Split theme experiements are perfect for testing sitewide changes like branding/styling updates, navigation changes, and more. To create a split theme experiment, first be sure that you are integrated with Shopify. If you do not have a Shopify variant option when you create your experiment then you will need to go back and complete the integration.
Step 1: Create your variants in Shopify
First, you will need to go into your Shopify dashboard and navigate to "Sales Channels" > "Online Store" > "Themes." You should see your live theme at the top like the demo store shown below.
Click the three-dot button to the left of "Customize" and select "Duplicate." Then you should find the duplicated theme in your Theme Library list below. You can then click the more options button on the duplicated theme to rename it for your experiment. For this example I will be testing the navigation, so I will rename it to "Theme with Simplified Navbar" as shown below.
You can then click "Customize" on the duplicate theme and make any changes to the variant that you would like to test using Shopify's normal Theme Editor. If you would like to make updates to the navigation, you may need to create a new menu under the "Navigation" tab.
Step 2: Set up the experiment in Compose
Once you have made any updates to your duplicate theme that you would like, and you are ready to test it, navigate back to Compose. Click "Create Experiment" and select the "Shopify" variant type. Note: If you are testing the new theme vs. your current live theme you do not need to adjust the settings on the Define Control setting. It is set to display your live site as the control by default.
Then select "Select a Theme."
Your entire Theme Library from Shopify will display as a list and you will select the duplicate theme that you edited and renamed previously.
And that's it! The rest of the setup process is identical to any other experiment. You will define any custom goals if applicable, set your audience and trigger conditions, traffic allocation, and then you can push it live. The only required step beyond this is to define a trigger condition. We will be launching Shopify presets soon, but for now, you can read more on trigger conditions and advanced trigger conditions using regular expressions.
Step 3: One-Click Deploy
If your experiment proves to be a winner, it's super easy to deploy a Split Theme test. Just log back into Shopify and click "Publish" on the winning Theme!
Full Site Redesigns
Compose can be used to test a full site redesign to be sure that it is impacting conversions the way you intended. It will work the same way, just no need to duplicate the theme. You can work from any Theme you have created in your library.