RESOURCES

With Amazon’s Manage Your Experiments feature, eligible sellers can run A/B tests on product titles to determine which performs best. When it comes to running A/B title tests, crafting an effective strategy is imperative to make conclusions and optimize additional ASINs. Continue reading for insight into why A/B title testing is an effective tactic and how to drive the best results. 

Why Does It Matter?

A/B title testing allows our teams to create unique strategies for our clients in their respective categories. And performing these tests makes it easier to analyze the collected data, leverage learnings, and develop a game plan for optimum results.

As Amazon continues to become increasingly competitive, brands must take advantage of testing resources. Doing so will make it possible to stand out among competitors with conversion-worthy titles that attract ready-to-buy shoppers.

Determining the Right Title Testing Strategy

As alluded to, product titles on Amazon can be very influential in the success of a listing. With this, titles should include the information a shopper is searching to find. Here are a few factors to consider:  

• Eligibility

Before you begin, it’s worth noting, not all listings are eligible for testing. Brands need to be Brand Registered and ASINs must drive at least a few dozen orders weekly. Be sure to check if the ASINs you want to test are eligible before moving forward with a testing plan. 

• Test one element at a time

When you’re ready to begin title testing, make sure no other tests are running simultaneously. Testing for main images or A+ content, for example. Otherwise, if Headline A is tested alongside one set of images, and Headline B is tested with another set of images, the results will be inconclusive. To get accurate results, the headline should be the only variable during the testing period.

• Brand Category

Depending on the brand’s category, titles can be displayed differently due to Amazon’s categorically based formatting guidelines. To create consistency among titles within different categories, Amazon has been enforcing Automated Title Service (ATS) to generate titles based on a product’s details. Because of the ATS guidelines, title testing for affected brands may seem like a moot point. However, changing up keyword placement could make a huge impact. The same goes for products that fall under a Display Parent Model (DPM). Although a generic title is created to encompass the parent and child ASINs, the optimized child ASIN title shows up in a shopper’s cart once the item is added. Testing child ASINs could give insight into whether an optimized child ASIN title impacts conversion rates, especially if the shopper keeps that item in their cart for some time.

• Keyword Research

Keyword research is crucial in discerning which search terms consumers use while shopping on Amazon. However, simply including high-ranking keywords in a product title doesn’t guarantee you’ll reach your intended audience. For example, titles within the publishing category are specific to the book title itself. As a result, it’s possible including lower-ranking keywords specific to that particular book could improve conversion rates since your intended audience is searching for those terms.

• Long VS Short Titles

Although Amazon allows 200 characters for titles, it’s not always necessary to reach the character limit. Testing shorter titles versus longer titles can provide insight into shopper preference and how to move forward with optimizing the rest of a brand’s catalog. Additionally, if a brand is not affected by ATS or DPM, another test to consider is the placement of a brand name within the title. What impact may it have if a brand name is at the beginning versus the end of a title? These are just two examples of countless scenarios that are important to keep in mind.

Final Thoughts

A/B testing allows brands to gather data and make informed decisions that will get them closer to their goals. If you’re unable to run A/B tests due to eligibility issues, you can still successfully drive organic traffic to your listings by optimizing product detail pages with Amazon’s best practices.

As we continue using the A/B testing on Amazon, we look forward to the results it drives for our clients, and we’re hoping to see this type of testing roll out in other areas like bullet points. Not sure what testing strategy is right for you? If your brand needs support from a strategic partner or has any questions about this new and exciting feature, we’re here to help.