Don't assume a successful pre-launch test means your checkout will remain stable. During high-traffic events like BFCM, conduct test purchases in an incognito browser window every few hours. This practice helps catch unforeseen bugs or conflicts that can arise under heavy load before they cost you significant revenue.
Elevate Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) from tactical to strategic by treating it like a measurement system. A high volume of tests, viewed in context with one another, provides a detailed, high-fidelity understanding of user behavior, much like a 3D scan requires numerous data points for accuracy.
Maximize sales periods by launching promotions at 12:01 AM EST to catch early East Coast shoppers and ending them at 11:59 PM PST to accommodate late-night West Coast buyers, who often shop in two evening bumps.
Before a major sales event like BFCM, prepare plain-text, ready-to-send emergency emails addressing common problems like site crashes or shipping delays. This allows your team to communicate transparently and quickly during a crisis without scrambling to write copy.
Contrary to the belief that late-night shopping is for small, impulsive buys, data reveals it's when consumers purchase big-ticket items like airfare and appliances. This "vampire shopping" trend suggests a period of focused, uninterrupted decision-making for busy consumers, creating a key sales window.
When running a major sale, eliminate your multi-link bio. A single, direct link to the specific offer removes friction and prevents customer confusion. Adding extra choices in the bio when you have a singular goal is a common mistake that hurts conversions.
Lacking resources for new research? Re-examine past experiments through a fresh lens. A successful Airbnb test that moved pricing into a modal was initially seen as a tactical win. A designer reinterpreted it as a strategic signal that users demand total transparency, providing the evidence to justify a move to single-page checkout.
When you increase your BFCM discount (e.g., from 20% to 35%), don't turn off high-performing ads that mention the lower discount. A customer clicking an ad for 20% off and discovering a 35% offer on-site is a pleasant surprise that boosts conversion.
The common mistake in building AI evals is jumping straight to writing automated tests. The correct first step is a manual process called "error analysis" or "open coding," where a product expert reviews real user interaction logs to understand what's actually going wrong. This grounds your entire evaluation process in reality.
When product marketers create a video walkthrough of the complete customer journey for a campaign—from social post to in-product upgrade—they are forced to test every step. This acts as a forcing function for quality assurance, allowing the team to identify friction points or broken links before launch.
Brands running one static Black Friday deal all November see consumer interest wane. The most successful brands introduce a significantly better offer on Thanksgiving evening, creating a massive revenue spike by tapping into learned consumer behavior of waiting for the best deal.