Every year, Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) brings big news to the digital world. Its 2021 edition introduced new tools that will change the game in the App Store with the launch of iOS 15 in the Fall. 

Apple announced a new way to optimize your product page with A/B testing and the possibility to create different product pages to better target your different audiences. You will also be able to set up in-app events. New tools in App Analytics will also make an appearance to allow you to analyze the results of all these new changes.

Product page optimization: A/B testing

A/B testing is finally coming to the App Store. Available since 2015 on the Google Play Store, developers have been asking for years for a similar option on the Apple counterpart. The news iOS 15 will finally answer those prayers and make A/B testing available on the App Store. 

Thanks to the new product page optimization, you will be able to test up to 3 different variants for a period of up to 90 days. You can even choose the reach you want these variants to have (the percentage you choose will be split evenly between the different variants you have planned). 

In these variants, you will be able to try different app icons, app preview videos, or screenshots. You won’t be able to test different titles and subtitles. If you run a test with the app icon, users who download your app will have your test icon on their home screen. A/B tests will also be possible with specific localizations, if your App uses several localizations you will have the opportunity to choose if you want to test only on a specific localization.

The new screenshots and videos you will provide for the treatments will still need to be reviewed by Apple before the testing can begin. However, the new analytics will allow you to monitor the results (including impressions, downloads, conversion, and the improvement that each treatment gets against the baseline). If the test is successful, you’ll be able to apply the treatment that best resonates with your users as your app’s default page.

Product page customization

Apple also announced the new possibility to customize product pages. With this new tool, you will be able to create up to 35 different landing pages, mainly for UA purposes. These custom product pages will let you showcase different features and content aimed at different uses, intended to make it more relevant and effective for a specific audience. However, they will all need to be approved by Apple. 

Each custom page can have its own set of app preview videos, screenshots, and promotional text, and will be fully localizable. They will also be individually shareable using their own unique URL, allowing you to link your custom page from an outside source and match with your social media ads.

App Analytics will let you view metrics for each page including impressions, downloads, and conversion rate. But you will also be able to monitor what happens after the user downloads the app with a new access to retention data and the average proceeds per paying user for each custom product page. Not only will you be able to custom pages, but you’ll also be able to analyze how each page is converting your users. When the feature launches, you’ll be able to create each page without having to submit a new version of your app.

In-App events

This fall, you’ll be able to showcase events happening in your app directly on the App Store. In-App Events can range from a game competition to a movie premiere or even a fitness challenge. This is a new way to showcase events happening within your app, expand their reach, and maybe attract a few users thanks to them!

In-App Events will appear on the App Store through a new event card. This card is designed to showcase the essential information about your event: your event name, a short description, a time indicator, and either an image or a video (of up to 30 seconds!). The event card will be available on your product page (below your screenshots if the user hasn’t downloaded your app and above if they have) but it will also be discoverable through search! 

Tapping on the event card will forward the user to an event details page where you will be able to share a longer description and a larger media asset, giving users additional context on your event. The event details page will also have a unique shareable URL and will remain available for 30 days after the end of the event. 

You will be able to promote your event up to two weeks before it starts, and Apple’s editorial team will be curating a list of exciting and innovative events in their Today, Games, and Apps tabs. Each app will be able to host ten events in the approved state (when they succeeded the App Store review) but you can only publish 5 events to the App Store at a time. 

Again, App Analytics will let you track your impressions, where users saw your event, whether they opened the app or the event details page, how many downloaded or redownloaded the app, and how many enabled notifications. 

Improved App Analytics

As we showed before, to assist with the new elements of iOS 15, Apple is also improving App Analytics to help you make the most of its new tools. Starting in Fall, you will be able to monitor your app pre-order campaign through impressions, product page views, and the number of pre-order. These numbers will also be available according to their territories.

In addition to monitoring your proceeds over time, you’ll also be able to check the reception of your updates, like how many users installed your app update. Not only updates but also re-downloads. With the new features in App Analytics, you will be able to view re-downloads by territory, device, etc. 

That’s not the only thing, App Analytics will also let you analyze data from your users on macOS (like crashes and downloads for example), but also your App Clips (with installations, sessions, crashes, top territories, and card views). As we’ve seen earlier, App Analytics’ brand new dashboard will also help you watch over iOS 15’s new features like Product Page Optimization and Customization and, of course, In-App Events.

With 600 million weekly visitors in 175 countries, it’s important for the App Store to offer the best experience to those using its platform. These new features will enhance the user experience and offer new ways to showcase your app in the best possible way. To recap, the main announcements for the App Store in iOS 15 were:

• The arrival of A/B testing with product page optimization which allows you up to 3 treatment pages to test your icon, preview video, and screenshots
• The possibility to create up to 35 different customizations of your product page, each with its own URL 
• Showcasing your In-App Events to users, whether they’ve already installed the app or not
• A brand new App Analytics dashboard to oversee all these changes and compare performances

Have you followed all the WWDC 2021 news? What are your thoughts on all these news? Tell us in the comments!

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Marine Nozerand

Hi there, I'm Marine (she/her), I'm a Content Manager at Apptamin. Apptamin is a creative agency specialized in app videos (video ads, app store videos, etc.).

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