“What do I need to start A/B testing?” A short answer would be “an idea”, but that’s not all and we’ll take a deeper dive into the topic.
Welcome to our new monthly series where each month we answer a question we hear often. This is a series of useful information no matter where you are on your A/B testing cycle. Without further ado, let’s get down to business.
Concept validation
When you only have an idea of an app or game, that is when you do concept validation to see if that idea resonates with your idea. An idea is a great start so next, you need some research and a hypothesis. Starting off with research to see what is happening on the market is key to building a hypothesis. The hypothesis is an expected outcome and which the variations are based on. After this, all you need are the store page assets for each variation and you are good to go. Then the last thing is to set up the ad campaign in your chosen ad network and add the tracking link. Once your campaign is running, you patiently wait for the results, which can be expected in 7 to 10 days. Concept validation is currently only possible using third-party tools since Google and Apple’s native tools require you to have the app live. Therefore it also measures the marketability of the app and not the organic traffic on the app stores.
App store optimization
The app is live but now you want to find the best-performing app store assets. Great, you have taken the first step which is having an app out, next you need to do the same as with concept validation: do research and build a hypothesis, HURRAYY! Next up is the assets. If you are testing screenshots, for example, you only need to create the different variations that you test against the existing control variant. Everything else should remain the same in order to get reliable results of testing only one element at once. When you already have an app out, you can test both with the native tools or a third-party tool. The native tools mainly test the organic traffic, where as a third party tool requires paid user acquisition. Third-party tools however are more flexible in terms of running campaigns. There is no review process or interruptions if the app is updated while the campaign is up.
Alternative
Sometimes all you need is a good partner for this. Someone who will take care of all of these for you. Luckily there are plenty of great agencies for that, including us. The benefit of an agency is the help of experts in the field and their effort freeing some time off your own teams’ shoulders. Also having conducted plenty of tests before, the accumulated wisdom from previous experiences is very valuable.
Hopefully, you’ve gotten a grasp of what you need to start A/B testing. If you want more, don’t worry! Just send us a message and we got you covered.
