Glossary

shopify ab testing

A/B testing, also called split testing or bucket testing, is the process of comparing two versions of the same web page, email, or other digital asset to determine which one performs better based on user behavior. It involves showing different versions to different segments of users simultaneously and measuring which version achieves better results for specific goals like conversions or sales.

Context and Usage

Shopify A/B testing is used by ecommerce merchants and digital marketers to optimize online stores by testing variations of product pages, checkout flows, email campaigns, and website elements. It is typically implemented when stores have sufficient traffic to generate statistically significant results, allowing merchants to make data-driven decisions about pricing, layouts, headlines, and call-to-action buttons to improve conversion rates and overall sales performance.

Common Challenges

Common challenges include insufficient sample sizes leading to unreliable results, testing too many variables simultaneously making it difficult to identify which change caused the effect, and running tests for inadequate durations that don't account for business cycles. Other issues involve overlooking user segmentation, which can mask important differences in how various customer segments respond to changes, and stopping tests prematurely when statistical significance appears but sample size requirements haven't been met.

Related Topics: conversion rate optimization, multivariate testing, user experience design, statistical significance, split URL testing, sample size calculation

Jan 22, 2026

Reviewed by Dan Yan