What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing is a powerful tool for optimizing digital experiences. It involves creating two versions of a webpage or feature—Version A (the original) and Version B (the variation)—and splitting visitors into two groups to see which version performs better.

For e-commerce, this means testing elements like product page layouts, call-to-action buttons, or checkout processes. The goal? To use real data to make informed decisions that improve conversions, customer satisfaction, and overall performance.

Testing product description visibility with Shoplift

For this A/B testing project, we used the Shoplift app, which integrates seamlessly with Shopify. This makes it easy to analyze results and implement changes effectively.

Objective: Increase the conversion rate (CVR), secondary KPI: revenue per visitor (RPV)

Hypothesis: Opening the product description tab by default, rather than keeping it closed, will lead to an increase in conversion rate. This is based on the assumption that immediately visible and accessible product information enhances transparency, reduces uncertainty, and helps users make quicker purchasing decisions.
Approach: On the Product Detail Page (PDP), we set the dropdown menu for the “Product Description” to be open by default when a customer lands on the page.

Performance impact: desktop conversions soar by 19.7%

This seemingly small adjustment had a noticeable positive impact on performance metrics:

  • Conversion Rate: Increased by 1% overall.
  • Average Order Value (AOV): Increased by 7.5%.
  • Revenue Per Visitor (RPV): Increased by 8.6%.

Interestingly, the effect was more pronounced for desktop users:

  • Desktop CVR: A remarkable increase of 19.7%.
  • Desktop AOV: Improved by 9.1%.
  • Desktop RPV: Jumped by 30.7%.

Strategic implementation: desktop vs. mobile optimization

Based on these results, we’ve decided to keep the dropdown open by default for desktop users, where the positive impact was most significant. For mobile users, however, the dropdown will remain closed to maintain an optimized user experience on smaller screens.

This A/B test was a clear success for our client, achieving their goal of increasing the Conversion Rate while also boosting AOV and RPV. It demonstrates how even subtle changes can lead to meaningful improvements in eCommerce performance.