Which experiment should I run? Theme vs Template vs Split URL
Cooee gives you three ways to A/B test your storefront on live traffic: Theme A/B, Template, and Split URL. Choosing the right one usually comes down to a single question:
Are you changing how a page looks, or which page a visitor lands on?
Restyling the whole store (every page) → Theme A/B
Redesigning one page type, staying in your current theme → Template
Sending visitors to a genuinely different page at its own URL → Split URL
At a glance
Experiment | What changes | Same URL? | Best for |
Theme A/B | Your whole theme, across every page | Yes | Store-wide look & feel |
Template | One page type's layout, inside your current theme | Yes | Redesigning a single page type |
Split URL | Which page the visitor lands on | No — traffic goes to a different URL | Comparing two distinct pages |
Theme A/B — test two versions of your whole store
A Theme experiment swaps your entire Shopify theme. Every page changes at once, so it's the right choice for store-wide design decisions — the parts of your storefront that are shared across pages.
Reach for a Theme test when you're changing:
Header, navigation, or menu structure
Global colours, fonts, or branding
Footer design
A brand-new theme you want to compare against your current one
Template — test one page type's layout
A Template experiment tests two versions of a single page type — product pages, collection pages, the homepage, and so on — within your current theme. The theme and the URL stay the same; only the layout of that page type changes. You build the alternate layout as a template in your Shopify theme editor, and Cooee splits traffic between the two.
Reach for a Template test when you're redesigning:
The product page layout — e.g. moving bundles, reviews, or the buy box; changing the image gallery
The homepage hero section
A collection page's grid or arrangement
The cart page layout
Split URL — send traffic to a different page
A Split URL experiment sends a share of your visitors to a completely different URL and compares the two pages. Use it when the variant is its own page — not a restyle of your theme, and not just an alternate template of the same page.
Reach for a Split URL test when you're comparing:
A campaign landing page vs a standard page — e.g. sending ad traffic to a curated, editorial landing page instead of your default collection grid
A hand-curated shopping page vs the standard collection — to see whether a merchandised experience converts better than the automatic grid
A simplified or alternative product page — built as a duplicate product, to test whether fewer options lift conversion
Two versions of an evergreen page — e.g. an About page, to see which builds more trust and drives more downstream sales
Page-builder layouts (PageFly, GemPages, Replo) — build each version at its own URL, since these can't be compared with a Template test
Still not sure? Quick rules
What you want to test? | What to use? |
Different product page layout | Template |
Hero section changes | Template |
Header or footer designs | Theme A/B |
Store-wide colours or fonts | Theme A/B |
A campaign landing page | Split URL |
A page-builder layout (PageFly / GemPages / Replo) | Split URL |
A curated collection experience vs the standard grid | Split URL |
The rule of thumb: if you're restyling the same page, it's Theme (whole store) or Template (one page type). If the variant is a different page at a different URL, it's Split URL.
Next steps
Ready to set one up? Start with the overview for your chosen type: