Last year, Insite Software released InsiteCommerce® version 4.4.4, which included major enhancements to their B2B commerce platform.
One of the more exciting elements of the version was the new A/B Testing functionality, which generated a lot of hype among our B2B customers partly because it is available directly in the Insite CMS, meaning there is no barrier to entry.
Manufacturers and distributors could have their first taste at A/B Testing, an extremely useful and popular optimizing technique that has generated great ROI for retailers and brands for several years.
Yet, a few months on, we saw that few of our customers had actually experimented with the A/B Testing functionality.
So our team of eCommerce Experts decided to test the functionality ourselves to better guide clients.
Our first reaction? Impressed.
What we liked:
- No technical skills are required to configure an A/B test
- Only a few clicks are needed to create a new experiment
- Goals and metrics are preconfigured
- Easily schedule start and end dates for your experiments
Potential areas for improvements
- Integration with Google Analytics, which is used by most online merchants to track goals and conversion
- Better targeted A/B Testing based on customer segments (another functionality available in Insite Software)
- Ability to publish the winning page version at the end of an experiment
- More information to determine the statistical significance of a particular A/B test.
Where to run your first A/B test: focus on micro conversions
Leverage Insite’s A/B Testing capability to focus on micro conversions (as opposed to just focusing on sales which are, in fact, the result of a series of micro-conversions). Conduct A/B Testing on pages that feature, for example, these types of interactions:
- add-to-cart,
- download a document
- or submit a form.
Use your discoveries from initial A/B tests to make small optimizations, then test, test, test and test again. Hubspot provides a good explanation of how to do A/B Testing here.
Editor’s note on managing expectations: it would be unfair to compare the Insite Software Experiment module with market-leading (top tier) A/B Testing tools such as Adobe Target, Dynamic Yield or Google Optimize. That being said, the functionality meets our expectations.
It is also worth noting that A/B testing is much less prevalent in B2B settings, even though the value and ROI is, in all likelihood, very positive.
What next?
- If you are an existing client on Insite and would like help setting up your first A/B test, ask your Product Owner to set up a call with an eCommerce expert.
- If you are looking into Insite Software’s eCommerce platform and want to talk about implementation, integration and how to leverage Insite’s features contact us at info@absolunet.com.
Absolunet is an Insite Certified: Platinum Partner.
Author Patrick Ouellette is one of Absolunet’s eCommerce Product Owners. He has conducted several Insite implementations for brands and distributors across North America.
