The Price & Offer Test Playbook - How to Lift AOV & Profit Without Killing CVR

Hey ecommerce operators… 👋 we’re back with another CRO & PROFITS NEWSLETTER. Bringing real actionable value to brand owners & teams to improve your funnel and profitability for your brand.

Let’s be honest, price testing & offer testing is scary - we’re going to break down how to do it profitably (FREE GUIDE AT THE BOTTOM).

Price & Offer Testing is one of the most powerful CRO levers you’ve got, but it’s also one of the most avoided.

Why?

Because many fear it.

You’re not alone. Even the 8 and 9 figure brands we work with, pricing gets treated like a fixed number instead of a variable for revenue.

So let’s break the fear, and replace it with a proven system and some facts.

Here’s what we’ve learned after quite a few pricing experiments across scaling Shopify brands, and exactly how you can start testing smarter, safer, and profitably.

💥 The Real Reason Price Tests Fail

Most brands make 3 mistakes:

1. They test prices too early

   Before fixing the core funnel. Your offer, message, and UX aren’t dialed yet - and you’re playing with pricing?

2. They test random numbers

   €49 vs €69 with zero logic. No bundling logic. No anchoring strategy. No psychological triggers to incentivise more spend or justify it.

3. They watch the wrong metrics

   Conversion rate dips a bit and everyone panics. Meanwhile, AOV is up, margin’s up… and they miss the bigger win.

Price testing done wrong = chaos.

Price testing done right = clarity, confidence, and control over revenue.

✅ When You Should Be Testing Price & Offers

If any of these ring true, you need to be testing -

• Your AOV has plateaued for 60-90+ days

• CAC is rising and your margins are getting smoked

• You’re getting repeat traffic, but low AOV

• Ops are saying “our margin’s too thin”

• You haven’t increased it before:)

In other words - the product’s great. But the profit isn’t.

That’s when price testing becomes your unlock. Not your liability.

🔬 The Framework We Use At PM Digital

We run this inside our CRO program using Shopify split testing apps.

It’s designed to work even if -

• You’re on Shopify with a custom theme

• You’ve got zero dev time

• You want to run a safe test without breaking layout or UX

Step 1: Pick a real business question

👉 “Can we lift AOV without touching conversion?”

👉 “Should we bundle x and y together as customers buy them each time and increase perceived value?”

Step 2: Use a binary test

👉 Test 10 - 15% increases, and primarily aim for 2 variants minimum

👉 Products vs Pre Created Bundling

👉 Testing shipping price with a shipping threshold they must pass to get it which is relevant to your AOV

Step 3: Run the test clean

👉 An app like ABConvert/Intelligems lets you avoid duplicate products or custom dev

Step 4: Track the right metrics

👉 RPV = revenue per visitor

👉 PPV = profit per visitor

👉 Don’t panic about CR unless it tanks hard

👉 Test for minimum 2-4 weeks then work out if its profitable based off COGS and margins

🧠 Real Test Ideas That Print Money

Here’s what we’ve tested for high-growth brands:

1. Shipping Threshold Test

   Raise free shipping from $50 → $62.

   🧠 AOV goes up. No discounting.

   💡 Why? People hate paying for shipping, but love unlocking free shipping at certain spends.

2. Bundle vs. Single Product

   €79 pre-built bundle vs €49 solo SKU
   = Spot it in order analysis of being bought together

   🧠 Easier buying decision, higher cart value

   💡 Customers want convenience + value

3. Anchoring Test

   “Was €89, now €69” vs just showing €69

   🧠 Perceived value increases

   💡 Shoppers need reference points to feel smart about spending

4. Tiered Product Versions

   Basic, Premium, Deluxe: €59 / €79 / €99

   🧠 Compromise effect = most people go mid-tier

   💡 Upsell features, not just price

🚀 Bonussss-What Happens When You Do This Right

One of our clients tested €49 vs €55 on a flagship SKU.

• Conversion stayed flat

• AOV increased 12%

• RPV up 11%

They didn’t change traffic. Didn’t update their landing page.

Just changed price, backed by data and profit lifted instantly.

TL;DR - Price Testing Should Be Your Weapon You Must Try Every So Often

• Test smarter, not harder

• Ground it in real insight (UX, survey data, RPV goals)

• Don’t fix what’s not broken, fix what’s underpriced

• Think margin, not just conversion rate (we hate this metric)

• Use tools like ABConvert to run tests without dev headaches

Want help running your first test or scaling a full CRO testing roadmap? Check out this free guide below on price testing.

Let’s make your pricing as high-converting as your product.

If you’re ready to trade in surface-level tweaks for serious growth, let’s chat.

Reply to this email or click here to book your CRO strategy session.

Paddy

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