Can I do A/B testing with DESelect?

Yes! A/B testing can be done in DESelect Segment using the Sort & Limit feature. This feature allows you to:

• Sort records (randomly or based on a specific field).

• Limit records (by a specific number or percentage).

This makes it easy to split your audience into test groups for controlled experiments.

How to Set Up A/B Testing in DESelect Segment?

1. On the Output step, click on the Tools.
2. Choose Sort & Limit
   
   
   
3. A modal will appear where you can:

   • Sort your data (randomly or by a specific field like email address or last name).

   • Limit your data by selecting a number (e.g., 10,000 contacts) or a percentage (e.g., 50% of the total records).

   
   
   
   
4. Click Save

Example Use Case: A/B Testing for Email Subject Lines

Scenario

You want to test two email subject lines to determine which one gets a higher open rate.

Steps in DESelect Segment

1. Total audience: 100,000 email subscribers.

2. Create Group A (50%)

   • Create a Selection with all 100,000 contacts.

   • Open Sort & Limit and set:

     • Sort by: A specific field (e.g., Contact ID, Email Address, or Last Name).

     • Limit: 50% of records.

3. Create Group B (Remaining 50%)

   • Create a second Selection with the same dataset.

   • In Sort & Limit, apply:

     • Sort by: The same field as in Group A.

     • Limit: 50% of records.

     • Filter out contacts already included in Group A (e.g., use a greater-than/less-than condition on Contact ID).

4. Send Emails

   • Assign Email Subject A to Group A and Email Subject B to Group B in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

5. Analyze Results

   • Compare open rates and click-through rates to determine which subject line performs better.

Related articles

How can I limit the results from multiple data sources/tabs within a Selection?

Scenario: Get 50 random customers

December '20 Release: Sort & Limit