A/B split test result: trial sign-ups are down, but profits are up?

After running an A/B split test, when the results are in, you always have to make the decision:
Do I switch to the new version or not?

If the difference in conversion is large, the decision is easy: just switch to the best version.
If the difference is small, the decision may be harder, but then again, which way you go doesn’t matter much anyway.

However, I have just done an A/B test where the difference in results is large, but still it’s not clear whether I should stick with version A (my control), or switch to version B (my challenger). Here’s my test: Continue reading

Mandatory sign up for the free trial ?

sign-upOffering a free trial edition is an important tool to sell more software, I think we can all agree on that. But how do you make that trial editon available to potential customers?
Do you let them download the trial using a publicly available download link on your website? Or do you force them to give you their email address first (mandatory sign up)? Or maybe a softer, optional sign up?

If you want as many users as possible to evaluate your trial version, it makes sense to make downloading it easy as possible, no barriers at all.
On the other hand, having the email address of your trial users lets you follow up with them, hopefully increasing your chances of converting them into customers.

Which approach will bring you more profits?
Public Download Links or Mandatory Sign Ups?
As always, there’s only one way to find out: an A/B split test. Continue reading

Choosing the limitation of your trial edition

One of the hardest things to decide on when releasing a trial edition of your software is the registration incentive, or in other words, the limitation of this trial edition.
But it is also a decision that may have a big impact on your downloads to sales conversion rate. So let’s look at it more closely.

First, here’s my thoughts of what a trial edition is and what it is for.
A trial edition is:

  • A marketing tool, designed to convert website visitors into customers.
  • An evaluation version, a way for prospects to try your software before they buy.
  • Not free software.

So, how does this impact the design of your trial edition?
Continue reading