In 2021, iOS 15 was launched on the World Vast Improvement Convention (WWDC) and with it got here a handful of recent options. Considered one of these was Product Web page Optimization (PPO) – a local A/B testing software to spice up app advertising and marketing efforts.
Apple’s Product Web page Optimization obtained loads of noise and was introduced as a function that will change Apple app retailer optimization. A lot speaking was about how the PPO function would enhance app advertising and marketing technique and generate extra natural progress.
This fast and easy information to Product Web page Optimization will familiarize you with Product Web page Optimization and the way it works. It’s going to additionally present you learn how to take a look at your Apple product web page itemizing to spice up conversion charges and discover profitable combos.
What’s Product Web page Optimization in Apple App Retailer?
Apple Product Web page Optimization lets you optimize your artistic property by way of native A/B testing for cell apps. This was a big step ahead in shifting away from reliance on exterior A/B testing instruments and aligning intently with the capabilities provided on Google Play Experiments.
App entrepreneurs can run every take a look at to focus on particular places for as much as 90 days. It’s also possible to select the proportion of your viewers that can see your take a look at, permitting you to greatest allocate your efforts.
This lets you evaluate the efficiency of every of your remedies towards your default App Retailer product web page or retailer itemizing, offering highly effective insights into impressions, downloads and conversion charges. These analytics will empower you with helpful info on one of the best creatives you should utilize when selling your app and which can safe probably the most conversions.
It’s important to differentiate between the primary product web page and the Product Web page Optimization function. The principle product web page is your default app retailer itemizing web page in App Retailer that every one customers see when you’re not operating any paid campaigns. When you activate the Product Web page Optimization function, the shop itemizing guests will see both your default product web page or a therapy web page (if you’re utilizing Product Web page Optimization).
What iOS parts are you able to take a look at with Product Web page Optimization?
By means of Product Web page Optimization, you possibly can take a look at three artistic property utilizing this function:
The choice is on the market in App Retailer Connect with anybody that manages an iOS app. PPOs can help you create three totally different variations (remedies) of your default product web page. Like A/B testing in Google Play, these remedies are being examined towards the unique retailer itemizing straight in Apple App Retailer.
Why is A/B testing helpful for App Retailer customers?
Product Web page Optimization is a software that can assist ASO and app specialists perceive how totally different web page parts affect conversion charges in App Retailer.
A/B testing and app experimentation have at all times been restricted in App Retailer. Till not too long ago, app entrepreneurs needed to depend on exterior instruments or use sequential analyses to examine how one thing carried out earlier than and after their take a look at. The closest function to A/B testing and PPO till iOS 15 was Artistic Units (which received changed with Customized Product Pages), which required Apple Search Adverts’ utilization.
With PPO, app publishers can lastly have a free and native software that makes use of App Retailer information and has devoted analytics.
And just like A/B testing in Play Retailer, there are many alternatives and take a look at situations:
- Testing new colours and pallets of your property
- Making an attempt out new messages, screenshot alignments, and types
- Refining the method to totally different localizations
- Pushing new options and checking how they carry out
- Making an attempt out movies vs. screenshots
Something that issues to your potential customers and may affect your visitor-to-install conversion price must be part of your A/B testing technique in App Retailer.
Distinction between CPP and PPO
As you already would possibly know, with the launch of iOS 15, Apple additionally launched a function referred to as Customized Product Pages or CPPs. Customized Product Pages can help you create a replica of your important product web page. With out going into an excessive amount of element, CPPs permit to create a replica of your important product web page, however with totally different screenshots, preview video and promotional textual content. Principally, CPPs can help you have a separate touchdown web page for every of your paid campaigns.
And in contrast to the Product Web page Optimization function, CPPs can help you create as much as 35 customized pages per app, which gives a complete vary of customization alternatives.
Many app entrepreneurs additionally use CPPs to boost their A/B testing in App Retailer, however it’s important to notice the distinction between CPPs and PPOs:
CPP vs. PPO objectives
Customized Product Pages enhance the conversion price of consumer acquisition by customizing the consumer journey. This usually contains Apple Search Adverts and Fb Adverts.
Product Web page Optimization, then again, goals at testing totally different product web page choices and layouts to search out the best-performing variation of the primary product web page.
Visitors sources
Customized Product Pages are solely reachable by way of distinctive URLs and particular visitors sources. CPPs cannot be discovered organically and are used with paid campaigns.
