user-testing and research
performed for this report and our own client-based research done over the years.

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Testing Idea Checklist
1. One static image with a single value proposition is better than an auto-rotating slider
2. Proper value proposition beats no value proposition
3. Prominent contact information
4. Prominent free shipping info
5. Prominent section for sales and specials
6. Emphasize wide-appeal products
7. Make the search bar more prominent
8. Add a site-wide benefits bar below the header
9. Level-up your product description copy
10. Use Product videos and test auto-play with captions
11. Ask for email first on checkout
12. Make the shopping cart persistent
13. Create visually prominent and clear progress indicators during checkout
14. Clearly address purchase uncertainties
15. Expand your payment options
16. Cut form length
17. Don’t force people to register, add it in the backend
18. Display reviews more prominently
19. Upsell, intelligently
20. Clear, big calls to action
21. Test it; Do user testing, UX benchmarking, and your own A/B testing

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Test idea #1. One static image with a single value
proposition is better than an auto-rotating slider
In general, don’t use auto-rotating sliders (aka carousels). Though there are Relevant Guidelines From
undoubtedly examples of them working better than static images (rare as Ecommerce Guideline Report:
they are), for the vast majority of sites, they are a usability nightmare.
#16 (Appearance): Invest in
What’s wrong with using carousels? high-quality photography and
product images
● The human eye reacts to movement (distracting us from the
important stuff) #17 (Appearance): Implement
● Too many messages equals no message (clutter effect) bespoke imagery to maximize
● They look like banners, which people ignore because they mistake perceived value and first
them for ads and generally hate them (banner blindness) impressions

Ultimately, users crave control, and auto-rotating carousels offer the #41 (Credibility): Maintain a
opposite of that. The solution? Implement a simple, static hero image with modern, relevant design
a strong value proposition.
#79 (Usability): Avoid automatic
image sliders
Test various images and messages that work together.
#96 (Usability): Optimize your
User quote - “The constantly sliding imagines were very distracting, too fast, and made me images
feel like my computer was sliding off the desk -- I'd much rather see scroll arrows at each side
of an image, so I can look through if I want to, and at my own pace. Also, they continued to
slide around in the background, when i was obviously not looking at them, because I had a
menu pulled down.”

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Test idea #2. Proper value proposition beats no
value proposition
A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered. It’s the Relevant Guidelines From
primary reason a prospect should buy from you. Ecommerce Guideline Report:

If you’re Amazon, you don’t need to explain yourself. Most #4 (Appearance): Value
ecommerce stores don’t have that luxury and have a large portion of proposition should be located
above the fold
visitors that have never heard of them before.
#33 (Clarity): Use bullet points to
You have to present your value proposition as the first thing the list benefits
visitors see on your homepage, but should be visible in all major entry
points of the site (category and product pages). #34 (Clarity): Communicate what
makes your offer unique and how
you solve potential customers'
What should your value proposition convey? Relevancy, quantifiable problem (or improve their
value, and unique differentiation. situation)

If you want to know more about crafting compelling value

propositions, read this.

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Test idea #3. Prominent contact information

Even though it seems like a small thing, putting your phone number Relevant Guidelines From
and email address on the top of your site usually boosts conversions. Ecommerce Guideline Report:

It’s a trust thing. People want to know that they can reach you. It’s a #48 (Credibility): Show the "real"
simple fix that adds a lot of value in most cases. The famous example, organization behind your site;
show full office address, phone
of course, is Zappos. Along with their fanatical customer support,
number, and staff
they’ve always featured their number prominently on their site:
#49 (Credibility): The content
menu (think footer or top menu)
should provide the familiar basics,
and be consistent throughout the
site

#50 (Credibility): Use live chat,

and display it on the bottom right
corner

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Test idea #4. Prominent free shipping info

Charging for shipping is a conversion killer. At this point, the majority Relevant Guidelines From
of companies offer some form of free shipping - and pretty much every Ecommerce Guideline Report:
ecommerce site competes with Amazon Prime.
#32 (Clarity): Focus on what
If you’re not one of them, start trying to figure out a way you can offer customers get instead of what
they lose
it.
#34 (Clarity): Communicate what
Sometimes, it might be near impossible to make free shipping makes your offer unique and how
profitable. However, there are strategies you can experiment with: you solve potential customers'
problem (or improve their
1. Establish a Baseline: Compare conversion with and without a situation)
free shipping offer.
#47 (Credibility): Shipping, return,
2. Create Thresholds: Increase the minimum order value required
and refund policies should be
for free shipping, and test the improvement in margin. visibly displayed; links should be
3. Set Restrictions: See what kind of improvement you’ll get by easy to find
offering free shipping only on select products where it is
profitable. #49 (Credibility): The content
4. Enact Price Increases: Increase all your product prices to menu (think footer or top menu)
should provide the familiar basics,
compensate for the loss you take on free shipping, and see how
and be consistent throughout the
your profit compares. site

