Geotargeting – EHarmony Finds The Right Match For Canadians And US
The dating site eHarmony illustrated perfectly the importance of why testing is valuable, and why testing specific types of users is critical. The results were stunning in their clarity.
The company took a simple test with a clear answer, then ran the same test to a different geography, and got the opposite answer.
In the online world, we've all heard that adding too much navigation to landing pages or to registration pages is a mistake -- we've heard, time after time, that it distracts from our goal of getting users to complete the specific task we have assigned to them, such as filling out a form or moving further into the sales funnel.
But is it really a distraction? Or could it be a valuable way of answering customer objections to eliminate dropping out of the funnel?
That was the theory we tested with eHarmony. We helped them run a direct marketing campaign in which the campaign landing page either included or did not include tabbed navigation.
And we discovered that, true to accepted best-practices, adding tabbed navigation on a registration page did, indeed, distract from the task at hand. That is, it reduced registration page completions.
Except when it increased them.
To Marketers, Holiday Lockdown Is No Longer Relevant
There's an old saying that no battle plan survives once the first bullet has been fired. And I would argue that no holiday season merchandising plan, no matter how well-informed, survives once the first product has been purchased. So why would you firm up a plan in advance, without ever knowing, for sure, just what will happen once the "battle" commences?
Marketers are already beginning to gear up for the holiday buying season, and for many, that means they're putting into place a merchandising calendar: We're planning which promotions we'll offer. We're deciding on what date we'll stop offering free shipping. And we're nailing it all down now, because we know that, come November 1, lockdown begins and we will not be allowed to make any unplanned changes to the site.
Instead of planning testing and targeting tactics that will maximize conversions and purchases, tactics that will take advantage of the special buying behavior consumers exhibit just prior to Christmas, we're preparing to hunker down and hope for the best.
I'm going to let you in on a secret: Those of us who plan their holiday season this way are taking an enormous risk. We are potentially leaving countless dollars on the table by forcing our customers into a game plan that may not even work. And we're doing it during a season of utmost potential.
GooglePages – Can Google’s Brand Sell Your Products Better Than Yours?
This year, Google ranked number one in a survey of brand professionals. These folks estimated that the Google brand had the most influence worldwide – more than Apple, Toyota, or any other.
Now Honda is demonstrating the potential impact of that lead position by headlining its own site with the Google brand. Go ahead, search for “Honda Used Cars�? on Google. You will see a geographically targeted mash-up of a local map with pins on it representing available cars in your area, paired with a list of those cars. Give it a try.
Buying Your Brand On Search—Up To 23% Revenue Lift!
Should you buy your own brand in PPC? The short answer is yes – and it may be worth as much as 24% higher revenue per visit. Not only can brand keyword ads pay for their own costs, but they can also contribute to significant increase in both customer propensity to buy and in revenue.
Peet's Tests Email Promo - 21% Net RPV Lift
How Peet's tested an email promotion and reinforced it on the website -- without being derailed by problematic user experiences or delivery issues -- for a fast and effective lift in RPV.
Monster.com Gains Profits With Revenue Per Visitor (RPV) Testing
The VP and GM of e-Commerce for Monster Worldwide tested a variety of treatments on various pages within the site, and significantly increased their revenue per visitor. Here's is how their multivariate tests succeeded.
RingCentral Boosts Conversions By 37%
Your service is selling on line, but you suspect conversions could be higher. Why not try testing one of your highest-impact pages, the product pricing page? That's what RingCentral Inc. did, ringing up a 37% increase in conversions.
Tests Bring 267% Lift In ROI For Restoration Hardware
5 important lessons from a usability case study.
4 Ways To Boost Sales, Without Buying More Media
Four major approaches to optimization: testing, targeting, predictive modeling and social.
3 Steps To Testing & Customizing Your Offer-Based Landing Pages
How to create an offer-based landing page - for visitors with the highest of intentions - that can reflect those intentions, make the most compelling, relevant offer, and close the sale.
Think ‘Evolutionary,’ Not Revolutionary, With Site Re-Designs
A top ecommerce company explains how they evolved to a brand new approach to website design, by testing and optimizing each change.They have learned much about consumer behavior that will forever impact future site changes and the bottom line.
Staffing For Testing
Who in marketing is responsible for testing? This article breaks down who should do what, and how many people it requires (hint: very few).
How Can I Get More Traffic?
My competitor outranks me, while I am at my spending limit. How can I pay more for keywords without losing profit?
The answers lie in testing and optimization to improve conversions and average order value (AOV). By our numbers, you could increase your bid by 75% or more profitably.
Redesigns Are Dead
“I love the idea of testing, but only after we are done with our redesign.�? This quote during a recent show gave me pause. Was she right? Should you get your site into its new set of clothes before you tune it?