Product Web page Optimization wants one visitors supply. All App Retailer product web page guests are equally break up between the primary product web page and testing variations.
Testing and statistical significance
Whereas CPPs can complement your A/B testing in App Retailer, they should not be your main software for testing. First, the CPPs are used with paid adverts, which means you would possibly must pay for the visitors to your customized touchdown web page.
Moreover, to achieve the suitable degree of statistical significance, it is best to enhance the funds and key phrase bids, which does not can help you scale the testing. Even then, you would possibly worsen outcomes and have a wasted funds.
Product Web page Optimization use all visitors and are free to make use of and arrange. They supply statistically dependable outcomes and though they arrive with limitations, they’re a a lot better match for A/B testing than Customized Product Pages.
Though iOS app publishers ought to use one thing aside from Customized Product Pages primarily for A/B testing, they overcome some PPO limitations and may present an extra layer of information.
The testing course of in App Retailer
Apple’s Product Web page Optimization follows an analogous logic to most A/B testing instruments. Let’s have a fast take a look at probably the most crucial steps.
Take a look at Configuration
Like Google Play’s Retailer itemizing experiments, App Retailer additionally lets you select remedies, visitors proportion between the variants and goal localizations.
Apple calculates how lengthy it takes to achieve your required enchancment based mostly on the focused conversion price enchancment you present and the latest visitors your product web page obtained.
You possibly can have one take a look at at a time that may final a most of 90 days, however you possibly can cease it anytime. As soon as the take a look at goes dwell, you possibly can’t change it and in the event you launch a brand new model of the app, it will likely be stopped routinely.
Apple will ask you to supply the next info:
- Reference identify for the take a look at
- Variety of remedies you’ll use inside the take a look at
- Visitors proportion between the primary product web page and testing remedies. Like Google Play’s A/B testing, every therapy’s visitors is allotted equally.
- Localizations choice
- Take a look at length estimation
- Take a look at therapy setup
Monitoring the take a look at efficiency
The App Analytics part in App Retailer Join will include the data on the take a look at progress you beforehand arrange. It is possible for you to to examine impressions, conversion price, share enhancements, and confidence ranges in comparison with the primary product web page.
When you have a number of testing remedies, you possibly can evaluate their efficiency with one another.
App Retailer may even present supporting info, corresponding to if the take a look at wants extra information to gather and which therapy performs one of the best.
Making use of the winner therapy or staying with the present model
The very last thing you’ll have to do is determine if you wish to keep on with the present product web page or apply one of many testing remedies. In the event you apply a therapy, the take a look at will finish.
To make sure the therapy variant carried out higher than your important product web page, it is best to examine which choice is said a winner utilizing a 90% confidence interval.
Fast guidelines earlier than establishing a take a look at
Getting ready for the Product Web page Optimization contains the identical set of issues that you’d do when getting ready for some other A/B take a look at. Let’s rapidly take a look at them.
- Begin with an A/B testing plan – take into consideration what, why and the way you’ll take a look at earlier than creating an actual one. That is very important when working in your testing technique and hypotheses.
- Prioritize your market – Product Web page Optimization limits the reporting information (extra about that quickly), so it’s sensible to go after one localization at a time.
- Match the consumer intent along with your take a look at – You must discover what key phrases often convey you visitors from App Retailer analysis. Whereas App Retailer doesn’t report these key phrases, you possibly can at all times take a look at the preferred key phrases in your class through the use of your app retailer optimization information.
- Take a look at length is important – be affected person and go away a minimum of seven days to discover a better-performing variant.
- Restrict exterior elements – don’t begin a brand new paid marketing campaign parallel to your Product Web page Take a look at. Do not forget that the take a look at you launch will use all visitors sources, which implies that a big enhance in paid adverts would possibly skew the outcomes.
- Perceive seasonal results – run a marketing campaign lengthy sufficient to eradicate seasonal points corresponding to holidays, weekends and anything that may distort the correct image.
- Take a look at large and small adjustments – Small adjustments are good and must be a daily a part of your ASO technique. However in the event you wrestle to make large jumps in conversions, embrace important adjustments in your testing methods. E.g., you possibly can check out redesigned app icons, new fonts in screenshots and extra targeted movies.
