In 2021, iOS 15 was launched on the World Broad Growth Convention (WWDC) and with it got here a handful of latest options. Certainly one of these was Product Web page Optimization (PPO) – a local A/B testing device to spice up app advertising efforts.
Apple’s Product Web page Optimization acquired quite a lot of noise and was introduced as a characteristic that may change Apple app retailer optimization. A lot speaking was about how the PPO characteristic would enhance app advertising technique and generate extra natural development.
This fast and easy information to Product Web page Optimization will familiarize you with Product Web page Optimization and the way it works. It should additionally present you check your Apple product web page itemizing to spice up conversion charges and discover successful mixtures.
What’s Product Web page Optimization in Apple App Retailer?
Apple Product Web page Optimization lets you optimize your inventive 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 carefully with the capabilities provided on Google Play Experiments.
App entrepreneurs can run every check to focus on particular places for as much as 90 days. You may as well select the share of your viewers that can see your check, permitting you to finest 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 precious info on one of the best creatives you need to use when selling your app and which can safe probably the most conversions.
It’s important to tell apart between the primary product web page and the Product Web page Optimization characteristic. The primary product web page is your default app retailer itemizing web page in App Retailer that every one customers see if you end up not working any paid campaigns. When you activate the Product Web page Optimization characteristic, 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 check with Product Web page Optimization?
By Product Web page Optimization, you’ll be able to check three inventive property utilizing this characteristic:
The choice is obtainable in App Retailer Connect with anybody that manages an iOS app. PPOs mean you can create three completely 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 device that can assist ASO and app consultants perceive how completely 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 lately, 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 characteristic to A/B testing and PPO till iOS 15 was Artistic Units (which acquired changed with Customized Product Pages), which required Apple Search Adverts’ utilization.
With PPO, app publishers can lastly have a free and native device that makes use of App Retailer information and has devoted analytics.
And much like A/B testing in Play Retailer, there are many alternatives and check situations:
- Testing new colours and pallets of your property
- Making an attempt out new messages, screenshot alignments, and kinds
- Refining the strategy to completely 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 might affect your visitor-to-install conversion price needs to 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 characteristic referred to as Customized Product Pages or CPPs. Customized Product Pages mean you can create a duplicate of your essential product web page. With out going into an excessive amount of element, CPPs enable to create a duplicate of your essential product web page, however with completely different screenshots, preview video and promotional textual content. Principally, CPPs mean you can have a separate touchdown web page for every of your paid campaigns.
And in contrast to the Product Web page Optimization characteristic, CPPs mean you can 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 objectives
Customized Product Pages enhance the conversion price of consumer acquisition by customizing the consumer journey. This sometimes contains Apple Search Adverts and Fb Adverts.
Product Web page Optimization, then again, goals at testing completely different product web page choices and layouts to search out the best-performing variation of the primary product web page.
Site visitors sources
Customized Product Pages are solely reachable through 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 cut 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 device for testing. First, the CPPs are used with paid advertisements, that means you would possibly have to pay for the visitors to your customized touchdown web page.
Moreover, to achieve the suitable stage of statistical significance, you need to enhance the price range and key phrase bids, which does not mean you can scale the testing. Even then, you would possibly worsen outcomes and have a wasted price range.
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 might present an extra layer of knowledge.
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 important 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 primarily based on the focused conversion price enchancment you present and the latest visitors your product web page acquired.
You may 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 reside, you’ll be able to’t change it and in the event you launch a brand new model of the app, will probably be stopped mechanically.
Apple will ask you to supply the next info:
- Reference title for the check
- Variety of remedies you’ll use throughout the check
- Site 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 period estimation
- Take a look at therapy setup
Monitoring the check efficiency
The App Analytics part in App Retailer Join will comprise the data on the check 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.
In case you have a number of testing remedies, you’ll be able to examine their efficiency with one another.
App Retailer may even present supporting info, resembling if the check wants extra information to gather and which therapy performs one of the best.
Making use of the winner therapy or staying with the prevailing model
The very last thing you’ll have to do is resolve if you wish to follow the present product web page or apply one of many testing remedies. In case you apply a therapy, the check will finish.
To make sure the therapy variant carried out higher than your essential product web page, you need to examine which choice is said a winner utilizing a 90% confidence interval.
