A/B Split

The A/B Split node tests two versions of your content inside a single one-time campaign. It sends each variant to a small part of your audience, waits for a test period, and then sends the winning variant to everyone else.

You can use the A/B Split node with the Email, Push, On-Site, and In-App channels.

How A/B Split works

1. You add the A/B Split node to your campaign flow and choose a channel.
2. You assign a content to Variant A and to Variant B, and set the percentage of the audience that receives each one.
3. Dengage sends both variants at the same time.
4. Dengage waits for the test duration you set, in minutes.
5. When the test ends, Dengage compares the click performance of the two variants and sends the winning variant to the rest of the audience.

Add the node to your flow

1. Open a one-time campaign and go to the Campaign Workflow step.
2. Configure the Audience node first. The action nodes stay inactive until you select an audience.
3. Drag the A/B Split node from the Actions list onto the canvas and connect it to the flow.
4. Double-click the A/B Split node. The A/B Test window opens on the Channel step.

Step 1: Choose a channel

The Channel step lists the channels you can test: Email, Push, On-Site, and In-App.

Select a channel and click Next. The channel you pick decides which delivery settings appear on the next step.

Step 2: Configure the test

The Configure step has three parts: the distribution bar, the variant rows, and the A/B Optimization section. The delivery settings of the selected channel follow below them.

Distribution bar

The bar at the top shows how Dengage splits the audience. The green section is the share that receives Variant A. The blue section is the share that receives Variant B. The grey section is the share that waits for the winning variant, and its label shows the percentage, for example 90% goes to winner.

The bar updates as you change the percentages in the variant rows. You can also drag the handle between the sections to adjust the split.

Variant rows

Each variant has its own row with a Distribution field and a Select Content button.

1. In the Variant A row, enter the percentage of the audience that receives this variant. The default is 5%.
2. Click Select Content. The Select Content window lists the contents of the selected channel in folders. Use the search box or the Filter button to find a content, select it, and click Select.
3. Repeat the same steps in the Variant B row.

After you select a content, its name appears under the variant row with a preview icon, and the button changes to Change Content. Click Change Content to pick a different content for that variant.

Dengage sends the remaining share of the audience to the winning variant. For example, with 5% for Variant A and 5% for Variant B, the remaining 90% receives the winner.

A/B Optimization

This section sets how Dengage picks the winner. It reads Choose winner variant by best Click after [N] minutes and send to the rest.

Enter the test duration in minutes in the Click after field. The default is 120 minutes. When the test duration ends, Dengage compares the click performance of Variant A and Variant B. It then sends the variant with the better result to the rest of the audience.

Channel settings

Below the A/B Optimization section, the window shows the delivery settings of the selected channel. These settings work the same way as they do in the standard channel nodes.

For Push, On-Site, and In-App, the application list fills in after you select the contents. The list shows only the applications that the selected contents can use.

Save the node

Click Save to add the configured A/B Split node to your flow. Click Back to return to the Channel step, or Cancel to close the window without saving.

Example: testing two email subject lines

You prepare an email campaign for a new product launch. You want to know which subject line drives more engagement.

1. You add the A/B Split node to your flow and choose the Email channel.
2. You assign an email with the subject line "Introducing Our New Collection" to Variant A.
3. You assign an email with the subject line "You Asked, We Delivered" to Variant B.
4. You keep the distribution at 5% for Variant A and 5% for Variant B. The remaining 90% waits for the winner.
5. You keep 120 minutes in the Click after field.

Dengage sends both emails to their test groups at the same time. After two hours, it compares the click performance of the two emails. It then sends the better performing email to the remaining 90% of your audience.

Your campaign optimizes itself, and most of your contacts receive the version that performs better.