# Announcement Bar Timing: Immediate or Delayed A/B Test

Page: https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/lab/ab-test-library/tests/announcement-bar-timing-immediate-or-delayed-ab-test

## Hypothesis

If the banner appears on page load, every visitor who opens the page can get the campaign message right away; if it waits for the scroll threshold, it reaches fewer visitors, but ones already engaging with the page. Which timing leads to a higher campaign page visit rate may depend on whether that engagement makes up for the reach the delayed version loses.

## When to run this test

A banner shown on load that gets dismissed right away, session recordings of visitors pausing when it appears, or a delayed banner that never reaches a large share of visitors all suggest timing shapes campaign page visits. If delayed timing works, visitors who see the banner move on to the campaign page more readily, enough to offset those who never reach the threshold; if immediate display works, the gap in reach wins out. If most visitors leave before the threshold, the delayed version's reach is narrow from the start, so check scroll depth first.

## Primary metric

**Campaign page visit rate**: Compare campaign-page visits among all eligible assigned visitors, including those who never reach the delayed trigger.

## Other metrics

- **Announcement bar reach**: Compare the share of assigned visitors who see the bar.
- **Unintended click rate**: Track unintended clicks associated with the bar's appearance.
- **Overall purchase conversion rate (CR)**: Compare purchases among all eligible assigned visitors.
- **Page exit rate**: Compare exits using the same session window.

## What to check before and during the test

- **Timing**: Compare display on page load with display after the visitor scrolls 50% of the same page.
- **Trigger**: Use 50% scroll as the only delayed trigger; do not add a timer or inactivity rule.
- **Placement**: Keep the bar in the same stable position in both versions.
- **Frequency**: Keep the frequency cap and dismissal behavior unchanged.
- **Device**: Check mobile timing and whether the bar obstructs content.

## What to watch when reading the result

- Announcement bar reach explains how timing changes who sees the bar, but it is not the decision metric. Use campaign page visit rate to decide, keeping delayed-group visitors who never see the bar in the denominator, and check that overall purchase conversion, page exit rate and unintended click rate do not worsen.
- Reserve space so the bar does not push content when it appears, and keep its content the same in both versions. Do not show a dismissed bar again in the same session or trigger the delayed bar while a visitor is in the middle of another action; otherwise the difference reflects the interruption, not the timing. Keep the conclusion to the page you tested, and read mobile timing and overlaps separately.
- Keeping visitors who never reach the threshold in the denominator dilutes the effect, so the difference may look small. Check whether the gap in campaign page visit rate is beyond chance with the [A/B test significance calculator](https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/calculators/ab-test); a diluted gap that does not reach significance does not on its own show that timing has no effect.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Should delayed-group visitors who never see the strip be excluded?

No. They remain in the denominator. Failing to reach the scroll threshold is part of timing's real effect. Compare completion of the predefined campaign goal across all eligible assigned visitors.

### Which trigger defines the delayed version?

It appears at 50% page scroll in this test. Another trigger would be a different comparison. Keep content, placement, frequency and target action identical.

### What risk does a strip appearing later create?

It can shift content and cause accidental clicks. Reserve space or use an equally stable position. Monitor accidental clicks and review mobile timing and overlaps.

### What does the exposure rate tell me?

It explains how timing affects access to the strip. It does not determine success. Check the target action, overall conversion and page exits.