Price testing on non-Plus stores

How to run price A/B tests on any Shopify plan using the auto-setup duplicate product method.

The challenge

Shopify’s Cart Transform API — which allows server-side price modification — is only available on Shopify Plus. Without it, there is no way to change the actual checkout price programmatically for stores on lower plans.

The solution is to use a real duplicate product with the test price set directly in Shopify Admin. A URL Redirect experiment then sends variant visitors to the duplicate product page, where they see and pay the test price normally through Shopify’s standard checkout. No Cart Transform, no hacks.

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How it works

When you create a Price test (auto-setup) experiment:

1. Arktic calls the Shopify Admin API to create a duplicate of your product
2. The price adjustment is applied to every variant (size, color, etc.) on the duplicate
3. The duplicate is set to Active and named [SPT] Your Product Name so it is clearly identifiable
4. A URL Redirect experiment is automatically configured: control visitors see the original product, variant visitors are redirected to the duplicate
5. When you complete or archive the experiment, Arktic deletes the duplicate product automatically

Visitors never know they are on a duplicate page. The duplicate has the same images, description, and options — just a different price.

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Setting up a price test (auto-setup)

Step 1: Create the experiment

1. Go to Experiments → New experiment
2. Select Price test (auto-setup) — available on all plans
3. Search for and select the product you want to test
4. Set the price adjustment:
   • Percentage — e.g. -10 for 10% off across all variants
   • Fixed amount — e.g. -5 to subtract 5.00 from every variant’s price
5. Set your traffic split (usually 50/50)
6. Click Create experiment

Arktic creates the duplicate and configures the redirect experiment in the background. This takes a few seconds.

Step 2: Start the experiment

Click Start experiment on the Overview tab. Variant visitors will immediately begin being redirected to the duplicate product page.

Step 3: Monitor results

Go to the Results tab. Sessions and events are scoped to the relevant product pages:

• Control: sessions on the original product page
• Variant: sessions on the duplicate product page

Step 4: End the experiment

When you are ready to conclude:

• Complete — marks the experiment as done. The duplicate product is deleted automatically.
• Archive — discards the experiment. The duplicate product is deleted automatically.

If the test price won and you want to keep it, update the price on the original product in Shopify Admin before completing the experiment.

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Manual setup (alternative)

If you prefer full control, you can set up a non-Plus price test manually without using the auto-setup feature:

1. Duplicate the product in Shopify Admin (Products → find product → … → Duplicate)
2. Give it a name like [Price Test] Your Product Name
3. Set the test price on the duplicate by editing each variant’s price
4. Hide the duplicate from collections and search (Sales Channels settings → set Online Store to unavailable in search, remove from all collections)
5. Copy the duplicate product URL (e.g. /products/your-product-name-price-test)
6. In Arktic, create a URL Redirect experiment
7. Set the source URL to the original product path (e.g. /products/your-product)
8. Set the destination URL to the duplicate (e.g. /products/your-product-name-price-test)
9. Set your traffic split and start

When the experiment ends, manually delete the duplicate product.

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Comparison: auto-setup vs manual

	Auto-setup	Manual
Product duplication	Automatic	You do it
Price adjustment	Applied to all variants automatically	You set it manually
Cleanup	Automatic on complete/archive	You delete manually
Control over duplicate	Less (app manages it)	Full

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How this compares to Plus price testing

	Non-Plus (auto-setup)	Plus (Cart Transform)
Available on	Any plan	Shopify Plus only
Price change is server-side	Yes (set on the product)	Yes (Cart Transform)
Same URL for all visitors	No — different product pages	Yes
Works with direct links and ads	Only from the source URL	Yes, from any URL
Works with subscription variants	Yes	No
Works with multi-currency	Yes (price is set in base currency)	No
Setup complexity	Automatic	Requires theme data attributes
SEO risk	Low (duplicate is hidden from search)	None

Key difference

With the non-Plus method, control and variant visitors are on different product pages. Any visitor who lands directly on the original product URL (from a Google Shopping ad, a direct link, a bookmark) will always see the original price — the redirect only fires when Arktic’s script is loaded and running on the page.

This is why you should not use this method for traffic that comes in via direct product links (ads, email campaigns, influencer links). It works best for organic traffic arriving at your product page through your store navigation.

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Limitations specific to this method

Direct links bypass the redirect If a visitor lands directly on the original product URL from an external link (ad, email, social), the redirect fires and works correctly. However, if the visitor lands on the duplicate product URL directly (e.g. if they bookmarked it or you linked to it in an ad), they will always see the test price — even if they should be in the control group.

Different product URLs Control and variant visitors are on different URLs. This can affect SEO if the duplicate product is not properly hidden. Arktic sets the duplicate to Active but does not add it to collections or search. Make sure it is not accidentally surfaced through other means (sitemaps, related products, etc.).

Two product pages to maintain While the experiment is running, both the original and duplicate exist in your Shopify Admin. If you need to update the product (description, images, inventory), you will need to update both.

For a full list of limitations that apply to all price testing methods, see Price testing limitations.