Fast guidelines earlier than establishing a check
Making ready for the Product Web page Optimization contains the identical set of issues that you’d do when making ready for some other A/B check. Let’s shortly 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 information (extra about that quickly), so it’s clever to go after one localization at a time.
- Match the consumer intent along with your check – You need to discover what key phrases often convey you visitors from App Retailer analysis. Whereas App Retailer doesn’t report these key phrases, you’ll be able to at all times have a look at the most well-liked key phrases in your class by utilizing your app retailer optimization information.
- Take a look at period is important – be affected person and depart at the very least 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 visitors sources, which implies that a big enhance in paid advertisements would possibly skew the outcomes.
- Perceive seasonal results – run a marketing campaign lengthy sufficient to get rid of seasonal points resembling holidays, weekends and the rest which may distort the correct image.
- Take a look at massive and small adjustments – Small adjustments are good and needs to be an everyday a part of your ASO technique. However in the event you battle to make massive jumps in conversions, embody vital adjustments 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 device that gives many helpful stories, resembling key phrase volumes, problem, advert key phrases and different vital details about App Retailer. Though you’ll be able to’t use key phrases in Product Web page Optimization campaigns, figuring out why folks come to your product web page may help you create a greater Product Web page Take a look at. You may even join your Google Play Console to App Radar and see the key phrases that convey 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 information and which key phrases convey 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 intensive information to App Retailer Join for cell app entrepreneurs).
Right here is the precise checklist of steps it’s good to comply with to run A/B exams 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 need to optimize (in case you’ve got a number of apps).
Step 3 – Choose the Product Web page Optimization choice
Within the left facet menu, navigate to the Options tab and the final choice within the column shall 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 may title your check 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 it’s good to enhance your app for the specified share enchancment.
Step 5 – Configure check remedies
When you create your check, you will notice it underneath the “Product Web page Optimization” tab. If you click on on it, you will notice every localization’s unique and therapy web page.
You may check 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 multiple 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 be aware that you do not have to add testing property for every display screen dimension. The therapy 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 may 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 “Operating” and present how lengthy the check has been reside.
In case your app is within the overview course of, your check will not go reside 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 may monitor your check 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 check to the primary product web page or maintain the unique model
After wanting on the check outcomes, you’ll be able to apply the therapy that shall be seen to all App Retailer guests. App Retailer will share with you its suggestion if a selected therapy performs higher or worse than the present product web page and in the event you ought to or should not apply the check winner.
Be sure to have at the very least 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 check, 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 date, now we have lined most points important for establishing and working your Product Web page Exams. In case 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 device in our ASO arsenal. Nonetheless, we like the pliability of Retailer itemizing experiments way more and really feel that the Product Web page Optimization characteristic nonetheless wants a lot enchancment.
For anybody who desires to regularly check 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 improvement.
- Product Web page Optimization is proscribed to 1 check at a time. You may solely run one check and goal completely different localizations. If we all know that we have to run a selected check for at the very least one week and now we have a bunch of issues we need to check, it’s going to take appreciable time to execute all A/B exams.
- 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 at the very least iOS subtitles and watch how they affect our app visibility.
- There must be a approach to analyze check outcomes per localization. Whilst 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 have to run three exams one after one other, and they’ll take at the very least 4 weeks to finish (we assume one week per check plus extra days for check submissions).
- You may’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 important, now we have heard app entrepreneurs complain that the approval course of can generally 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, it’s good to add an alternate app icon you need to check to your app binaries for the subsequent launch. Secondly, you need to look forward to the check earlier than releasing the brand new app model. Thirdly, it’s good to check this various 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 various icon within the following app submission course of and make it a default model. In brief, 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 shall 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 might be excluded out of your A/B check.
- The arrogance scores are restricted to 90%. We would like to have the ability to select our stage, identical to you are able to do in Retailer itemizing experiments. Particularly as a result of the 95% confidence stage is an business customary.
- The expertise to this point exhibits that PPOs want a big pattern dimension to be vital. The perfect check period must be 1-2 weeks. Something much less can be too quick and extra prolonged exams is likely to be influenced by exterior components. Whereas this is not an sudden component, it exhibits that it’s good to monitor the exams rigorously.
