What's an A/B test your ran where the results surprised you?

I ab tested discount % in pop up. I was of the notion that higher discount = better sign ups. Turns out even lesser discount % has better sign ups if strategy and timings are correct.

My big WTH moment came when I first tested having an interstitial page between the CTA in the email and the actual PDP on the website.

How we organized that was, we’d send half of our recipients to a clean CTA>PDP>Cart>Checkout sequence, and another half to a CTA>Lander>PDP>Cart>Checkout.

The ability to prime crucial information in the email (e.g. how a product solves a problem), before adding more info via the lander (e.g. a success story), increased our conversion rate by 20% on a fairly high ticket, considered purchase product (gym equipment).

Once you start tweaking the lander angle and matching that with your email content, this test can easily capture your attention for a full year or more before you find the ideal combination of elements.

I expected this to fail as it was an extra step in the customer journey (usually a no-no). Instead, it boosted sales significantly because it leaned into the considered purchase angle and helped augment purchase intent.