App Radar is our ASO and app advertising and marketing software that gives many helpful studies, corresponding to key phrase volumes, issue, advert key phrases and different vital details about App Retailer. Though you possibly can’t use key phrases in Product Web page Optimization campaigns, figuring out why folks come to your product web page will help you create a greater Product Web page Take a look at. You possibly can even join your Google Play Console to App Radar and see the key phrases that convey Android installs. Regardless that Android and iOS customers differ, you possibly can nonetheless get a lot worth by understanding Google Play information and which key phrases convey natural installs.
Learn how to create your first Product Web page Optimization
To arrange your first Product Web page Optimization take a look at, head over to App Retailer Join (if you’re unfamiliar with App Retailer Join and the way it works, take a look at our in depth information to App Retailer Join for cell app entrepreneurs).
Right here is the precise record of steps you could comply with to run A/B assessments in App Retailer.
Step 1 – Log in to your App Retailer Join account
Go to https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/ and log in along with your e mail password.
Step 2 – Select your app
Go to the “My Apps” part and select the app you wish to optimize (in case you might have a number of apps).
Step 3 – Choose the Product Web page Optimization choice
Within the left aspect menu, navigate to the Options tab and the final choice within the column might be “Product Web page Optimization” textual content. Click on on the textual content and a pop menu will seem.
Step 4 – Choose your take a look at standards and create the take a look at
You possibly can identify your take a look at and select the variety of remedies, visitors portion, localizations, and enchancment share. App Retailer will estimate how a lot time and what number of impressions you could enhance your app for the specified share enchancment.
Step 5 – Configure take a look at remedies
When you create your take a look at, you will notice it beneath the “Product Web page Optimization” tab. Once you click on on it, you will notice every localization’s unique and therapy web page.
You possibly can take a look at app icons, screenshots and preview movies. Nevertheless, not all apps could have the choice to check app icons. To check app icons, your app binary wants to incorporate a couple of icon for the present App Retailer model. Moreover, the app should use an SDK that helps alternate icons in asset catalogs.
You will need to observe that you do not have to add testing property for every display dimension. The therapy model will use your present product web page screenshots in the event you do not add all display sizes.
Step 6 – Run the take a look at
You possibly can run the take a look at while you add take a look at property for various localizations and screens. Click on on the “Begin Take a look at” button within the prime proper nook and the take a look at will replace its standing to “Operating” and present how lengthy the take a look at has been dwell.
In case your app is within the assessment course of, your take a look at will not go dwell earlier than App Retailer opinions the brand new app model.
The take a look at will run for 90 days by default, or you possibly can cease it manually at any time.
Step 7 – Monitor the take a look at efficiency
You possibly can monitor your take a look at progress within the App Analytics part and examine impressions, conversion charges, share enhancements and confidence ranges and comparability along with your present product web page.
Step 8 – Apply your take a look at to the primary product web page or hold the unique model
After trying on the take a look at outcomes, you possibly can apply the therapy that might be seen to all App Retailer guests. App Retailer will share with you its advice if a specific therapy performs higher or worse than the present product web page and in the event you ought to or should not apply the take a look at winner.
Be sure you have a minimum of a 90% confidence rating and examine if the App Retailer declares the therapy is performing higher or worse than the baseline (your present product web page).
If you wish to apply the therapy, return to your take a look at, choose the therapy model, click on “Apply” and select the app model to which you want to apply the therapy.
AB testing limitations in App Retailer
To this point, now we have lined most points important for establishing and operating your Product Web page Exams. When you have been following alongside, you might need observed that there are fairly just a few limitations that Apple wants to deal with adequately.
We love having one other native A/B testing software in our ASO arsenal. Nonetheless, we like the flexibleness of Retailer itemizing experiments way more and really feel that the Product Web page Optimization function nonetheless wants a lot enchancment.
For anybody who desires to incessantly take a look at App Retailer parts, new ideas, and metadata and goal a number of places concurrently, Product Web page Optimization will really feel restricted.
Let’s take a look at these limitations and why PPOs nonetheless require extra growth.
- Product Web page Optimization is restricted to 1 take a look at at a time. You possibly can solely run one take a look at and goal totally different localizations. If we all know that we have to run a specific take a look at for a minimum of one week and now we have a bunch of issues we wish to take a look at, it should take appreciable time to execute all A/B assessments.