- The check outcomes use an “estimated CVR” metric, which does not present an extra clarification. Which means that it’s a must to depend on a metric that is not supported by different information and you may’t perceive why one thing carried out higher. We now have 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 case you discover a bug and have to launch a brand new app model unexpectedly, your PPO check will mechanically finish. In case you work with a product group that plans new app submissions each week, will probably be virtually not possible to run PPOs correctly. Product releases will at all times have a precedence and can certainly undermine your testing effectiveness.
As you’ll be able to see, Product Web page Optimization is way from an ideal device and it’s important to grasp all these challenges and limitations earlier than investing extra time in them.
However, PPOs are nonetheless precious and can be utilized to enhance most app companies. Nevertheless, the PPOs shall 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 need to use exterior instruments.
Exterior A/B testing instruments provide app managers and publishers alternatives to check app parts not out there 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 visitors distribution, execute a number of exams throughout completely different markets and monitor in-depth how folks work together with Retailer itemizing pages. In case you compete with robust rivals and minor enhancements can influence your small business, 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 contains all varieties 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 exams unbiased of app variations and even with out having a reside itemizing within the app shops.
Nevertheless, exterior exams 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 underneath the check supplier’s management. It would look and feel the identical because the official app retailer web page, however it’s not. Nevertheless, the check supplier can monitor in-depth how folks work together with these synthetic pages.
With that in thoughts, the exterior exams 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 suggests you’re losing the potential visitors on customers that will not convert. And people exams are usually costly – to get a big quantity of knowledge, you will have to collect quite a lot 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 along with your app retailer optimization efforts – there is no such thing as a very best answer, however combining completely different instruments, approaches and your individual expertise is what brings outcomes.
If you’re searching for exterior A/B testing instruments, try corporations like Splitcube, Splitmetrics, Storemaven and Geeklab.
Greatest practices for App Retailer A/B testing
In case you have been doing A/B testing for a while, chances are high you have already got a superb understanding of strategy it and which issues to concentrate to.
However, 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 exams
Attempt to make your management group as secure as doable. 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 visitors sources an excessive amount of.
Know what you’re testing
All the time take note of what you’ll check and why. And particularly in App Retailer, pay attention to the restrictions we already mentioned earlier than.
Use Customized Product Pages moreover if you wish to get natural visitors on your exams
We now have talked about that Customized Product Pages can complement your A/B testing in App Retailer. If you wish to check natural visitors solely, you’ll be able to arrange your CPPs so that every one your paid visitors goes to them. This may depart your exams with natural search and browse 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, it’s good to plan the app releases and take into consideration the exams you’ll run in between. Put together your testing property on time so you need to use 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 sometimes convert worse than App Retailer Search customers. In case your remedies get quite a lot of Browse customers (in instances 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
We now have already talked about that PPOs want a good quantity of knowledge to make check outcomes vital and to declare a transparent check winner. Many exams you’ll carry out would possibly want to achieve extra confidence, so it’s good to observe when fascinated with outcomes implementation.
Keep on with the final testing guidelines
Whereas there are a lot of items of recommendation on strategy your A/B exams, you need to persist with the essential guidelines when utilizing PPOs as properly:
- Monitor your rivals and plan testing iterations primarily based on market tendencies
- 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 check outcomes
- Concentrate on one localization or a couple of which can be similar to overcome the restrictions of PPO analytics
Closing ideas
Product Web page Optimization is one other useful gizmo that you need to use on your A/B testing. Along with Google Play Retailer itemizing experiments, they mean you can do native A/B testing that no different instruments present. As such, PPOs needs to 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 case you put together correctly, perceive your testing objectives and use different instruments to beat the restrictions, you may get quite a lot of precious insights from PPOs.
If you wish to take your A/B testing to the subsequent stage, get in contact with App Radar’s ASO and app advertising group. Our every day job contains optimization of all kinds of App Retailer apps and we all know use A/B testing instruments to push app development to the subsequent stage.
Elena Wibmer
Product Marketer and App Advertising and marketing Knowledgeable
Elena is an app advertising and product knowledgeable at App Radar. She’s intrigued by trying to find new app retailer tips to share along with her shoppers all around the globe, with a particular deal with natural and paid consumer acquisition.