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6 Email Marketing A/B Tests That’ll Instantly Make Your Emails Stronger

Author

Max Sturtevant
April 25, 2025

The Inbox Newsletter

Hey it’s Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

If you aren’t constantly testing, you’re leaving huge piles of cash on the table.

Today I’m giving you 6 fast and easy A/B tests you can run that could instantly lift your open rates, click rates, and revenue.

Let’s get tactical👇

Key Takeaways

  • Testing product prices in emails vs. hiding them can drastically change clicks and sales.

  • Send time tests aren't just for fun

  • Swapping between graphic, plain text, and "branded" plain text can expose hidden performance gains.

  • Mystery discounts sometimes beat clear discounts by making people curious enough to click.

  • Lifestyle vs. product imagery triggers different buying emotions — test both.

  • Long vs. short form emails reveal how impatient your customer really is.

1. Show Product Prices vs. Hide Them

One of the easiest things to test in your emails — and one that can cause massive swings — is whether you display product prices or leave them off.

Price shown:

  • Reduces "click curiosity" but increases "purchase intent."

  • Great for lower-priced, impulse-driven products.

Price hidden:

  • Boosts click-through rates because people have to click to find out.

  • Especially useful for higher AOV products where you want to sell through emotion first.

🔥 Test It:
Split your next few campaigns 50/50 — price shown vs. hidden — and measure CTR and sales.

Crazy Example For a Client (prices shown won)

2. Send Time Testing

When you send your emails matters way more than you think.

Early AM (6–8 AM):

  • Great for "workday planners" who check email with coffee.

Evening (4–7PM):

  • Perfect for impulse buys when customers are relaxed scrolling.

Middle of the Day (11 AM–2 PM):

  • Casual lunch-break shoppers.

Every audience is different!

3. Graphic vs. Plain Text vs. Branded Plain Text

  • Full Graphic: Looks gorgeous but sometimes screams "sales email."

  • Plain Text: Feels personal and real, boosting trust + urgency.

  • Branded Plain Text: Combo of logos, small branding, but otherwise very "text message" vibes.

🔥 Test It:
If your click-through rate is dipping, a simple text-based email might outperform your pretty graphic ones — especially for sale launches.

4. Clear Discount vs. Mystery Discount

  • Clear Discount: “Get 20% off today!” — very straightforward and removes any confusion.

  • Mystery Discount: “Use this code at checkout for a mystery gift” — taps into curiosity and urgency.

🔥 Test It:
Use a mystery discount when you want to increase clicks and browsing. Clear discounts can win when you're closing hard (like the final days of a sale).

Another A/B Test for Client Example Resulting in Higher Clciks and Placed Orders for The Mystery

5. Lifestyle Imagery vs. Product Imagery

  • Lifestyle Images: Show the product in use — taps into aspiration.

  • Product Images: Straight-up "here’s what you get" — simple, no confusion.

🔥 Test It:
If your audience is very brand-driven or fashion-focused, lifestyle usually wins. If they are specs-and-price shoppers (like tech, supplements), product-only often outperforms.

6. Long Form vs. Short Form Emails

  • Long Form: Detailed storytelling, FAQs, founder letters.

  • Short Form: "Here’s the offer, here’s the link, let’s go."

🔥 Test It:
If your list skews younger or highly mobile, shorter will often convert better. Test a "long story" style email against a "few lines + CTA" version and watch how engagement changes.

Final Tip:

One test at a time.
Don't change everything at once or you won't know what caused the change.

Pick 1-2 of these, set up your A/B splits, and optimize based on real data... not gut feelings.

If you want a team proactively testing your emails (10 A/B tests per month) book a call to learn more about our done for you email service HERE »

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
Sweetkick

Outlining the daily routine and use cases for the product is epic!

Hero Section Template #11

If you want access to a bank of 134 mix and match templates like this equating to over 5,000+ possible email designs, click here » 

Reply to this email if you have any questions or further content you want covered.

Cheers,

Max

PS - If you run an ecommerce brand above $50k/mo and you want to have a free email strategy consultation with me, book a call here »

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