In 2021, iOS 15 was launched on the World Vast Growth Convention (WWDC) and with it got here a handful of latest 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 acquired a number 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 the best way to check your Apple product web page itemizing to spice up conversion charges and discover profitable mixtures.
What’s Product Web page Optimization in Apple App Retailer?
Apple Product Web page Optimization permits you to optimize your artistic property via native A/B testing for cell apps. This was a big step ahead in transferring away from reliance on exterior A/B testing instruments and aligning carefully with the features supplied on Google Play Experiments.
App entrepreneurs can run every check to focus on particular places for as much as 90 days. You may also select the proportion of your viewers that can see your check, permitting you to greatest allocate your efforts.
This lets you examine the efficiency of every of your remedies in opposition to 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 priceless data on the most effective creatives you should utilize when selling your app and which is able to safe probably the most conversions.
It’s important to differentiate between the principle product web page and the Product Web page Optimization function. The primary product web page is your default app retailer itemizing web page in App Retailer that each one customers see when you find yourself not working 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 remedy web page (if you’re utilizing Product Web page Optimization).
What iOS components are you able to check with Product Web page Optimization?
Via Product Web page Optimization, you’ll be able to check three artistic property utilizing this function:
The choice is out there in App Retailer Connect with anybody that manages an iOS app. PPOs 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 in opposition to the unique retailer itemizing immediately in Apple App Retailer.
Why is A/B testing useful for App Retailer customers?
Product Web page Optimization is a software that can assist ASO and app specialists perceive how totally different web page components affect conversion charges in App Retailer.
A/B testing and app experimentation have all the time 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 check. The closest function to A/B testing and PPO till iOS 15 was Artistic Units (which bought 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 knowledge and has devoted analytics.
And much like A/B testing in Play Retailer, there are many alternatives and check eventualities:
- Testing new colours and pallets of your property
- Attempting out new messages, screenshot alignments, and types
- Refining the strategy to totally different localizations
- Pushing new options and checking how they carry out
- Attempting out movies vs. screenshots
Something that issues to your potential customers and might affect your visitor-to-install conversion fee 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 known as Customized Product Pages or CPPs. Customized Product Pages help you create a duplicate of your fundamental product web page. With out going into an excessive amount of element, CPPs permit to create a duplicate of your fundamental product web page, however with totally different screenshots, preview video and promotional textual content. Principally, CPPs 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 help you create as much as 35 customized pages per app, which gives an entire vary of customization alternatives.
Many app entrepreneurs additionally use CPPs to reinforce their A/B testing in App Retailer, however it’s important to notice the distinction between CPPs and PPOs:
CPP vs. PPO targets
Customized Product Pages enhance the conversion fee of person acquisition by customizing the person journey. This sometimes consists of Apple Search Adverts and Fb Adverts.
Product Web page Optimization, alternatively, goals at testing totally different product web page choices and layouts to search out the best-performing variation of the principle product web page.
Visitors sources
Customized Product Pages are solely reachable through distinctive URLs and particular site visitors sources. CPPs cannot be discovered organically and are used with paid campaigns.
Product Web page Optimization wants one site visitors supply. All App Retailer product web page guests are equally cut up between the principle 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 major software for testing. First, the CPPs are used with paid adverts, which means you would possibly must pay for the site visitors to your customized touchdown web page.
Moreover, to succeed in the suitable degree of statistical significance, you need to enhance the funds and key phrase bids, which does not help you scale the testing. Even then, you would possibly worsen outcomes and have a wasted funds.
Product Web page Optimization use all site 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 might 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 have a look at probably the most crucial steps.
Take a look at Configuration
Like Google Play’s Retailer itemizing experiments, App Retailer additionally permits you to select remedies, site visitors proportion between the variants and goal localizations.
Apple calculates how lengthy it takes to succeed in your required enchancment based mostly on the focused conversion fee enchancment you present and the latest site visitors your product web page acquired.
You’ll be able to have one check at a time that may final a most of 90 days, however you’ll be able to cease it anytime. As soon as the check goes stay, you’ll be able to’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 offer the next data:
- Reference title for the check
- Variety of remedies you’ll use throughout the check
- Visitors proportion between the principle product web page and testing remedies. Like Google Play’s A/B testing, every remedy’s site visitors is allotted equally.