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Test idea #5. Prominent section for sales and
specials
Various studies have repeatedly found that about half the online Relevant Guidelines From
buyers would only buy discounted products, except under exceptional Ecommerce Guideline Report:
circumstances. Around 60% say they are looking for a section that
#14 (Appearance): Show products
identifies sales and specials.
and/or promotions with the widest
appeal - in order to get them to
Ultimately do what’s right for your brand, but it might be something click anywhere/interact with the
worth experimenting with. page

#38 (Clarity): Relevant/specific

promotions (seasonal promotions,
sales for particular product
categories) should not resemble
banner ads

#77 (Usability): Promoting

subcategories on the homepage
accelerates the search journey

#78 (Usability): Showcase special

categories like ‘new arrivals’ and
‘sales & promotion’ groupings

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Test idea #6. Emphasize wide-appeal products

The goal of the homepage is to get the people off the homepage. The Relevant Guidelines From
best way to do it is to get them to click on an offer they’re interested Ecommerce Guideline Report:
in.
#14 (Appearance): Show products
Look at your best-selling products or best deals and emphasize them and/or promotions with the widest
appeal - in order to get them to
on the homepage above all other (make them #1 in the visual
click anywhere/interact with the
hierarchy). page

Here’s how WineLibrary makes it hard to miss these 3 great deals: #51 (Credibility): If your product
has been featured or endorsed, or
if you have popular clients or
associations, show it off

#87 (Usability): Search should

optimize itself to share most
relevant information and
similar/popular searches as users
type in the search bar

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Test idea #7. Make the search bar more
prominent
If you sell products that people know to search for, making the search Relevant Guidelines From
bigger and more prominent tends to work great. Think Amazon-style Ecommerce Guideline Report:
search bar - the center of it all.
#2 (Appearance): Visual hierarchy
should follow information
hierarchy - Show less important
content further down the page,
thumbnails decrease in size as
you move down page

#83 (Usability): The search bar

should be prominently located
either in the center of the site, or
top right of the page, and large
enough for a moderately long
search string

#85 (Usability): The search bar

should be sticky so users can
search no matter where they are
down the page

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Test idea #8. Add a site-wide benefits bar below
the header
“Why buy here and not from Amazon” is a question that all Relevant Guidelines From
ecommerce sites need to answer. A prominent benefits bar above Ecommerce Guideline Report:
the fold is one way to make your case.
#32 (Clarity): Focus on what
customers get instead of what
they lose (e.g. "Get shoes" instead
of "Pay $200")

#33 (Clarity): Use bullet points to

list benefits

#34 (Clarity): Communicate what

makes your offer unique and how
you solve potential customers'
problem (or improve their
situation)

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Test idea #9. Level-up your product description
copy Relevant Guidelines From
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
Product descriptions matter. The role of product copy is to give buyers enough
information, so they could convince themselves this is the right product for them. #177 (Usability): Every sentence in the
Clarity trumps persuasion. product description should tell buyers
something they didn't know before
Amazon version has proper text for humans, turns features into benefits and even
#178 (Credibility): Gather and analyze
provides a comparison table. Technical info is provided too.
product reviews to see what people
enjoy most. Include it in your product
description

#179 (Credibility): Product description

should address fears, uncertainties, and
doubts- figure out what these are

#180 (Credibility): Write your product

descriptions in the style of your target
audience

#181 (Clarity): Share features AND

benefits

#182 (Credibility): Use specific

language in product description ("best
value" vs "won X award 4 years in a
If you sell stuff you don’t make, don’t just repeat the manufacturer’s canned row")
descriptions. Add your personal touch and recommendations – tell the customer
why you personally recommend this product and how it will help them.

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Test idea #10. Use product videos and test
auto-play with captions
Images are good, but everything indicates that video is the future. Photos have their Relevant Guidelines From
limitations, video is the next step before actual touching and feeling.
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
If you’re not doing product videos yet, do them for at least part of the inventory and
see if it makes a difference.
#165 (Appearance): Product
picture should offer as much
Zappos has videos for almost all of their product, such as this:
information into the look & feel of
the product as possible (3d view,
zoom magnifier, etc)

#166 (Appearance): Show

products in accurate context and
scale

#172 (Appearance): Consider

adding product videos to the
product page

Read my post on how using video increases conversions. Our own split tests have
suggested that auto-play videos work well for complex, high ticket items.

