4 Steps to conduct effective custom product page testing

Imagine this: You’ve got a Shopify store packed with amazing products, but sales are sluggish. Frustrating, right? Often, the culprit lies in the design of your product pages. An effective Shopify store design goes beyond aesthetics; it focuses on the user experience. That’s where Custom Product Page Testing comes in. This article will guide you through the ins and outs of testing your product pages, including the different types and methods to help boost your sales and achieve your goals.

Instant's Shopify product page builder can simplify this process, empowering you to create seamless, effective product pages that resonate with your audience.

Why does custom product page testing matter?

Driving traffic to your online store is only half the battle. Conversion rates for eCommerce stores are notoriously low, with an average of just 2.42% of visitors making a purchase. One of the primary culprits for this low conversion rate is product pages. 

A poorly designed or unoptimized product page can deter potential buyers from completing a purchase, which is why custom product page testing is crucial. By testing and optimizing your product pages, you can give potential customers the information they need to make informed buying decisions. This can lead to increased conversions, higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs), more website traffic, and improved brand awareness.

Increased conversions

Optimizing your product pages can increase conversions by giving potential customers the information they need to make informed buying decisions. Clear, concise, and engaging product listings with high-quality images and videos make your products more appealing. Adding keywords can also help increase traffic to your listings.

Higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs)

When you optimize your product pages for search engines, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages. More potential customers will see your products when searching for related keywords.

More website traffic

Optimized product pages can drive more traffic to your site. Well-optimized pages with relevant keywords and high-quality graphics can increase your traffic reach.

Improved brand awareness

Creating informative and engaging product pages can improve brand awareness. When visiting your website, potential customers will learn more about your products and brand.

Setting goals for custom product page testing

Setting clear, measurable goals is a game changer for custom product page testing. It gives your team a clear direction and ensures every test has a purpose. Tests can get messy without specific goals, and results can become hard to interpret.

Well-defined goals help you define success and allow you to quantify the effectiveness of changes on your product page. Measurable goals also enable continuous improvement. By pinpointing which elements impact performance, you can refine product pages and make data-driven decisions, ultimately improving user experience and boosting conversion rates. Clear goals also align your team’s efforts, focusing everyone on what truly matters for the business.

SMART goals for testing success

SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals provide a structured framework for setting objectives that enhance clarity and accountability. 

Here are some examples of custom product page testing:

• Increase conversion rate: Optimizing CTAs and product descriptions will increase the product page conversion rate by 15% over the next three months. 
  
  

• Boost average time spent on page: By adding informative videos and interactive content, you can improve users' average time on the product page by 20% within the next quarter.
  
  

• Increase add-to-cart rate: Next month, increase the add-to-cart rate by 10% by testing different pricing displays and urgency messages.
  
  

• Reduce bounce rate: Optimizing load time and improving mobile responsiveness will reduce the bounce rate on product pages by 25% over the next six weeks.
  
  

• Drive downloads or engagement with a feature: Prominently feature a downloadable guide on product pages to increase product manual downloads by 50% over the next two months.

These goals target different aspects of user behavior, helping you identify what factors most influence specific metrics.

Aligning testing goals with marketing strategy

Custom product page testing goals should align closely with your broader marketing objectives. This ensures that testing initiatives contribute to overall business outcomes, whether driving more sales, increasing customer engagement or building brand loyalty. 

Here’s how to do it:

• Understand the broader objectives: Start by identifying the key objectives of your marketing strategy, like increasing customer acquisition or improving brand perception. 
  
  

• Target the customer journey: Consider where the product page fits within the customer journey. If the goal is customer acquisition, focus on elements that encourage first-time purchases. If retention is the goal, test features like cross-sell suggestions or user-generated reviews.
  
  

• Use data-driven insights: Leverage analytics to determine which product page elements impact your marketing goals. If customers leave before adding items to the cart, set testing goals around optimizing CTAs, reducing load time, or improving layout.
  
  

• Stay agile and adjust as needed: Testing should be ongoing. As marketing strategies evolve, adjust your goals to ensure they align with current priorities.

Establishing, measuring, and refining these goals helps ensure that your custom product page testing improves isolated metrics and supports broader business success.

Elevate your Shopify store with Instant

Want to make your product pages pop? Instant is a user-friendly Shopify product page builder that empowers eCommerce teams to craft advanced pages without coding. Its drag-and-drop interface allows for quick design and publishing of high-converting pages. Plus, it seamlessly integrates with Figma and other eCommerce tools. 

Try Instant's Shopify product page builder today!

Types of tests for custom product pages

1. The basics: A/B testing custom product pages

A/B testing is like a quick trial run for your ideas. You create two versions of a single product page element, like a headline or a CTA button. Half your visitors see version A, and the other half see version B. You measure which performs better based on conversions or other metrics.