- Metadata cannot be examined. Whereas testing icons, screenshots and preview movies are good, it’s a pity you possibly can’t take a look at extra issues. We want to take a look at a minimum of iOS subtitles and watch how they affect our app visibility.
- There must be a option to analyze take a look at outcomes per localization. When you can goal a number of localizations with a Product Web page Take a look at, you possibly can examine how every carried out and which localizations carried out higher. In fact, you possibly can goal one localization at a time. Nevertheless, if you wish to take a look at, e.g., app screenshots in German, French and Spanish languages, you’ll need to run three assessments one after one other, and they’re going to take a minimum of 4 weeks to finish (we assume one week per take a look at plus extra days for take a look at submissions).
- You possibly can’t use just one visitors supply for testing. PPOs will take all of your visitors and distribute it to the primary product web page and the remedies.
- Each PPO that you just run requires approval from the Apple group. Whereas this does not appear crucial, now we have heard app entrepreneurs complain that the approval course of can typically take even longer than the common submission of a brand new app model.
- Difficult app icon testing course of. Though you possibly can take a look at app icons, it’s a difficult course of. Firstly, you could add another app icon you wish to take a look at to your app binaries for the following launch. Secondly, you will need to anticipate the take a look at earlier than releasing the brand new app model. Thirdly, you could take a look at this various icon and examine its efficiency. Lastly, if that icon performs higher than your present app icon, you possibly can’t apply it instantly. You’ll have to construct that various icon within the following app submission course of and make it a default model. Briefly, the entire app testing course of wants cautious planning and will take a few weeks at a minimal if you wish to get it proper.
- The therapy variations are served to iOS 15 customers solely. This might be much less of an issue as time passes, primarily as a result of we have already got the iOS 16 rolled out. However for the time being, which means that some customers could possibly be excluded out of your A/B take a look at.
- The arrogance scores are restricted to 90%. We wish to have the ability to select our degree, identical to you are able to do in Retailer itemizing experiments. Particularly as a result of the 95% confidence degree is an business customary.
- The expertise thus far reveals that PPOs want a big pattern dimension to be important. The best take a look at length must be 1-2 weeks. Something much less could be too brief and extra prolonged assessments is likely to be influenced by exterior elements. Whereas this is not an surprising component, it reveals that you could monitor the assessments rigorously.
- The take a look at outcomes use an “estimated CVR” metric, which does not present an extra rationalization. Because of this you need to depend on a metric that is not supported by different information and you’ll’t perceive why one thing carried out higher. We’ve the identical points with Retailer itemizing experiments, however nonetheless, we hope that app shops convey some further information with their metrics and clarify what influences them.
- In the event you discover a bug and must launch a brand new app model unexpectedly, your PPO take a look at will routinely finish. In the event you work with a product group that plans new app submissions each week, it will likely be nearly not possible to run PPOs correctly. Product releases will at all times have a precedence and can absolutely undermine your testing effectiveness.
As you possibly can see, Product Web page Optimization is much from an ideal software and it is important to know all these challenges and limitations earlier than investing extra time in them.
Nonetheless, PPOs are nonetheless helpful and can be utilized to enhance most app companies. Nevertheless, the PPOs might be too limiting and time-consuming for anybody who desires to carry out App Retailer testing at scale.
Native A/B testing instruments from Apple and Google Play have some limitations. If you wish to overcome them, you will need to use exterior instruments.
Exterior A/B testing instruments provide app managers and publishers alternatives to check app parts not obtainable with native A/B testing instruments like Product Web page Optimization and Google Play Retailer itemizing experiments.
For a begin, the exterior instruments have extra flexibility – you possibly can arrange the visitors distribution, execute a number of assessments throughout totally different markets and observe in-depth how folks work together with Retailer itemizing pages. In the event you compete with powerful rivals and minor enhancements can affect your enterprise, exterior instruments will prevent time and provides extra insights.
Above all, you possibly can take a look at the issues you possibly can’t with native A/B testing instruments. This contains all kinds of creatives and metadata. You can also depend on one thing aside from the app retailer opinions course of – you possibly can launch assessments impartial of app variations and even with out having a dwell itemizing within the app shops.
