Multivariate Testing
\ˈməl-tə-ˈver-ē-ət\ \ˈtes-tiŋ\
Multivariate testing allows marketers to simultaneously compare two or more versions of a message (or other test subject) to assess which variant performs the best.
Definition
Multivariate testing is a type of testing that makes it possible to test multiple variables by comparing several variants of a customer message, web page, or other asset simultaneously in order to determine which version performs best. This kind of testing (also known as MV testing) is often contrasted with A/B testing, which compares two variants in order to test a single variable.
Multivariate testing is often used by marketers to optimize their customer messaging. That can mean comparing different message variants to see how different copy, images, and color schemes impact conversions, comparing the efficacy of different types of in-app messages, and more.
“We ran some A/B tests to figure out whether email subject lines with questions marks performed better than ones without, but it wasn’t until we started multivariate testing that we realized that the most effective combination was subject lines that posed a question and included emojis.”