What Cross-Site Testing Is
Cross-Site Testing lets you A/B test entire Shopify themes against each other.
Traffic is split at the storefront level. For example:
50% of shoppers see Theme A
50% of shoppers see Theme B
Each theme can be connected to its own checkout experience inside PDQ.
This is not page-level testing. This is full experience testing.
Why Cross-Site Testing Exists
Most A/B testing tools optimize fragments. A button. A banner. A headline.
Shoppers do not experience fragments. They experience a flow:
Land on site. Browse. Add to cart. Checkout. Purchase.
When the storefront promise and the checkout reality do not match, trust breaks.
Example failure:
Theme promotes Free Shipping
Checkout shows $9.99 shipping
The shopper feels misled. Conversion drops.
Cross-Site Testing removes this disconnect.
What Makes Cross-Site Testing Different
Cross-Site Testing allows you to pair each theme with a matching checkout experience.
Example:
Theme | Storefront Message | Checkout Experience |
Theme A | Standard pricing | Standard shipping rates |
Theme B | Free shipping promotion | Free shipping checkout group |
Each shopper sees a consistent story from first page to payment confirmation.
This unlocks tests that were previously impossible:
Free shipping themes vs standard pricing themes
Premium brand redesigns vs legacy layouts
Aggressive promos vs margin-protected experiences
You are no longer testing components. You are testing business strategies.