- Localizations choice
- Take a look at period estimation
- Take a look at remedy setup
Monitoring the check efficiency
The App Analytics part in App Retailer Join will include the data on the check progress you beforehand arrange. It is possible for you to to examine impressions, conversion fee, share enhancements, and confidence ranges in comparison with the principle product web page.
When you have a number of testing remedies, you’ll be able to examine their efficiency with one another.
App Retailer may also present supporting data, equivalent to if the check wants extra knowledge to gather and which remedy performs the most effective.
Making use of the winner remedy or staying with the prevailing model
The very last thing you’ll have to do is determine if you wish to follow the present product web page or apply one of many testing remedies. In case you apply a remedy, the check will finish.
To make sure the remedy variant carried out higher than your fundamental product web page, you need to examine which possibility is asserted a winner utilizing a 90% confidence interval.
Fast guidelines earlier than establishing a check
Getting ready for the Product Web page Optimization consists of the identical set of issues that you’d do when getting ready for some other A/B check. Let’s rapidly have a look at them.
- Begin with an A/B testing plan – take into consideration what, why and the way you’ll check earlier than creating an actual one. That is important when working in your testing technique and hypotheses.
- Prioritize your market – Product Web page Optimization limits the reporting knowledge (extra about that quickly), so it’s clever to go after one localization at a time.
- Match the person intent together with your check – You need to discover what key phrases normally carry you site visitors from App Retailer analysis. Whereas App Retailer doesn’t report these key phrases, you’ll be able to all the time have a look at the preferred key phrases in your class by utilizing your app retailer optimization knowledge.
- Take a look at period is crucial – be affected person and depart not less than seven days to discover a better-performing variant.
- Restrict outdoors components – don’t begin a brand new paid marketing campaign parallel to your Product Web page Take a look at. Do not forget that the check you launch will use all site visitors sources, which signifies that a big enhance in paid adverts would possibly skew the outcomes.
- Perceive seasonal results – run a marketing campaign lengthy sufficient to eradicate seasonal elements equivalent to holidays, weekends and anything which may distort the correct image.
- Take a look at large and small modifications – Small modifications are good and must be a daily a part of your ASO technique. However in the event you battle to make large jumps in conversions, embrace vital modifications in your testing methods. E.g., you’ll be able to 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 experiences, equivalent to key phrase volumes, issue, advert key phrases and different essential details about App Retailer. Though you’ll be able to’t use key phrases in Product Web page Optimization campaigns, realizing why folks come to your product web page may help you create a greater Product Web page Take a look at. You’ll be able to even join your Google Play Console to App Radar and see the key phrases that carry Android installs. Despite the fact that Android and iOS customers differ, you’ll be able to nonetheless get a lot worth by understanding Google Play knowledge and which key phrases carry natural installs.
How you can create your first Product Web page Optimization
To arrange your first Product Web page Optimization check, head over to App Retailer Join (if you’re unfamiliar with App Retailer Join and the way it works, try our in depth information to App Retailer Join for cell app entrepreneurs).
Right here is the precise listing of steps you want to observe 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 together with your e mail password.
Step 2 – Select your app
Go to the “My Apps” part and select the app you need to optimize (in case you will have a number of apps).
Step 3 – Choose the Product Web page Optimization possibility
Within the left aspect menu, navigate to the Options tab and the final possibility within the column can be “Product Web page Optimization” textual content. Click on on the textual content and a pop menu will seem.
Step 4 – Choose your check standards and create the check
You’ll be able to title your check and select the variety of remedies, site visitors portion, localizations, and enchancment share. App Retailer will estimate how a lot time and what number of impressions you want to enhance your app for the specified share enchancment.
Step 5 – Configure check remedies
When you create your check, you will note it beneath the “Product Web page Optimization” tab. Once you click on on it, you will note every localization’s unique and remedy web page.
You’ll be able to check app icons, screenshots and preview movies. Nevertheless, not all apps can 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 notice that you do not have to add testing property for every display screen measurement. The remedy model will use your present product web page screenshots in the event you do not add all display screen sizes.
Step 6 – Run the check
You’ll be able to run the check while you add check property for various localizations and screens. Click on on the “Begin Take a look at” button within the prime proper nook and the check will replace its standing to “Working” and present how lengthy the check has been stay.
