Many coming changes and improvements to the App Store were announced by Apple at this year’s WWDC, not just for users and developers but those involved in mobile app marketing too.

Amongst them, A/B testing and custom product pages stood out to us as some of the most exciting new tools for mobile app marketers to better target their apps to users and boost conversions – keep reading to find out what we mean.

What’s New

Later this year, the App Store will introduce custom product pages and product page optimization, both of which enable app marketers to deploy and test changes in their creatives on their App Store product pages, then compare performance on the App Analytics section in App Store Connect.

The ability to create up to 35 custom product pages to showcase different features of the app to different users will allow mobile app marketers to run A/B tests to try out different app preview videos, screenshots, and promotional text to see what best resonates with users.

On the other hand, product page optimization lets you experiment with different app icons, app preview videos, or screenshots to understand what works best at driving users to download your app. You’ll be able to test up to 3 different variants for 90 days.

To learn more about these updates, watch Apple’s announcement video from WWDC21 or go to the official webpage.

Why We’re Excited

Historically, iOS developers had to fully deploy creative changes to the App Store product page to measure traffic before and after deployment. As we’ve come to realise that this process doesn’t always provide the most accurate insight because trends and traffic can change between pre- and post-deployment periods.

With the introduction of these new features, we’ll be able to streamline the way we test changes in creative sets, and simultaneously experiment with variants of an app product page with different audiences to determine which version yields the biggest impact.

This is a game changer for everyone who has or will have an iOS app, especially if you have clear subsets of demographics – i.e. a wellness app like Deliciously Ella with a plant-based recipe element or a note-taking app that appeals to both students and professionals. And we cannot wait to explore all the new ways we can use custom product pages to help our clients offer a more personalised experience to their users and drive even more conversions.

How to Do an A/B Test

While it may be tempting to test as many changes as possible, as with any A/B test, we recommend that you test one variable at a time. If you’re testing a particular screenshot, test for changes either in the visual or the copy – not both. This is the only way you’ll know for sure if there is one element that leads to the best results.

Throughout the duration of each test, you can compare the performance against the original product page and access metrics like metrics such as impressions, downloads, conversion rate, retention data, and average proceeds per paying user in App Analytics.

If you need a refresher on how to optimise your product page to enhance discoverability or you're not sure how ASO works, we have a useful blog post here.

Is your app ready?

There are plenty more changes coming to the App Store, and our team can help you prepare your app for them all. Get in touch via hello@digitalworkroom.co.uk.