In the ever-expanding battle for your customer’s attention, creating a perfect campaign that truly captivates your audience and drives conversions can be an insurmountable challenge. For example, should your subject line boldly declare "$10 off" or a tempting promise of "50% off" your $20 product? And does a bold call to action like "Act Now" or a teasing "Limited Time Offer" spark more engagement?
Your crystal ball is broken, and you can’t read minds, so now what? Fear not, because A/B testing is here to save the day, empowering businesses like yours to unlock the secrets to success. With the ability to test different campaign versions and analyze the results, A/B testing is the key to unveiling the optimal path forward, leaving guesswork in the dust and paving the way for data-driven triumphs.
Be a Good Sport, Play by the Rules
As you venture into the realm of A/B testing with Braze, it's essential to be aware of the limits that shape your experimentation. Straying from the standards may skew your results or impact the effectiveness of your testing.
Audience size: The minimum audience size for A/B testing is 1,000 users.
Test variations: You can test up to 8 variants in a single-channel campaign.
Test duration: The maximum test duration is 14 days.
Metrics tracking: Braze provides standard metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to track the performance of your test variations.
Statistical significance: While Braze doesn't automatically calculate statistical significance, it offers data and reports that allow you to assess the effectiveness of your test results. You can utilize external statistical tools or methods to determine the statistical significance of the observed differences between variations.
Available channels: A/B testing in Braze can be conducted across various channels, including email, push notifications, and in-app messages.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
When it comes to testing, there are many aspects to consider. It's crucial to keep these in mind when designing your tests. We’ve highlighted 8 key areas that Braze encourages you to consider when conducting A/B testing:
Targeting/Segmentation: Who is the audience?
Messaging Timing: Which lifecycle stage and time of day yield the best results?
Content/Message: What type of message should we send, and what should it say?
Geography/Demographics: Do location-based or cultural groups respond differently?
Product Usage: Do users of specific product features respond differently to different channels?
Frequency of Sending: How often should we send push notifications or emails?
Customer Actions: Are users more likely to engage if they complete a certain action?
Cross-Channel Testing: Do multi-channel approaches lead to better user outcomes?
Ready, Set, Go!
As you kickstart your experiment, don’t forget to start with a clear hypothesis outlining your expected outcomes and then document your results. While it may seem like a no-brainer, these steps can sometimes slip our minds when utilizing automated testing tools like Braze.
What is it that you really want to know? When formulating your hypothesis, pinpoint the specific area you want to improve or explore. Does changing the email subject line boost open rates? Can tweaking the language on the push notification button skyrocket click-through rates?
Throughout your testing, keep a watchful eye on those performance metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions—track ‘em like a pro. This first-hand data will be your guiding light, helping you validate your experiments and prove your genius hypothesis right (or maybe even surprise you!).
And the Winner is...
Remember those 6 rules from earlier? This is why they matter. There are multiple ways to determine a winning variant. It can be determined based on the statistical significance, performance metrics, and practical significance to declare which variant performed better. This chosen variant will then be selected for the final campaign rollout, AKA the WINNER!
OR, as shown below, you can utilize Braze's automated workflow feature. The winning variant is triggered to be sent to the remaining audience (hold outs) who were set aside from the initial A/B test emails. This ensures that the best version is delivered to the maximum number of users, amplifying the campaign's potential impact.
But wait, there’s more! Braze also offers a new and recommended feature that takes optimization to the next level. It involves utilizing a personalized variant based on individual user preferences and behaviors. After the initial A/B test, Braze can automatically send each user the variant they are most likely to engage with.
Now that you understand the basic fundamentals of A/B testing with Braze, you're ready to start testing and crushing your marketing goals. For an extra dose of fun, valuable tips, and tricks on all things Braze, be sure to stay tuned and follow our series, "Brazed and Confused."