Optimize your store listing pages with experiments

Using a global experiment, you can experiment with graphics in your app's default store listing language.

If your app’s store listing is only available in one language, global experiments will be shown to all users.

Note: If you’ve added any localized graphic assets in a specific language, users viewing your app in that language are excluded from your app’s global experiments.

• For example, if your app’s default language is English and it has a localized feature graphic in French, even if you’re running an experiment on your icon, users viewing your app in French will be excluded from the experiment.

Example

Run an experiment that uses a different feature graphic to see if it’s more effective in driving installs.

Using a localized experiment, you can experiment with graphics and/or text (short and full description) for a single language. Experiment variants will only be shown to users viewing your app’s store listing in the language you choose.

If your app’s store listing is only available in one language, localized experiments will only be shown to users viewing your app in its default language.

Example

Run an experiment that uses a different localized short description for a single language to see how it performs.

1. Sign in to your Google Play Developer Console.
2. Select an app.
3. On the left menu, click Store Listing > Experiments.
4. Under the type of experiment you want to run, click Create.
   • If you’re running a “Localized” experiment, you need to choose a language first.

After you’ve run one, you can review past experiments on your Experiments page.

After you’ve created an experiment, you can set up variants and choose the attributes you want to test.

To set up your experiment, here’s what you need to add:

• Name: The name of your experiment. Your experiment name is only visible on the Developer Console to identify the experiment and isn’t visible to users.
  • Examples: “Bright icon experiment,” “Logo feature graphic,” “Short description with new slogan”
• Audience: The percentage of users that see a variant of your experiment.
  • If you type 30% as your audience, the remaining 70% of visitors to your store listing page will see your page’s current version. Your audience percentage will be divided equally between your experiment variants.
    • For example, if you have a 30% audience and two variants in your experiment, each variant will be shown to 15% of users.
  • During an experiment, an individual user will only see a single variant or your page’s current version.
    • For example, if a user named Martin visits your app’s store listing page during an experiment, Martin will only see your app’s current version or a specific variant. Even if Martin goes to your store listing page multiple times during the experiment, he will see the same version each time.
• Attributes: Check the boxes for the store listing attributes you want to test and add variants.
  • Tip: To run experiments most effectively, test one attribute at a time.
  • You can only test your short description and full description on “Localized” experiments.
  • If you’re testing graphic assets, make sure to follow size and file type requirements.
• Variants: Click Add variant to add a new version to your experiment and add the attributes you want to test.
  • You can add up to 3 variants per experiment, in addition to your current version.

Once you’ve finished adding your variants and attributes and are ready to start collecting data, near the top of the screen, click Run experiment to start your experiment. If you’re not ready to start your experiment, you can click Save to finish later.

After you’ve created experiments, you can see the status of a current experiment and review your experiment's performance.

See the status of your current experiment

If you’re running an experiment, you can see your current experiment’s status near the top of your app’s Experiments page.

1. Sign in to your Google Play Developer Console.
2. Select an app.
3. On the left menu, click Store Listing > Experiments.

Near the top of the page, you’ll see the following details:

• Status: Progress & description of your experiment.
• Start date: When you started running the experiment.
• Result: Shows whether a variant or your current version is winning, if there's a tie, or if the experiment needs more data.

Review performance

Once you select an experiment, you can view specific details about how each variant performed during the experiment.

• Audience: % of users that see a variant of your experiment.
• Current installs: Total # of installs that remain installed today.
  • On the chart, you can see the number of daily installs and uninstalls.
• Scaled installs: # of installs during your experiment divided by audience share.
  • For example, if you ran an experiment with two variants that used 90% / 10% audience shares and the installs for each variant were A = 900 and B = 200, the scaled installs would be shown as A = 1000 (900/.9) and B = 2000 (200/0.1).
• Performance: Estimated change in install performance compared to the current version.
  • There is a 90% chance that the variant would perform within the displayed range over time. Since the range is based on a variant’s performance, these numbers will vary during the experiment.
  • The average between your variant’s high and low approximate change in install performance represents your variant’s estimated change in performance.
    • For example, if one of your variants had a performance range of +5% to +15%, the most likely change in performance would be the middle number between the two, about +10%.
  • Performance will only be displayed once your experiment has enough data. In general, as an experiment has more time to run and collect data, a variant’s performance range will become more narrow and accurate.

When your experiment has collected enough data, you can apply one of your experiment’s variants or choose to keep the current version.

Apply a variant

If one of your variants outperformed your app’s current version during the experiment, you can click Apply on the results banner near the top of the individual Experiments page or next to the variant on your details table. You’ll be able to review the changes to your store listing before applying them to your store listing.

Once you apply a variant, it will update your app’s store listing to use the selected variant and end the experiment.

Keep your current version

If your current version performed best, you can click Keep on the results banner near the top of the individual Experiments page or next to “Current” on your details table.

If you choose to keep the current version, it will update your app’s store listing to use your current version and end the experiment.

Stop experiment

If your experiment results in a tie, where no variant outperformed your current version, we recommend ending the experiment.

To end the experiment, near the top of the individual Experiments page, you can click Stop experiment on the results banner near the top of the screen.