After hundreds of tests performed by our customers, my answer would be: “Not only is testing essential, but the site redesign may be the last your company will ever do.�?
Take The Gray Out Of Black Friday Through Testing
Both traditional and online retailers spend the months running up to Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) planning their strategy for what is historically the busiest shopping day of the year.
When Black Friday comes, will you make the right bets?
All Conversions Are Not Created Equal
If you have an ecommerce site running a test online, and your main measurement is conversions, you may actually be placing more value on the metric than it deserves. That’s because the value of a conversion—that is, a specific action taken by a customer—often depends on the dollars it generates. Here, a list of useful additional metrics.
Should We Test Big Changes Or Little?
Afraid that significant changes would not only undo years of evolution, but may also confuse the customer? Begin with small changes until the doors begin to open on the possibility of major changes.
How Long Should A Test Last?
The answer might surprise you…
Do Your Home Page Tests Flop? We Know Why…
Find out why home page testing can be tricky, and how you can overcome initial testing challenges.
FAQ: Can I Test The Pages That Come After The Landing Page?
You can and you must. Here's how.
But, What Should I Test??
Consumers shopping online most likely aren't taking in the delightful colors on the background of the home page or the pleasing combination of type fonts. Here, a list of testing ideas that will have real impact.
Make Testing A Top Resolution For The New Year
Pledge to "Stop guessing!", as a resolution for the New Year. Here's how.
FAQ: Offermatica Functionality
In a nutshell, how dynamic is Offermatica?
FAQ: Who On My Staff Is Responsible For Testing?
Good testing and optimization focus on a single goal: Reducing the cost of acquisition for every transaction. Your current marketing team is focused on finding the traffic and targeting visitors in the most cost-effective way. So the marketing team should have the power to get more out of their marketing spend by testing and targeting.
Is Multivariate Testing Right For You?
Think of multivariate testing as running thousands of A/B tests all at once. Learn in-depth ways to know if it will work for you.
Testing: A Pop Quiz
Test your marketing intuition: see if you can choose the treatment that worked best (bet you can't).
FAQ: What Exactly Is A/B/A Testing?
Has your A/B test seen enough traffic to be statistically "finished?" Some analytics experts believe A/B/A tests, also called simultaneous null testing, offer a solution.
Use Of The Taguchi DOE In Online Marketing
Using the Taguchi Method to test more than one variable at a time.
How ZipRealty Increased Leads By 11%, In Two Weeks
How can we generate more leads quickly? This case study reveals how Offermatica multivariate tests enabled the online real estate brokerage, ZipRealty, to get more people through an online registration funnel.
168% Increase In Revenue Per Customer (RPV) For YLighting
By testing and optimizing landing pages, Ylighting's ecommerce team improved conversions (from visitors to buyers) by 58% and revenue per customer by 168%. Here's how.
Scientific Web Site Optimization Using A/B Split Testing, Multivariable Testing & The Taguchi Method
Clarifying the muddle of techniques that can help you increase the conversion of visitors to customers online, including: A/B testing, split run testing, multivariate testing, and Taguchi testing.
How Testing Increased JoAnn.com Conversions By 30%
Chief Operating Officer of Joann.com, the leading website serving millions of arts and crafts enthusiasts monthly, has always made testing a priority. Here's what she has learned.
How To Begin: 5 Steps To Stop Noodling And Start Knowing
When it comes to creating a test plan, we often hear companies say, "I'm just finishing up doing a few email campaigns, and then I'm finishing up a new page design, and then I can begin testing."
Getting value out of testing doesn't have to be a painful and complicated process, because all you really have to do is take what you're already doing and incorporate testing into it.
FAQ: How Can I Compete On Keyword Buys When My Competitor Keeps Raising The Bid?
The rocketing costs of keywords means that marketers who don't focus now on increasing ROI from paid search will soon be unable to afford effective search engine marketing at all. Here's how to stay ahead of your competitor in the paid search field.
A&E; Shares 7 Testing Tips
So Young Park, Director of eCommerce and Direct Marketing for A&E; and the History Channel, is hooked on A/B testing. Here, she shares her best practices.
Surprises & Tips On Increasing Average Order Value (AOV): PETCO.com Gains 20% Lift
By running a series of site-wide tests to discover the optimal promotion, copy, and images to drive sales, PETCO.com improved gross margin by 20%. This case study that proves "your natural instinct isn't always right."
Multi Variable Testing: Web Site Testing Beyond The AB Test
Multivariate testing: what it means, how it works and the science behind it all.
Ten Tips For Online Testing
Ten useful tips for running direct marketing tests in the online world. The first 7 are common to online and offline. The last 3 are unique to online marketing, for they exploit the web's high speed and low cost.
Landing Page Optimization Using The Taguchi Method
A demonstration of the Taguchi Method for multivariate testing, applied to landing page optimization.