Multivariate Testing (MVT)

Multivariate testing = "Testing multiple ingredients at once to find the tastiest recipe."

What is Multivariate Testing (MVT)?

Definition: Multivariate Testing is an advanced version of A/B testing where multiple elements (variables) on a page are tested simultaneously, and the goal is to understand which combination of those elements performs best.

Real-Life Analogy:

Let’s say you're designing a smoothie. You want to test:

• Fruit: Banana or Strawberry (2 options)

• Sweetener: Honey, Maple Syrup, or Agave (3 options)

• Topping: Chia seeds or Granola (2 options)

You could try all combinations:

• Banana + Honey + Chia

• Strawberry + Maple + Granola

• …and so on.

You’d have 2 x 3 x 2 = 12 combinations to test. That’s multivariate testing!

Now Back to Your Case: Website Checkout Page

You're testing 3 variables (parts of the page):

Variable	Options (Values)
Form Layout	Single column OR Multi-step (2 versions)
CTA Button Text	"Continue", "Next: Payment", "Complete Checkout" (3 versions)
Progress Bar	Visible OR Hidden (2 versions)

Total combinations = 2 × 3 × 2 = 12 test variants

Add the original version (control) = 13 total variants in the experiment.

Why not just run A/B tests?

A/B testing only compares one change at a time — like Button A vs Button B.

Multivariate Testing tells you:

• Which individual variables perform well

• Which combinations of variables perform best (maybe “Multi-step + ‘Next: Payment’ + Progress bar ON” gives the best result!)

How Is It Measured?

Your goal (called a "conversion") could be:

• Checkout completed

• Signup done

• Add to cart clicked

The tool (like Google Optimize) tracks which version drives more conversions.

How launching the Test seem like?

Once ready, go live:

• Google Optimize splits your website traffic evenly across all 13 variants

• Users see different versions randomly

• Google tracks which version converts better

Your role as PM: Monitor test health, duration, and sample size with your data team or tool dashboards.

What Should You Know As a PM?

Here’s what you should confidently be able to explain:

Question	Simple Answer
What is MVT?	Testing multiple changes together to find the best combination.
Why use it?	To optimize experiences faster and more effectively than A/B.
What tools help?	Google Optimize, VWO, Optimizely, etc.
What do I test?	Layouts, texts, colors, buttons — anything users interact with.
How do I interpret results?	Look for the variant with highest conversions (measured by goal).