In case your app is within the assessment course of, your check will not go stay earlier than App Retailer evaluations the brand new app model.
The check will run for 90 days by default, or you’ll be able to cease it manually at any time.
Step 7 – Monitor the check efficiency
You’ll be able to monitor your check progress within the App Analytics part and examine impressions, conversion charges, share enhancements and confidence ranges and comparability together with your present product web page.
Step 8 – Apply your check to the principle product web page or maintain the unique model
After trying on the check outcomes, you’ll be able to apply the remedy that can be seen to all App Retailer guests. App Retailer will share with you its suggestion if a selected remedy performs higher or worse than the present product web page and in the event you ought to or should not apply the check winner.
Ensure you have not less than a 90% confidence rating and examine if the App Retailer declares the remedy is performing higher or worse than the baseline (your present product web page).
If you wish to apply the remedy, return to your check, choose the remedy model, click on “Apply” and select the app model to which you want to apply the remedy.
AB testing limitations in App Retailer
Thus far, we have now lined most elements important for establishing and working your Product Web page Checks. When you have been following alongside, you may need observed that there are fairly a couple of limitations that Apple wants to handle adequately.
We love having one other native A/B testing software in our ASO arsenal. Nonetheless, we like the pliability of Retailer itemizing experiments far more and really feel that the Product Web page Optimization function nonetheless wants a lot enchancment.
For anybody who needs to continuously check App Retailer components, new ideas, and metadata and goal a number of places concurrently, Product Web page Optimization will really feel restricted.
Let us take a look at these limitations and why PPOs nonetheless require extra growth.
- Product Web page Optimization is proscribed to 1 check at a time. You’ll be able to solely run one check and goal totally different localizations. If we all know that we have to run a selected check for not less than one week and we have now a bunch of issues we need to check, it can 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’ll be able to’t check extra issues. We wish to check not less than iOS subtitles and watch how they affect our app visibility.
- There must be a method to analyze check outcomes per localization. When you can goal a number of localizations with a Product Web page Take a look at, you’ll be able to examine how every carried out and which localizations carried out higher. After all, you’ll be able to goal one localization at a time. Nevertheless, if you wish to check, e.g., app screenshots in German, French and Spanish languages, you will want to run three assessments one after one other, and they’re going to take not less than 4 weeks to finish (we assume one week per check plus extra days for check submissions).
- You’ll be able to’t use just one site visitors supply for testing. PPOs will take all of your site visitors and distribute it to the principle product web page and the remedies.
- Each PPO that you simply run requires approval from the Apple group. Whereas this does not appear crucial, we have now heard app entrepreneurs complain that the approval course of can typically take even longer than the common submission of a brand new app model.
- Sophisticated app icon testing course of. Though you’ll be able to check app icons, it’s a difficult course of. Firstly, you want to add an alternate app icon you need to check to your app binaries for the subsequent launch. Secondly, you will need to await the check earlier than releasing the brand new app model. Thirdly, you want to check this different icon and examine its efficiency. Lastly, if that icon performs higher than your present app icon, you’ll be able to’t apply it instantly. You’ll have to construct that different 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 remedy variations are served to iOS 15 customers solely. This can be much less of an issue as time passes, primarily as a result of we have already got the iOS 16 rolled out. However in the mean time, which means that some customers could possibly be excluded out of your A/B check.
- The boldness scores are restricted to 90%. We would like 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 normal.
- The expertise thus far reveals that PPOs want a big pattern measurement to be vital. The perfect check period must be 1-2 weeks. Something much less can be too quick and extra prolonged assessments is perhaps influenced by exterior components. Whereas this is not an surprising component, it reveals that you want to monitor the assessments rigorously.
- The check outcomes use an “estimated CVR” metric, which does not present an extra clarification. Because of this it’s important to depend on a metric that is not supported by different knowledge and you’ll’t perceive why one thing carried out higher. Now we have the identical points with Retailer itemizing experiments, however nonetheless, we hope that app shops carry some further knowledge with their metrics and clarify what influences them.
- In case you discover a bug and must launch a brand new app model unexpectedly, your PPO check will routinely finish. In case you work with a product group that plans new app submissions each week, it will likely be nearly inconceivable to run PPOs correctly. Product releases will all the time have a precedence and can absolutely undermine your testing effectiveness.
