The Truth About A/B Testing (That Most Brands Ignore)

Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off:

Most of your A/B tests don’t work.

Not because testing is bad. But because most of y’all are testing the wrong damn things.

Here’s the dirty little secret nobody talks about - between 2020 and 2024, 89% of A/B tests failed to beat the control. That’s not just a stat. That’s a wake-up call.

And the worst part? This failure rate is self-inflicted. Most brands test the obvious stuff. The safe stuff. The stuff their intern suggested because it “looked good on Canva.”

But if you want real results - the kind that moves product, books demos, or gets your gear off the shelf - you need to stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a field-tested tactician.

Here’s how.

CLARITY BEATS SIMPLICITY (EVERY DAMN TIME)

Everybody parrots the same advice: “Keep it simple.”

But when Peloton ran the numbers, guess what won?

Clarity.

Their best-performing product page didn’t strip things down. It got specific:

• “See Details” for specs and reviews

• “Quick Add” to cart

No fluff. Just clarity on what happens when you click.

This matters if you’re selling protein bars, freeze-dried chili, or waterproof jackets. “Shop Now” is vague. “View Ingredients” or “Add Size Medium to Cart” wins every time.

And on social? Same rule. Be specific in your captions. Ditch “check this out” for “click to see why we cook in cast iron.”

CAROUSELS: YES, THEY WORK

Hot take: carousels aren’t dead.

New York Times tested them. They outperform static images.

Why? One slide at a time = less cognitive load. More narrative.

If you’re in outdoor, CPG, or even selling services, carousels let you control the flow:

• Slide 1: Problem

• Slide 2: Gut-punch stat

• Slide 3: Your product

• Slide 4: Testimonial

Treat it like a four-panel comic strip. Works like magic.

“BENEFIT-FIRST” CTAS ARE LOSING. BADLY.

This one stings.

Apple tested “Start Listening” vs “Try it Free.”

“Start Listening” flopped. Why? Because you can’t start listening without starting a free trial. The benefit was a bait-and-switch.

Clear > Clever.

Your buttons shouldn’t sell the outcome. They should preview the next step.

Bad: “Feel the Difference”

Good: “See Specs” or “Try Risk-Free for 7 Days”

And for social, use real CTAs. Not “Tell us what you think!” Instead: “Would you try this? Yes or no in the comments.”

MESSAGING: BACK TO BASICS

Remember when Mailchimp just said “Send better email”?

Then they bloated it up with enterprise jargon like “Unify audience data across marketing channels.”

Nobody cared.

Now they’re going back to basics: “Turn emails into revenue.”

Simple. Real. Punchy.

CPG brands, take notes. Outdoor brands too.

Nobody wants to hear about your “patented thermal layering system.”

They want: “Warmer. Drier. No sweat.”

COMPETITOR COMPARISONS KILL TRUST

Square tried putting competitor dropdowns on their pricing page.

Result? Conversions tanked.

Why? Because nobody trusts you to be objective about your competitors.

Instead:

• Double down on your category

• Show how you solve the problem differently

• Feature defensible traits (Made in the USA, 2x shelf life, fire-resistant, whatever your edge is)

LOGOS DON’T SELL - STORIES DO

Nearly 70% of SaaS brands slap customer logos on their homepage.

Asana tested it. Logos lost.

The winner? Quotes with context:

“Since switching, our dev costs dropped 70%.”

If you’re in outdoor gear or clean snacks, that means:

• Real testimonials

• Story-first case studies

• Specific numbers or outcomes

And if you must show logos? Link them to full stories. Don’t just throw them up as wallpaper.

STRIKETHROUGH PRICING FEELS LIKE A SCAM

You ever see something go from $99.99 to $29.99 and think, “Why was it ever $99?”

That’s the problem.

Spotify tested it. Slashed prices underperform. Consumers are smart. They know when they’re being gamed.

Show value. Not desperation.

“$12 for 12 oz of pasture-raised jerky” feels better than “$24.99 $12.99 SALE.”

Same on social. Lead with value, not fake urgency.

A/B TESTING RULES THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

Forget button colors. That’s child’s play.

Here’s what to test instead:

• CTA copy -- Specific beats vague

• Hook structure -- Open loops, not slogans

• Carousel slides -- What’s first? What’s last?

• Video intros -- Which line keeps viewers past 3 seconds?

• Headline phrasing -- Pain-first or outcome-first?

• Testimonials vs case studies -- Which drives more clicks?

Oh, and test on the right platform. If you’re trying to sell on LinkedIn what you built for Instagram, you’re burning cycles.

FINAL TAKE: STOP GUESSING. START DIGGING.

If your A/B tests suck, it’s not you. It’s your testing strategy.

Think deeper. Get uncomfortable. Test things that make you nervous - like ditching that 10-year-old slogan or rewriting your “About” page in plain English.

Most importantly? Don’t run tests just to run them.

Run them to learn.

The goal isn’t to beat a control. It’s to build a brand that actually converts.

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Giovanni Gallucci is a Shorty Award-winning social media strategist, SEO expert, and digital content creator with 20+ years of experience building audience-first marketing campaigns. Based in Dallas, he partners with clean-label food & beverage brands and outdoor lifestyle companies that put values over vanity. He helped launch Topo Chico’s digital presence pre-Coca-Cola, built community campaigns for Frito-Lay, and knows what it takes to get American-made brands seen - and sold.

When he’s not behind the camera or deep in analytics, you’ll find him in the wild - camping, hiking, and living the stories his clients are trying to tell.