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Test idea #11. Ask for email first on checkout

This is so you are able to send follow-up emails if they do not complete their orders. Relevant Guidelines From
This is the screen people are taken to on Amazon when they’re ready to check out:
Ecommerce Guideline Report:

#217 (Usability): Checkout

process should be linear

#218 (Usability): For checkouts

with many form fields, accordion
format works well

#227 (Usability): Don't force

buyers to register with your site
before buying, offer guest
Make sure the first follow-up email goes out ASAP. If they complete the purchase
checkout
somewhere else, it’s over. If the purchase take place, send one or two more follow-up
emails (might include a coupon). Track the effectiveness of those emails (open,
clickthrough and conversion rates).

Many ecommerce platforms such as Magento, 3DCart, and Volusion offer integrated
cart abandonment solutions. There are also several add-on software providers out
there that can do this. Here are 2 to start with: Rejoiner & SeeWhy

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Test idea #12. Make the shopping cart persistent

People comparison shop. A common behavior is that they add products to cart on a Relevant Guidelines From
site, so they could return later. If upon their return they discover that the contents of
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
the shopping cart have expired, they will not start from scratch (too much hassle).
#215 (Clarity): Display essential
The solution: persistent shopping cart. Done with persistent cookie, this shopping
information: product thumbnail,
cart will be right there even a day or a week later.
name, and price, etc.
Save the cart
#216 (Clarity): Product thumbnail
An alternative to this is the option to save the shopping cart contents, so the user
should display the appropriate
can retrieve it later after they’re done with comparison shopping.
variation (if customer ordered a
BLUE shirt, the thumbnail should
Giving the option to send the cart contents to email (later retrievable through a link)
show a BLUE shirt)
is a smart way of staying on the shopper’s mind.

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Test idea #13. Create visually prominent and clear
progress indicators during checkout
People like to be in control and to be in the know. Are we there yet? We want to Relevant Guidelines From
know how much longer something is going to take. This is why numbered lists are
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
better than unordered lists and why you should have clear progress indicators on
your site.
#217 (Usability): Checkout
process should be linear
Crutchfield has it in the top right corner, but I think it’s quite small and may go
unnoticed by many:
#219 (Usability): Show progress
indicators throughout checkout
process

Crate&Barrel’s approach is better, with more more prominent steps (1,2, and 3):

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Test idea #14. Clearly address purchase
uncertainties Relevant Guidelines From
Ecommerce Guideline Report:

#184 (Appearance): Display shipping and

Is this safe? Can I do returns? When will I get my stuff? return policy on product page

#185 (Credibility): Show estimated

If the visitor has never ordered from you, he will have several uncertainties you have shipping time
to deal with. Make a list of the most common objections and doubts, and address
them on product pages and in the shopping cart. #222 (Credibility): Show security badges on
checkout page

Here’s how Groupon deals with this (look at the sidebar): #223 (Credibility): Visually reinforce credit
card form fields

#224 (Credibility): Provide link to privacy

policy throughout checkout process

#225 (Credibility): If payments are made

secure with SSL, tell your customers

#226 (Credibility): Provide contact info and

live chat for any questions throughout
checkout process

#240 (Credibility): Total should be itemized:

Price, taxes, shipping, discounts

#241 (Credibility): Provide and display

shipping options (including in-store pickup)

#244 (Credibility): Display acceptable

payment options

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Test idea #15. Expand your payment options

Options are good. 2 reasons: Relevant Guidelines From

Ecommerce Guideline Report:
● Given the scandals about credit card information theft, some people are wary
of using credit cards for online payments (especially on a site they’ve never
used before).
#244 (Credibility): Display
● A 2009 survey of 2000 online British adults found that 50% of those who acceptable payment options
regularly shop online said that if their preferred payment method is not
available, they will cancel the purchase.

These people are not the majority, but adding payment options like PayPal or
Amazon Payments to credit card payments will help you win over some customers
you would lose otherwise.

Checkout how Moosejaw.com does it:

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Test idea #16. Cut form length
Relevant Guidelines From
Ecommerce Guideline Report:

Eventually, people will add some stuff to the cart and they’re ready to check out. #218 (Credibility): For checkouts with many
form fields, accordion format works well
Your success in leading them through this depends a lot on the forms. The more
fields they have to fill in, the more friction there is. #219 (Usability): Show progress indicators
throughout checkout process
This is the very reason people prefer to buy from Amazon. Their shipping and credit
#227 (Usability): Don't force buyers to
card information is already there, so they will save themselves from the hassle of
register with your site before buying, offer
filling in forms. They’re even ready to pay a higher price just to save a couple of guest checkout
minutes (I know I am!).
#231 (Usability): Make typing easy:
I’ve seen stores ask for shipping address for digital downloads. Ugh! Just stick with autoformat, support copy/paste, make
suggestions (not always!), etc.
the essentials.
#232 (Appearance): Indicate whether each
You don’t need the customer’s title or middle name! field is required or optional, unless they’re
all required
Bottom line: do not ask for information you don’t absolutely need.
#233 (Appearance): If a required field has
been missed or incorrectly filled out,
immediately create a visual alert

