# iOS 15 and Product Page Optimization: A Crash Course in Launching A/B Testing on the App Store

- Link: https://phiture.com/asostack/ios15-product-page-optimization/
- Published: 2021-12-09T16:14:27+01:00
- Author: Iryna Maniuk

![](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Article-banner-2-1-300x164.jpg)

Product Page Optimization (PPO), or App Store native A/B testing, became publicly
available on December 7. And now, with the official release of Google Play’s experiment
platform counterpart, both stores now have true A/B testing tools to gather platform-
specific learnings and gain a better understanding of users’ preferences. 

More tests are yet to come that will explore the history of testing between the 
two platforms, as well as the extent to which PPO is able to move the needle on 
App Store conversion rates. For now, let’s recall the initial WWDC21 promise and
dive into the test setup in the App Store Connect.

Table of Contents

 * [What is Product Page Optimization? ](https://phiture.com/asostack/ios15-product-page-optimization/#what_is_product_page_optimization)
 * [New PPO Details You Might Have Missed](https://phiture.com/asostack/ios15-product-page-optimization/#new_ppo_details_you_might_have_missed)
 * [A Checklist to Set Up and Launch Your First PPO Test](https://phiture.com/asostack/ios15-product-page-optimization/#a_checklist_to_set_up_and_launch_your_first_ppo_test)
 * [Final Remarks and Recommendations](https://phiture.com/asostack/ios15-product-page-optimization/#final_remarks_and_recommendations)

## What is Product Page Optimization? 

First announced on July 7, 2021 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Product
Page Optimization is the newest native A/B/C/D testing environment in the App Store.
Developers were promised that they would be able to test their product page with
up to 3 different treatments to identify the most conversion-centric app page creatives.

To put it into numbers: 

 * 3 product page variations per test
 * 3 assets can be changed (icon, screenshots, app preview) 
 * Up to 90 days to run the test

It was said that all the variations would be reviewed by the Apple team unless they
used pre-approved screenshots. _Screenshots_ and _app previews_ could be uploaded
and applied independent of the app release, while the app’s icon should be included
in the binary of the published app. 

The new App Analytics tool was also announced to support A/B testing with  impressions,
conversion rate, and improvement features included to help compare performance against
the original product page throughout the test.

 

![](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/img_1-300x156.png)

[_Apple Developer_](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page-optimization/)

**Besides numerous, well-known benefits of A/B testing (e.g., identifying the most
engaging features, value propositions, eye-catching designs, etc.), PPO also reveals
valuable insights when testing seasonal assets and culturally relevant content for
a certain location. **

## New PPO Details You Might Have Missed

 * ** ****OS limitation: **Only iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 (or later) users will be shown
   treatments 
 * ** ****Consistency across the App Store:** Users who have seen a particular treatment,
   e.g., B variation, will keep seeing the same treatment (B variation) across the
   App Store during the whole test period. This means that the same meta treatments
   will be shown not only in the Search results but also on the Today, Games, and
   Apps tabs. 
 * ** ****Access limitation (spotted on the ASO Stack): **It seems that PPO is only
   available for those who previously [applied for In-App Events](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/submission-update/).
 * ** ****Submission limitation (spotted on the ASO Stack): **You can’t have two
   different submissions for review simultaneously, _e.g., _a new app version and
   a new product page treatment. The product page treatment should be submitted 
   once the new version is approved and in the ‘ready for sale’ status. 

If you submit a new app version while a test is running, the test will automatically
stop. 

 * ** ****Limited number of tests (spotted on the ASO Stack): **Only one test can
   be running at a given time. 
 * ** ****Limited Analytics (spotted on the ASO Stack):** If you run a test in more
   than one language locale, you won’t be able to differentiate between them when
   it comes to reporting as there are no filters in the Acquisitions section of 
   Analytics. 

## A Checklist to Set Up and Launch Your First PPO Test

 1. ** Add a reference name (up to 64 characters)****
     
    The best practice is to include
    the date, type of assets, and the hypotheses that are being tested (e.g., December2022_screenshots_educationalfeatures)
 2. ** Select the number of treatments (up to 3)**
 3. ** Choose traffic proportion (up to 75%)**
 4. ** Select language locales****
     
    Note that only localizations available with the
    current app version can be included in A/B testing. 
 5. ** ****Estimate test duration and choose CVR improvement (optional currently not
    available)****_
     
    _Note that the test will run for 90 days or until you stop it
    manually within that time.
 6. **Add treatments**

Keep in mind the importance of iterative testing. Limit the number of elements changed
at once so that you can easily identify what has impacted the conversion rate. Check
out how to build a [systematic process for ASO with the CRO Loop](https://phiture.com/asostack/building-a-systematic-process-for-aso-with-the-cro-loop-d1c4bc7ca725/)
to improve your store listing iteratively.

**_Note: only screenshots and app previews are available for testing for now._**

 

[[

[_Apple Developer_](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page-optimization/)

 

 6. ** ****Launch**

Note that each treatment will be reviewed by the Apple team before going live. _Screenshots_
and _app previews _can be tested independent of the app release, while the app’s
_icon_ should be included in the binary of your published app before running the
test. 

 7. ** Monitor and analyze ****
     
    Keep in mind that the performance metrics will be
    available the day after the test begins. 
      You can view and analyze: – unique 
    impressions – conversion rate – improvement  – confidence level for each treatment.

The original product will be considered the baseline by default but can be changed
at any time. 

[[

[_Apple Developer_](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page-optimization/)

## Final Remarks and Recommendations

As the PPO feature has just recently been officially launched, there are many things
yet to be explored. Here are a few recommendations that we can share based on our
first-hand experience and observations from the ASO Stack Community

 1. ** Keep in mind the existing limitations**

 *  Submit your test for approval once your new app version is ‘ready for sale’,
   not simultaneously.
 * ** **Only**_ one test_** can be run at a given time.
 *  Run **one test per language locale.** If you’re running a test for multiple 
   locales, you won’t be able to differentiate them in reporting. 

 2. ** Follow the iterative approach in testing**

Limit the number of variables in the test to make sure you can easily identify what
has brought the biggest impact to the conversion rate. Follow the [CRO Loop recommendations](https://phiture.com/asostack/building-a-systematic-process-for-aso-with-the-cro-loop-d1c4bc7ca725/)
to craft hypotheses and analyze learnings. 

 3. ** Check ASO Stack updates on Slack****
     
    Join our knowledge-sharing community 
    on Slack to get the latest updates and be part of hot-right-now discussions. And
    if you need specific ASO advice, feel free to reach out to us on the [ASO Stack](https://asostack.slack.com/archives/C628Z5M7X)
    Slack Community and the Phiture team will be in touch!

If you need specific advice regarding App Store Optimization or conversion rates,
feel free to reach out!
