How do I set up and run a Variant A/B test?

If you would like to know which of your campaign variant performs better, look no further! The Variant A/B testing will be the best feature for you.

In this article you'll learn about:

1. What is Variant A/B test
2. Why is it useful?
3. How to set up Variant A/B Test
4. Control Variant A/B testing

What is Variant A/B testing?

Variant A/B testing (also known as split testing) is a process of showing two or more variants of the same Campaign to different segments of website visitors, so you can compare which variant drives more conversions.

Why is it useful?

You can make your popups much more efficient. Testing your popups helps you acquire more subscribers and customers from the same amount of visitors. Technically speaking: it boosts the conversion of the popups. It can even be said that out of all conversion boosting tools, variant A/B testing is the most certain and most predictable way to achieve better result In the following example we increased the efficiency of this popup by 47%, only by changing its headline:

In practice this means 47% more subscribers, from the same amount of visitors – it was worth, wasn’t it? :)

The best thing about Variant A/B testing is that you can play safe: if you create 5 tests, and only 3 of them actually enhance your conversion, it’s enough to keep the 3 that enhanced your conversion, and delete the other 2 that didn’t perform as well.

How to set up Variant A/B testing?

1. First, log in to your OptiMonk account at https://app.optimonk.com/login/en

2. Select Campaigns on the left, then select the Campaign you wish to use for the A/B test:

3. You must create at least two versions of your campaign. To add a new variant, click on Add new variant:

4. You will be able to A/B test right after Activating the new variant, by clicking on the red toggle:

What should I change to A/B test my popup?

OptiMonk gives you the freedom to create different variants according to your choice. Your variants can also be completely different. 

You can edit the design of the different variants by clicking on their name:


We recommend changing the elements of the popup in the following order:

• Headline
• Subheading
• Button text
• Data asked
• Background
• Image
• Colors
• Other texts and descriptions

In addition to the content of the popup, you should continuously refine your main ‘offer’.

Maybe your customers would react ten times better to a totally different offer/communication. A discount might get you more conversions than a free ebook. Every site has its own visitors with their own set of needs.

There’s only one way to know which popup will work best for your visitors: by testing it!

If you’d like to know more, read our case study on how an e-commerce store used Variant A/B testing to have better results:

https://www.optimonk.com/blog/case-study-how-an-ecommerce-store-reduced-their-cart-abandonment-rate-using-onsite-retargeting/#.Wyub8EiFOM8

Please note: We do not recommend making too many changes because then you won’t be able to determine why each variant is performing better or worse than the others.

A sensible way to get it started is to make a change to one element, test it, and then change to the other elements as well, choosing the best-performing variant each time.

What is Control Variant A/B testing?

Control Variant A/B testing is a method that allows you to compare the performance of different campaigns against a control variant.

The control variant refers to the original version of your website where no changes or campaigns are implemented. It serves as the baseline for comparison in your website test results.

By including a control group that does not receive any changes or campaigns, you can accurately measure the true effectiveness of campaigns and quantify the impact on important metrics such as conversion rates and revenue.

Why is it useful?

Control Variants allow you to

• Unravel the absolute impact of your campaigns Get clear data on how much impact your campaigns - for instance, Free Shipping Bars and Welcome Popups, have on your overall business performance.
• Compare personalized campaigns against no personalization Get insights into whether, for example, personalizing landing pages with Dynamic Content is truly more effective than not personalizing at all.
• Make data-driven decisions Use list-building, personalization, cart abandonment stopper or conversion-boosting tactics that work for you with the confidence of data-driven decisions.

Control Variant A/B testing can be applied to any campaign types whether it's a popup, Experience, or even Dynamic Content.

How to set up Control Variant A/B testing

1.First, log in to your OptiMonk account at https://app.optimonk.com/login/en

2.Select Campaigns on the left, then select the Campaign you wish to use for the Control Variant A/B test:

3. Control Variant are available from the Campaign details page under the Add A/B test version button.

Control variant will be listed on the Campaign detail page without a preview.

4. When you’d like to add Control Variant A/B test to your Experiences, you can add 1 Control variant for each Experience.

Here you must choose from 3 kinds of A/B tests:

• Test against control (no campaign)
• Test against different variant
• Copy a previous variant

Select the Add Control variant option.

5. Control variant will be listed on the Campaign detail page under each Experience without a preview.

That's it! If you have any further questions or need any help, just let us know at support@optimonk.com and we would be happy to assist you :)