How Amika Achieves a 16x ROI from Conversion Optimization Every Quarter

Amika is no stranger to standing out. Known for its bold, vibrant branding and commitment to self-expression, this premium haircare brand has captured the hearts (and hair) of customers across the world. Named one of WWD Beauty Inc’s most powerful beauty brands, Amika has grown into one of the largest independent premium haircare brands.

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Our partnership with SplitBase has been a key driver in Amika’s growth, built on a shared commitment to data-driven decision-making and continuous optimization. - Robbi Webb, Vice President of Ecommerce, Amika

As Amika continued to grow, so did its challenges. The brand approached SplitBase with a clear set of goals, but behind each one lay nuanced problems requiring a thoughtful and strategic solution.

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1. Communicating Product Education: With an ever-expanding product range, Amika risked overwhelming or confusing its customers. Each product has unique benefits, but too much information could turn shoppers away. The question was: how could Amika provide clear, concise product education while staying true to its bold personality and growing product line?
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2. Standing Out in a Crowded Market: The haircare industry is flooded with options, and customers have little patience for subpar online experiences. Amika needed a website that didn’t just meet customer expectations but exceeded them—pushing the boundaries of design, usability, and performance.
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3. Driving Performance Growth: With ambitious growth targets, Amika needed to consistently improve two key metrics: conversion rate and average order value. These metrics were critical not only to maximizing revenue but also to staying ahead of competitors.
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4. Managing Redesign Risks: Amika’s decision to re-platform its website presented an additional challenge: how to ensure the new design wouldn’t undo years of progress made through previous A/B testing and customer insights.

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Each of these challenges required more than one-off solutions. They demanded a continuous, research-driven approach that could deliver measurable results over time.

SplitBase developed a tailored conversion optimization strategy based on our Testing Trifecta approach. This strategy combined rigorous data analysis, customer insights, and iterative testing to address each of Amika’s challenges. 

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1. Turning Data Into Opportunity

We began with a deep dive into Amika’s analytics to identify bottlenecks and opportunities, complemented by qualitative research such as customer surveys, polls, and usability tests. 
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This combination of data and customer feedback helped uncover key insights about customer behavior, including:
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• Common points of confusion in the shopping journey.
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• Preferences for how product benefits should be displayed.
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• How to improve navigation for Amika’s growing product range
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• Device-specific behaviors that required tailored solutions.
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We used these insights to inform new features, such as improved filtering options and guided shopping experiences, and to redesign the product pages.

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‍2. Continuous A/B Testing

SplitBase implemented its Portfolio Strategy, a structured approach that categorizes tests into three types—Iterative, Substantial, and Disruptive—ensuring a balanced mix of improvements across the customer journey:

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• Iterative Tests: Small, targeted adjustments to existing features, such as refining product descriptions and product card placements, aimed at reducing friction and improving usability.
  
  
• Substantial Tests: Mid-level experiments that introduced more noticeable changes, like restructured product pages or new filtering options, designed to address customer pain points and enhance navigation.
  
  
• Disruptive Tests: Bold, innovative experiments, such as launching new bundling features or tiered gifts with purchases within the cart.
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Each test was strategically aligned with key metrics—including conversion rates, add-to-cart rates, and average order value (AOV)—and then prioritized to align with the brand’s goals, ensuring a measurable impact on Amika’s bottom line.

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‍Over the years we've partnered, SplitBase's strategic approach—blending customer insights with rigorous testing—has helped us navigate complex challenges, from enhancing product education to optimizing our online experience. - Robbi Webb, Vice President of Ecommerce, Amika‍

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‍3. Knowledge Base with Test Scorecards

‍As the testing program matured, we ensured every test was recorded in a “scorecard”, capturing:
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• Key Metrics: What success looked like for the test.
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• Problem or Opportunity: The insight driving the experiment.
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• Hypothesis: What we expected to achieve.
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• Test Learnings & Outcomes: The results and key insights gained.
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• What’s Next: How the learnings would inform future work.
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These scorecards became a critical tool for program management, fostering accountability, streamlining communication, and creating a centralized knowledge base that could be referenced for future testing and decision-making.

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‍4. Validating New Designs

‍With the upcoming website redesign, we conducted usability tests and experiments on new features before they went live. This proactive approach allowed us to mitigate risks and ensure the new design wouldn’t disrupt the positive trends we had already established. Instead, the redesign became an opportunity to enhance performance further.

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5. Tailoring Experiences to Devices

Recognizing that mobile and desktop users often behave differently, we developed device-specific optimizations. We identified the optimal-performing elements for each device, ensuring mobile and desktop users received experiences tailored to their behavior, maximizing the likelihood of conversions.