Week 1: Best of A/B Testing - DHL Ethnicity & Gender Testing

Welcome to our six-part blog series entitled “Best of A/B Testing.”  Every week we will be showcasing a customer A/B test, along with testing results and learning. 

This Tuesday, we are  showcasing a two-part A/B test from DHL Australia, an international leader in courier, express and parcel delivery services.

Which courier image increased lead conversion rates 30%?

Test 1: European vs Asian
Traffic source: Pay-per click advertising on Google
Market: Australia 
Test Type: Imagery; testing ethnicity & gender

Hypothesis: A European courier image will drive more lead conversions than an Asian courier image because Australian searchers will find a strong emotional connection to a European courier (90% of Australia’s population is of European descent).
 

Results: Surprisingly, the Asian courier drove 30% more lead conversions than the European courier. It is interesting to note that over 8% of the Australian population is of Asian descent (predominantly Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Indian).

After the initial ethnicity test, DHL continued to test imagery. The second A/B split tested gender, a female against a male courier of Asian descent.

Which courier image increased lead conversion rates 15%? 

Test 2: Female vs Male
Traffic source: Pay-per click advertising on Google
Market: Australia 
Test Type: Imagery; testing gender 

Hypothesis: A female courier will drive more lead conversions than an male courier because previous testing results (in Norway) showed female imagery as a strong driver of conversion.

Results: The female Asian courier drove 15% more lead conversions than the European courier, similar to results in Norway, where female imagery resulted in a 25% increase in lead conversions.

DHL operates in over 220 countries and territories, and specializes in providing customers with customized transportation solutions from a single source. 

In 2010, Global Digital Marketing Specialist, Rolf Inge Holden, adopted LiveBall and deployed the software to marketing departments in 50 markets. Since, DHL has created landing pages in over and 200 countries and territories in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Learn more.