What’s an A/B test you’ve performed that surprised you and why?

chrlee
HubSpot Employee
HubSpot Employee

Tell us about an A/B test you've conducted in email marketing. Give us some context about your company and industry, then tell us about the parameters of your experiment. What were the results and why did they surprise you?

559 Replies 559
PMishra02
Participant

Company & Industry: The company is a digital marketing agency that focuses on e-commerce clients. A/B Test Parameters: The company tested two different subject lines for emails. One had a clear product promotion, while the other used curiosity-driven wording ("Don't Miss This"). Results: The curiosity-driven subject line had a 25% higher open rate but surprisingly led to lower conversions compared to the clear promotional subject line. Surprise Factor: The curiosity-based subject line increased engagement but did not result in as many purchases, emphasizing the importance of clear intent in driving conversions.

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KKrejberg
Member

I have yet to try an A/B test but I will take note for the day I do.  

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SirDavid
Participant

I'm Super excited about A/B testing to compare which works better in subsequent subject lines i will be using in emails.

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DChiquillo
Member

I sell children's clothing. I want to test CTA to see which generates more conversion. I also want to test CTA through different type of images in emails.  

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OTkhorik
Member

I have yet to perform an A/B test but I am excited to try. 

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TNguyen79
Member

One A/B test that surprised me was around subject line personalization in email campaigns

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ATho22
Member

Sometimes I have been surprised with the amount of response on something as simple as a link. And on the contrary, how much someone avoids clicking on a link. 

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LorraineB
Participant

We are only at the beginning stages of our email campaign but I can't wait to try this out

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PMilenković
Member

Performed A/B testing on Facebook Ads, Instagram, and some on Youtube. I can't wait to apply this knowledge to email marketing!

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BScarbeary
Member

YouTube Thumbnails. 

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PAlade
Member

I haven't tried A/B testing before but I honestly can't wait to try.

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Pragya_kujur_25
Member

I am a student. I am open to experiences of A/B testing but haven't got the chance yet.

PKr3
Member

I haven't tested one.

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Absovi
Member

I have tried A/B testing on CTA's and content pattern to see the better results.

EIschiu-Gutie
Member

I am currently a marketer for a physical therapy clinic. We are soon to open a new clinic and are formulating 2 emails that are slightly different to conduct A/B testing, such testing as not yet been conducted yet.

HHill13
Member

In a recent A/B test at my company, which operates in the hospitality industry, we experimented with two different subject lines for our email campaigns. One subject line was personalized with the recipient's name, while the other was more generic. We expected the personalized version to perform better, as personalization typically increases open rates. However, to our surprise, the generic subject line had a significantly higher open rate. After analyzing the results, we realized that the more direct and intriguing tone of the generic line resonated more with our audience, who preferred a straightforward approach over personalized messaging

SNM
Member

We have tried A/B testing on CTA's and content pattern to see the better results.

0 Upvotes
aladya
Member

I haven't done one yet but knowing that my target audience is gen-z I probably have to make it as short as possible.

0 Upvotes
CHilliard0
Member

I haven't done one yet, but I plan to use HubSpot to do it. 

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RudroDipta
Member

Not yet. But want to execute it with hubspot

 

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VMilf
Member

An A/B test I performed was on testing subject lines: one was framed as a question, and the other was not. It was surprising both gave the same open rates, despite advice that a subject line in the form of a question would perform better.

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