AB Testing for WooCommerce

A/B Testing for WooCommerce plugin allows you to run server-side A/B Tests with the help of Google Optimize. The supported tests currently include shipping price tests and product price tests.

Installation

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1. Download the .zip file from your WooCommerce account.
2. Go to: WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New and Upload Plugin with the file you downloaded with Choose File.
3. Install Now and Activate the extension.

More information at: Install and Activate Plugins/Extensions.

Setup and Configuration

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To connect your store with Google Optimize:

1. Go to: WooCommerce > Settings > Integrations > A/B Testing.
2. Copy your Google Analytics Property and Google Tag Manager Container from your Google Optimize dashboard.
   
3. Paste the ids in the appropriate settings above.
4. Save changes.

Please note that the GMT has now been changed to OPT, see explanation here.

Running an A/B Test

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Create an Experiment on Google Optimize

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1. Go to: Google Optimize
2. Click on “Create experience”
3. Enter a “Name” for the test, the website “URL” where you are performing the test and select “A/B test”. In the case of price tests this will include all pages so simply enter your base website URL.
   
4. Create a variant and enter a “Variant name”
   
5. For optimal results it is recommended to keep the traffic weight at 50% for “Original” and “Variant”
   
6. Since we want our tests to run on all pages of the website, set “Page targeting” to “starts with”
   
7. Copy the “Experiment ID” and set the “Objectives”
   
8. Typically the objective is to measure converted orders. For WooCommerce this would mean a visitor loaded the “Thank you” page, which can be defined as a “Google Analytics Goal”.
   
9. No other “Settings” need to be modified.
10. Click “Start” to track experiment results. Ignore the warning regarding the optimize not being installed, this will be done in the following steps.
    

Add an Experiment in WooCommerce

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1. Go to: WooCommerce > A/B Testing > Add experiment.
   
2. Add Experiment
   • Enable Experiment: Enable the test once you are ready to run it.
   • Name: Add a name for the test.
   • Description: Add a description for the test.
   • Experiment ID: Paste the “Experiment ID” from step 7 in the previous section “Create an Experiment on Google Optimize”
3. Experiment Type: Select one of the following experiment types from the “Shipping Tests” or “Pricing Tests” categories.
   
   • Free Shipping – This option adds a WooCommerce Free Shipping method.
     • Remove other shipping – If checked, all other existing shipping methods will be removed (displaying the Free Shipping method only), in the test.
   • Free Shipping with Minimum Order Amount– This option adds a WooCommerce Free Shipping method if a minimum amount is reached in the cart.
     • Remove other shipping – If checked, all other existing shipping methods will be removed (displaying the Free Shipping method only), in the test.
     • Minimum Order Amount – Enter the minimum order amount.
   • Flat Shipping – This option adds a WooCommerce Flat Shipping method.
     • Remove other shipping – If checked, all other existing shipping methods will be removed (displaying the Free Shipping method only), in the test.
     • Flat Shipping Price – Enter the shipping price.
   • All Products – This option modifies the price of all products.
     • Price Type – This sets the price to increase or decrease by a “Percentage” or absolute “Value”.
     • Price Value – Enter either an absolute amount or percentage (e.g. 10 for 10%). Use positive values for a price increase and negative values for a price decrease.
     • Ignore Product on Sale – Check this to ignore any product already on sale.
   • Products with Specific Categories – This option modifies the price of products in selected product categories.
     • Price Type – This sets the price to increase or decrease by a “Percentage” or absolute “Value”.
     • Price Value – Enter either an absolute amount or percentage (e.g. 10 for 10%). Use positive values for a price increase and negative values for a price decrease.
     • Ignore Product on Sale – Check this to ignore any product already on sale.
     • Product Category – Select the product categories to run the price test on.
   • Individual Products – This option modifies the price of a specific products.
     • Price Type – This sets the price to increase or decrease by a “Percentage” or absolute “Value”.
     • Price Value – Enter either an absolute amount or percentage (e.g. 10 for 10%). Use positive values for a price increase and negative values for a price decrease.
     • Ignore Product on Sale – Check this to ignore any product already on sale.
     • Products – Select the products to run the price test on. You can select individual product variations to run the test on or all variations.

Stopping an A/B Test

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Edit an Experiment in WooCommerce

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1. Go to: WooCommerce > A/B Testing > Edit.
   
2. Uncheck “Enable Experiment” to disable the test and click “Save”.

Stopping an Experiment on Google Optimize

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1. Go to: Google Optimize
2. Find the associated experiment under the “Running” list
   
3. Click “End” to stop the experiment
   
4. Visit the Google Optimize for a description of the reporting: Reporting Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

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How is the traffic split between “test” and “control” on WooCommerce?

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It is split randomly, 50% to the “test” and 50% to the “control”.

On which page does the “test” actually run?

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The “test” runs on all pages, but more specifically it runs on any page that displays price in the case of a product test and shipping rates in the case of a shipping test.

Will users see only a test or control when visiting the site?

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Yes, the visitors will be cookied into a test or control for the duration of the A/B test.

Can I run more than one price test at a time?

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No, you can only run one “Shipping Test” or “Pricing Test” at a time.

When can I expect significant results from an experiment?

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This ultimately depends on the amount of traffic you have on your site and the number of visitors who are exposed to the test.  Keep track of the results of a test on the Google Optimize “Reporting” tab.