Use Cases for Shipping Test
Eraya’s Shipping Test allows merchants to experiment with different shipping rate strategies to understand how they affect conversion, average order value (AOV), and overall profitability. Currently, Eraya supports Flat Rate and Threshold-based shipping tests.
1. Flat Rate vs Free Shipping
Flat rate shipping tests are useful to understand how customers respond to a fixed delivery fee compared to free or discounted shipping offers.
Example:
A (Control): $5 flat rate shipping
B (Variation): Free shipping
If total conversion and average order value both increase, offering free shipping may be offset by higher sales volume.
Why use it:
To find the balance between shipping costs and order conversion.
To test whether free shipping increases cart completion rates.
2. Testing Free Shipping Thresholds
Threshold-based tests help determine the best minimum order value required to qualify for free shipping — encouraging customers to increase their cart size.
Example:
A (Control): Free shipping over $75
B (Variation): Free shipping over $90
Eraya measures changes in average order value, cart completion rate, and revenue between the two groups.
Why use it:
To optimize AOV by motivating customers to add more items.
To test if a higher threshold negatively affects conversion.
3. Reducing Cart Abandonment
Shipping cost is one of the top reasons for cart abandonment. Testing different flat rate or free-shipping thresholds can help you find the sweet spot that reduces friction without hurting margins.
Example:
A (Control): $6.99 flat shipping
B (Variation): $4.99 flat shipping
If orders increase significantly while profit per order remains acceptable, lowering the shipping fee may improve overall profitability.
⚙️ Supported Setup
Eraya currently supports:
Flat Rate Shipping Test Compare a fixed shipping fee with free or discounted shipping.
Threshold-Based Shipping Test Compare two different free-shipping thresholds (e.g., $60 vs $80).
Both methods automatically track conversion rate, average order value, and total revenue per variant.
Multi-rate and dynamic-zone shipping tests will be available in future updates.
✅ Best Practices
Test for at least 2–3 weeks to capture both new and returning visitors.
Avoid overlapping promotions (e.g., discounts or bundle offers) that can influence results.
Choose meaningful differences in shipping price or threshold (10–20% gap).
Monitor profit margin impact — higher conversions don’t always mean higher profit.
Apply consistent messaging across banners, checkout, and product pages.
🚫 When Not to Run a Shipping Test
During major promotional campaigns (e.g., site-wide discounts or seasonal sales).
When your logistics costs or carrier rates are changing.
If your store offers free shipping site-wide as a default policy.
When inventory or delivery timelines are inconsistent.
If other A/B tests (price, discount, or bundle tests) are active on the same products.
Last updated