As you’ll be able to see, Product Web page Optimization is way from an ideal software and it is important to know all these challenges and limitations earlier than investing extra time in them.
However, PPOs are nonetheless priceless and can be utilized to enhance most app companies. Nevertheless, the PPOs can be too limiting and time-consuming for anybody who needs 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 supply app managers and publishers alternatives to check app components not accessible 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’ll be able to arrange the site visitors distribution, execute a number of assessments throughout totally different markets and observe in-depth how folks work together with Retailer itemizing pages. In case you compete with powerful rivals and minor enhancements can influence your corporation, exterior instruments will prevent time and provides extra insights.
Above all, you’ll be able to check the issues you’ll be able to’t with native A/B testing instruments. This consists of all forms of creatives and metadata. You can also depend on one thing aside from the app retailer evaluations course of – you’ll be able to launch assessments impartial of app variations and even with out having a stay itemizing within the app shops.
Nevertheless, exterior assessments additionally include some limitations. They use solely paid site visitors and a “sandbox” surroundings. The sandbox surroundings signifies 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 check supplier’s management. It would look and feel the identical because the official app retailer web page, however it isn’t. Nevertheless, the check supplier can observe in-depth how folks work together with these synthetic pages.
With that in thoughts, the exterior assessments could differ from the natural person conduct and the paid site visitors would possibly come from non-mobile knowledge. The customers would possibly navigate to the competing apps, which suggests you might be losing the potential site visitors on customers that will not convert. And people assessments are typically costly – to get a big quantity of information, you will want to assemble a number of clicks simply to check one thing.
So, exterior A/B testing instruments are additionally not good, however they undoubtedly complement the native A/B instruments. Identical to together 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.
In case you are searching for exterior A/B testing instruments, try 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, likelihood is you have already got a very good understanding of the best way to strategy it and which issues to concentrate to.
However, let’s summarize the important elements and adapt them to the specifics of the App Retailer.
Do not make too many modifications whereas performing your assessments
Attempt to make your management group as steady as attainable. Though you will not be capable to replace metadata with out stopping your PPO check, maintain the paid campaigns regular so you do not change the site visitors sources an excessive amount of.
Know what you might be testing
All the time take note of what you will check and why. And particularly in App Retailer, pay attention to the constraints we already mentioned earlier than.
Use Customized Product Pages moreover if you wish to get natural site visitors on your assessments
Now we have talked about that Customized Product Pages can complement your A/B testing in App Retailer. If you wish to check natural site visitors solely, you’ll be able to arrange your CPPs so that each one your paid site visitors goes to them. This may depart your assessments with natural search and browse site visitors. Utilizing CPPs together with PPOs requires extra preparation and setup, however you’ll be able to set it up like this.
Plan sufficient prematurely
To make use of Product Web page Optimizations successfully, you want to 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 site visitors sources on your remedies, you would possibly get false outcomes. For example, App Retailer Browse customers sometimes convert worse than App Retailer Search customers. In case your remedies get a number of Browse customers (in circumstances your app will get featured), the outcomes would possibly look higher than they might essentially be.
Have a look at the viewers sizes earlier than implementing the outcomes
Now we have already talked about that PPOs want an honest quantity of information to make check outcomes vital and to declare a transparent check winner. Many assessments you’ll carry out would possibly want to succeed in extra confidence, so you want to observe when fascinated with outcomes implementation.
Persist with the overall testing guidelines
Whereas there are various items of recommendation on the best way to strategy your A/B assessments, you need to follow the essential guidelines when utilizing PPOs as effectively:
- Monitor your rivals and plan testing iterations based mostly on market tendencies
- Take note of your present site visitors sources and differentiate between them to know which site visitors supply is perhaps probably the most related to your check outcomes
- Give attention to one localization or a couple of which are 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 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 fee enhancements.
Whereas many limitations include PPOs, that does not imply you should not use them. In case you put together correctly, perceive your testing targets and use different instruments to beat the constraints, you may get a number of priceless insights from PPOs.
If you wish to take your A/B testing to the subsequent degree, get in contact with App Radar’s ASO and app advertising and marketing group. Our every day job consists of optimization of all types of App Retailer apps and we all know the best way to use A/B testing instruments to push app progress to the subsequent 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 looking for new app retailer methods to share along with her shoppers all world wide, with a particular deal with natural and paid person acquisition.