#235 (Usability): Name and phone number

fields should be one field, not multiple

#236 (Appearance): Form should be a

single column (not multiple columns)

#237 (Appearance): Forms should offer

radio buttons over dropdown box selection

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Test idea #17. Don’t force people to register, add
it in the backend
Surely you know the $300 million dollar button story. Don’t force people to register. Relevant Guidelines From
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
Instead, offer the option to register if they want, but create an account anyway for
those who opt for guest checkout. They will enter their email and name anyway. You
just have to generate a password and email it to them once they complete their
#227 (Usability): Don't force
order. buyers to register with your site
before buying, offer guest
Home Depot plays nice and offers guest checkout as the first option: checkout

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Test idea #18. Display reviews more prominently

People use reviews, a lot. Even while they’re shopping in brick and mortar stores Relevant Guidelines From
they read online reviews. Probably you’re doing it too. I know I am.
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
Nearly 60 percent of online shoppers consult reviews prior to purchasing consumer
#186 (Credibility): Show reviews
electronics and 40 percent of online shoppers claimed that they would not even buy
and ratings on product page
electronics without seeking reviews about the product online first.
#187 (Credibility): Don't be afraid
Bottom line: Start gathering and showcasing reviews on your site.
to include a few negative reviews
If you sell commodity products and can’t get users to write many reviews, you might
#188 (Usability): Offer sorting
want to look into pulling reviews from an external site to have more of them.
options for reviews
Don’t delete negative reviews – they actually help sales if there are only a few of
#189 (Usability): Ask "was this
them.
review helpful?"

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Test idea #19. Upsell, intelligently

Upselling and cross-selling will boost your average order size. Apple knows this and Relevant Guidelines From
immediately after adding an iPad to your cart, it tries to upsell you:
Ecommerce Guideline Report:

#192 (Usability): Offer

similar/recommended products to
the product page

#193 (Usability): Offer accessories

and add-ons to the product page

#194 (Usability): Link any other

products to their rightful product
pages
The rule of upselling is this: you only offer related products (Apple offers smart
cover for iPad, and doesn’t try to sell you an iPod), and the offer must be at least 60% #195 (Appearance): Similar
cheaper than the product they just added to their shopping cart. products, recommended products,
and accessories/add-ons should be
So if they’re buying pants, upsell a belt. in distinct and separate areas of the
product page
Brick and mortar supermarkets will try to upsell you while you’re checking out (grab
#196 (Usability): Show "recently
a candy bar while you wait). Online, don’t do it. Focus on getting them to check out.
viewed items"

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Test idea #20. Clear, big calls to action

The user experience in your store needs to be smooth. Smooth in the sense that they should
Relevant Guidelines From
never have to look for something. It should always be obvious how things work.
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
If people need to look for “add to cart” or “checkout” buttons, you’re failing miserably.
Those two are the most important buttons in your store. You want them big, bold and #161 (Appearance): Product page
prominent. Avoid text links. requires a CTA (usually "add to
cart" type button)
The wording and color of the button also matter, but you need to test it. Bigger buttons are
better. #162 (Appearance): If you offer
in-store pickup, add a "Find in
Check out how patagonia has evolved their product page. Notice the newer design on the
store" CTA to product page (and
left, and the red color that sticks out is the add to cart button and the cart itself.
explain how it works)
2012 2016

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Test idea #21. Test it; Do user testing, UX
benchmarking, and your own A/B testing
Usability is your best friend. I strongly recommend you conduct user testing on your Relevant Guidelines From
ecommerce site to find problems with your interface you might not be aware of. Give
Ecommerce Guideline Report:
people some tasks (e.g. find X, and buy it), and have them comment out loud while
they’re browsing your site. You either watch over their shoulder or watch the screen
#178 (Credibility): Gather and
recording of it.
analyze product reviews to see
what people enjoy most. Include it
TryMyUI is what we used for our user testing. Try them out. 15 people will discover
in your product description
99% of the problems. Even testing one target user is better than testing none at all.
#179 (Credibility): Product
Want to get some quantitative data? Try standardized surveys via UX benchmarking.
description should address fears,
We have our own methodology that was used in this report. You can try that, or use
uncertainties, and doubts- figure
your own approach. One benefit of UX benchmarking is that it is increasingly useful
out what these are
as you repeat, either as a comparison after a design change, or against competitors
to see where you are falling behind.
#180 (Credibility): Write your
product descriptions in the style of
Finally, take the ideas in this report and test them. Take our advice. Then do your
your target audience
own testing.
#181 (Clarity): Share features
AND benefits

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