Nevertheless, exterior assessments additionally include some limitations. They use solely paid visitors and a “sandbox” surroundings. The sandbox surroundings implies that as soon as the customers click on on a paid advert on, e.g., Fb, they’re despatched to the artificially created touchdown web page beneath the take a look at supplier’s management. It would appear and feel the identical because the official app retailer web page, however it isn’t. Nevertheless, the take a look at supplier can observe in-depth how folks work together with these synthetic pages.
With that in thoughts, the exterior assessments might differ from the natural consumer habits and the paid visitors would possibly come from non-mobile information. The customers would possibly navigate to the competing apps, which implies you’re losing the potential visitors on customers that will not convert. And people assessments are usually costly – to get a big quantity of information, you’ll need to assemble loads of clicks simply to check one thing.
So, exterior A/B testing instruments are additionally not good, however they positively complement the native A/B instruments. Identical to along with your app retailer optimization efforts – there isn’t any perfect answer, however combining totally different instruments, approaches and your personal expertise is what brings outcomes.
If you’re on the lookout for exterior A/B testing instruments, take a look at firms like Splitcube, Splitmetrics, Storemaven and Geeklab.
Greatest practices for App Retailer A/B testing
When you have been doing A/B testing for a while, chances are high you have already got a superb understanding of learn how to method it and which issues to concentrate to.
Nonetheless, let’s summarize the important points and adapt them to the specifics of the App Retailer.
Do not make too many adjustments whereas performing your assessments
Attempt to make your management group as secure as potential. Though you will not be capable of replace metadata with out stopping your PPO take a look at, hold the paid campaigns regular so you do not change the visitors sources an excessive amount of.
Know what you’re testing
At all times take note of what you will take a look at and why. And particularly in App Retailer, concentrate on the constraints we already mentioned earlier than.
Use Customized Product Pages moreover if you wish to get natural visitors on your assessments
We’ve talked about that Customized Product Pages can complement your A/B testing in App Retailer. If you wish to take a look at natural visitors solely, you possibly can arrange your CPPs so that every one your paid visitors goes to them. This can go away your assessments with natural search and browse visitors. Utilizing CPPs together with PPOs requires extra preparation and setup, however you possibly can set it up like this.
Plan sufficient prematurely
To make use of Product Web page Optimizations successfully, you could plan the app releases and take into consideration the assessments you’ll run in between. Put together your testing property on time so you should utilize the time between two app submissions.
Watch out with testing app icons
Testing app icons with PPOs is difficult and restricted. And since you will not know the visitors sources on your remedies, you would possibly get false outcomes. For example, App Retailer Browse customers usually convert worse than App Retailer Search customers. In case your remedies get loads of Browse customers (in instances your app will get featured), the outcomes would possibly look higher than they’d essentially be.
Have a look at the viewers sizes earlier than implementing the outcomes
We’ve already talked about that PPOs want a good quantity of information to make take a look at outcomes important and to declare a transparent take a look at winner. Many assessments you’ll carry out would possibly want to achieve extra confidence, so you could observe when fascinated about outcomes implementation.
Persist with the final testing guidelines
Whereas there are a lot of items of recommendation on learn how to method your A/B assessments, it is best to keep on with the fundamental guidelines when utilizing PPOs as properly:
- Monitor your rivals and plan testing iterations based mostly on market traits
- Take note of your present visitors sources and differentiate between them to know which visitors supply is likely to be probably the most related to your take a look at outcomes
- Concentrate on one localization or just a few which might be similar to overcome the constraints of PPO analytics
Closing ideas
Product Web page Optimization is one other useful gizmo that you should utilize on your A/B testing. Along with Google Play Retailer itemizing experiments, they can help you do native A/B testing that no different instruments present. As such, PPOs must be an integral a part of your app retailer optimization and conversion price enhancements.
Whereas many limitations include PPOs, that does not imply you should not use them. In the event you put together correctly, perceive your testing objectives and use different instruments to beat the constraints, you may get loads of helpful insights from PPOs.
If you wish to take your A/B testing to the following degree, get in contact with App Radar’s ASO and app advertising and marketing group. Our every day job contains optimization of all kinds of App Retailer apps and we all know learn how to use A/B testing instruments to push app progress to the following degree.
Elena Wibmer
Product Marketer and App Advertising Professional
Elena is an app advertising and marketing and product professional at App Radar. She’s intrigued by trying to find new app retailer tips to share together with her shoppers all around the globe, with a particular deal with natural and paid consumer acquisition.
