Testing is everything when it comes to improving your ecommerce store. Knowing what connects with your customers is the best way to boost conversions and grow revenue. Enter multivariate testing – the smarter and faster way to go beyond A/B testing.
High-growth direct-to-consumer brands know: fine-tuning post-purchase offers is essential. Now, multivariate testing empowers you to test many variables simultaneously to find your best strategies. Let's break it down.
What is multivariate testing?
Multivariate testing lets you test multiple variables simultaneously to find the best combination for performance. Unlike A/B testing, which compares just two options, multivariate testing explores different setups across many possibilities.
For ecommerce stores, this means testing combinations like:
- Discounts (e.g., 10% vs. 20%)
- Shipping options (e.g., free shipping vs. flat rate)
- Quantity offers (e.g., buy 1, get 1 free vs. bulk discounts)
- Timers (e.g., 24-hour countdown vs. 48-hour countdown)
"This is the best path forward for setting up post-purchase upsells."
Ash Melwani, CMO of Obvi
Multivariate testing vs. A/B testing
A/B testing is a great start, but it’s slower and less efficient. With A/B testing, you only compare two things at a time (e.g., headline A vs. headline B). This means it takes longer to optimize everything.
Multivariate testing skips the slow pace. It lets you test many variables at once and get faster results. For stores with high traffic, this means reaching the best insights quicker.
Why your ecommerce store needs multivariate testing
The ecommerce market is competitive, and staying ahead means always improving your customer experience. Here are some ways multivariate testing helps.
1. Better conversion rates
Find out what works. Multivariate testing shows which mix of discounts, messaging and visuals drives more sales.
2. Improved user experience
A smooth, personalized experience makes customers happy. Testing helps you remove friction and boost satisfaction.
3. Smart decisions
Stop guessing. With testing, every change you make is based on real data, not hunches.
4. Higher revenue
Testing different upsell strategies ensures you’re not missing opportunities to make more money from every sale.
Obvi, a health & supplements brand, has been successfully using multivariate testing to drive more revenue.
"The multivariate testing provided fast results from a directionality perspective. When testing cross-sells, we could quickly see what was trending and what simply didn't work."
Ash Melwani, CMO of Obvi
Since launching with multivariate testing, Obvi has seen:
- +10% AOV increase
- +$3.13 revenue per visit
- +$10,000 in additional weekly revenue
How to use multivariate testing
Excited to try it out? Here’s a simple guide to get started.
Step 1: set clear goals
Decide what you want to achieve, like:
- Higher average order value (AOV)?
- More post-purchase conversions?
- Better revenue per visitor?
Know your goals before you start testing.
Step 2: pick your variables
Choose elements to test, such as:
- Discount levels (e.g., 10%, 15%, 20%)
- Product bundles in upsells
- How your offers look
- Urgency timers
Focus on a few key variables for clarity.
Step 3: launch your test
Use Aftersell’s dashboard to set up your test. It will create all the combinations for you and start testing with your customers.
Step 4: check your data
Aftersell gives real-time results for things like:
- Conversion rates
- Revenue per visit
- Profit margins
Keep an eye on performance during your experiment.
Step 5: scale the winners
When you know which combination works best, make it your go-to strategy. Then, use what you’ve learned to keep improving.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Make sure to dodge these mistakes:
- Too many variables: testing too much at once creates confusion
- Cutting tests short: ending tests early can lead to bad decisions
- Skipping audience targeting: don’t ignore customer segmentation
- Ignoring action: testing is pointless without using the insights
Start optimizing today
Improving post-purchase offers is no longer optional. It's necessary for scaling. Aftersell’s multivariate testing makes testing, learning, and growing easy.
Are you ready to take your strategies to the next level and earn more revenue? Try Aftersell today and unlock the power of multivariate testing.