Think about testing straightforward elements such as CTA button colors or text, product images, headline copy, or the placement of customer reviews. A/B testing is best for making small tweaks and seeing how they affect user behavior. Stick to one change at a time for clear, actionable results.

2. Multivariate testing: When you want to shake things up

Multivariate testing is like juggling multiple variables at once. Instead of testing just one change, you look at how several elements interact. You might test different headlines, images, and CTA buttons simultaneously. This approach can help you find your page's best combination of elements.

Multivariate testing speeds up the process by analyzing multiple changes simultaneously. However, a larger sample size is required to ensure reliable results. Use this method when you're looking to redesign or optimize a product page holistically, not just tweak a single component.

3. Heatmaps and click tracking: See where users focus

Heatmaps and click-tracking tools are visual aids that show where users spend the most time on your product page. They highlight “hot” areas with lots of attention and “cool” areas with little interaction. This information helps you understand what’s working and what needs improvement.

Heatmaps can reveal if users focus on crucial areas like product images, descriptions, and CTA buttons. If these areas show low interaction, adjustments may be needed. Click tracking can also inform the placement of elements. If users click on non-interactive elements, consider making those areas interactive or adjusting the layout.

4. User testing and feedback: Get real insights

While analytics and heatmaps provide quantitative data, user testing offers qualitative feedback from real users. This method involves observing participants navigating your product page and performing tasks like finding product details or adding items to their cart.

User testing uncovers issues analytics might need to be aware of, such as confusing navigation or unclear language. It also provides first-hand insights into areas that may need to be clarified for users. Real-time observations help you understand how users interact with your product page in a natural setting, offering direct feedback that can guide improvements.

Four steps to conduct effective custom product page testing

1. Define clear objectives: Map your testing goals

Set SMART goals for your custom product page test. Be specific and measurable. Do you want to boost conversion rates by 10% in two months? Or reduce bounce rates? Achievable objectives help drive your testing process. Without them, you're navigating blindly.

2. Audience segmentation: Target your user groups

Divide your audience into segments like demographics or behavior. Are you looking at first-time visitors or returning customers? Knowing who you're testing lets you tailor your content and layout for different groups. This segmentation keeps you from making generalized changes that may only suit some.

3. Establishing a testing timeline: Get the timing just right

Don’t rush it. A test run for too short a time is likely unreliable. But drawn-out tests can delay your improvements. Align your timeline with factors like traffic and conversion rates. Use available calculators to figure out the right duration. Typically, aim for at least one to two weeks.

4. Using the right tools: Equip yourself for success

Select tools that fit your needs. Instant A/B Testing is great for Shopify, offering quick setup and seamless operation. Google Optimize is versatile, especially for testing headlines or CTA buttons. Optimizely works well for large-scale tests. Hotjar gives you visual insights, showing you high-engagement areas and pain points.

Three common mistakes to avoid in custom product page testing

1. Over-testing multiple elements at once

You might feel the urge to revamp everything at once but resist. When you test too many components simultaneously, it muddles your results. You’ll need massive traffic to make sense of each combination, which can throw a wrench in your analysis.

How to Avoid It: Focus on A/B testing single elements like headlines or images. This gives you clear insights into what works. If you must test multiple elements, ensure you’ve got plenty of traffic to get trustworthy results.

2. Ignoring mobile optimization

Many people need to pay more attention to how their pages perform on mobile, even though more traffic now comes from these devices. Mobile users interact with your page differently, so what works on a desktop might translate poorly.

How to Avoid It: Run separate tests for mobile and desktop versions of your product page. Use tools like Google Optimize and Hotjar to see how users behave on different devices. This ensures a smooth experience for everyone, no matter how they access your site.

3. Skipping follow-up tests

Just because a test yields positive results doesn’t mean you’re set for life. The market changes constantly, and what works today might not work tomorrow.

How to Avoid It: Develop a habit of continuous testing. After a successful test, explore other elements or variations. Set up a testing schedule and regularly review your analytics to keep up with changes in user preferences.

Optimize your Shopify store for conversions without breaking the bank with Instant's Shopify product page builder

Creating multiple product pages in Shopify can feel like a never-ending task. With Instant's Shopify product page builder, you can quickly create customized pages without coding. Instant's drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to design and publish high-converting landing pages, blog posts, product pages, and sections, giving you the power to quickly and efficiently manage your online store's design.

Integrating Instant with your eCommerce tools

Seamless integration with Figma and other eCommerce tools is a key feature of Instant's Shopify product page builder. This integration allows you to easily transfer design elements from Figma to Instant, saving you time and improving your workflow. With Instant, you can create fully customizable pages that work seamlessly with your existing eCommerce tools.

Experience the benefits of Instant's Shopify product page builder

Instant's intuitive drag-and-drop interface, seamless integration with Figma, and powerful features make it a top choice for eCommerce teams and agencies looking to create high-converting Shopify product pages. With Instant, you can quickly design and publish customizable pages without coding, improving your online store's performance and increasing conversions.