A/B Testing of Push Messages: A Complete Guide

1. Fundamentals of Push Notification A/B Testing

What You Can Test:

1. Headline text (up to 40 characters)
2. Message body (up to 120 characters)
3. Emoji usage
4. Send time
5. Images/icons
6. CTA button text
7. Landing pages

Test Example:

2. Step-by-Step Testing Process

Step 1: Define Your Goal

1. Increase CTR
2. Boost conversions
3. Reduce opt-outs

Step 2: Test One Variable at a Time

Change only one element per test for clean results.

Step 3: Split Your Audience

1. 50/50 split for precise results
2. 70/30 split for faster tests

Step 4: Set Test Duration

Minimum 3-7 days for statistical significance.

3. 7 Key Elements to Test

1. Headlines
2. With vs without emojis
3. Question vs statement format
4. Percentage discount vs fixed amount
5. Message Content
6. Short (60 chars) vs long (120 chars)
7. Brand mention vs generic
8. Urgency creation vs neutral tone
9. Send Time
10. Morning (9-11 AM) vs evening (7-9 PM)
11. Weekdays vs weekends
12. Images
13. Product photos vs logos
14. Bright vs neutral colors
15. CTA Buttons
16. "Buy Now" vs "View Offer"
17. Green vs red color
18. Personalization
19. With name vs without
20. Geo-targeted vs generic
21. Frequency
22. 1x/week vs 3x/week
23. Message series vs one-offs

4. A/B Testing Tools

1. OneSignal (built-in functionality)
2. Pushwoosh (advanced analytics)
3. Google Optimize (integrates with Analytics)
4. DMPilot (simple audience splitting)

5. Analyzing Results

Key Metrics:

1. CTR (Click-Through Rate):
2. Benchmark: 5-15% (e-commerce), 2-8% (B2B)
3. Conversion Rate:
4. Percentage completing target action
5. Opt-out Rate:
6. Warning sign if >3% during test

Statistical Significance:

Use calculators (like Optimizely) to determine result reliability.

6. Best Practices

1. Test hypotheses based on analytics data
2. Document all tests and results
3. Repeat successful tests in different conditions
4. Combine winning elements from different tests

Optimization Cycle Example:

7. Real-World Case Studies

Case 1: Electronics E-commerce

1. Test: Price amount vs percentage discount
2. Result: "Save $35" version delivered +37% CTR

Case 2: Media Site

1. Test: Morning vs evening news pushes
2. Result: Evening notifications drove +28% clicks

Case 3: SaaS Platform

1. Test: "Try Now" vs "Get Demo" CTA
2. Result: Second version increased conversions by 21%

Key Takeaways

Systematic A/B testing can gradually improve push campaign performance by 10-30% over several iterations. Start with high-impact elements (headlines, timing) before moving to finer optimizations.

💡 Pro Tip: Maintain a master spreadsheet documenting all tests with dates, hypotheses and outcomes to identify long-term trends.