Email Heatmap A/B Testing in Salesforce: How to Know What Works

A/B testing is a must-have in any serious email marketing strategy — especially if you’re running campaigns through Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC).
But here’s the problem: traditional A/B testing tells you which version performed better, not why it won.

That’s where email heatmaps change the game.

In this post, we’ll walk through how to combine A/B testing and heatmaps in Salesforce Marketing Cloud using CRMx, so you can not only see the winning version — but understand exactly what made it win.

🔍 Why Traditional A/B Testing Falls Short

In SFMC, a standard A/B test gives you:

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  CTR (Click-Through Rate)

  
  


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  Conversion rate

  
  


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  Opens and bounces

  
  

That’s helpful, but it doesn’t answer:

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  Which sections got the most attention?

  
  


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  Did subscribers interact with the main CTA?

  
  


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  Were clicks spread evenly or concentrated in one area?

  
  


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  Did mobile users behave differently from desktop users?

  
  

Without that visual context, you’re still guessing.

🧠 How Email Heatmaps Transform A/B Testing

An email heatmap is a visual overlay showing where subscribers clicked, using:

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  🔴 Hot zones for high clicks

  
  


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  🟡 Medium engagement areas

  
  


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  🔵 Cold zones with little or no interaction

  
  

When applied to both versions of an A/B test, heatmaps let you compare click patterns side-by-side.

🛠 Step-by-Step: A/B Testing with CRMx Heatmaps in Salesforce

1. Set Up Your A/B Test in SFMC

Decide what you want to test:

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  CTA placement (top vs. bottom)

  
  


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  Layout design

  
  


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  Number of product images

  
  


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  Button color or copy

  
  

2. Connect CRMx to Capture Click Data

CRMx integrates directly with SFMC using Job IDs, pulling in click behavior from each version automatically.

3. Send Your Campaign

Run your test as usual — SFMC sends both versions to your test audience.

4. View Heatmaps for Both Versions

After the send, CRMx generates interactive heatmaps for each version:

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  See which areas drew the most clicks

  
  


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  Spot cold zones where engagement dropped

  
  


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  Compare click percentages for CTAs, images, and text links

  
  

5. Analyze & Interpret the Differences

Ask:

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  Did one version drive more clicks to the main offer?

  
  


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  Did one layout guide the reader’s eye more effectively?

  
  


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  Were there distractions in the losing version?

  
  


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  How did device type influence results?

  
  

6. Apply the Insights

Use the visual proof to:

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  Roll out the winning design across campaigns

  
  


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  Adjust CTA placement based on hotspot data

  
  


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  Redesign underperforming content blocks

  
  


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  Continue testing with new hypotheses

  
  

🎯 Example: Heatmap-Driven A/B Test Insight

Test Goal: Increase clicks to a “Shop Now” button.

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  Version A: CTA at the top, product grid below.

  
  


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  Version B: Product grid first, CTA at the bottom.

  
  

Heatmap Results via CRMx:

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  Version A showed 65% of clicks on the CTA (hot zone).

  
  


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  Version B showed scattered clicks across products, with only 20% hitting the CTA.

  
  

Action: Adopt Version A’s layout for all promo campaigns.

📈 Why CRMx Is the Perfect Heatmap Tool for SFMC A/B Testing

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  🔥 Side-by-side heatmap overlays for quick comparisons

  
  


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  📊 Click percentage ranking for every clickable element

  
  


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  🧪 Test insights by device (mobile vs. desktop behavior)

  
  


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  💼 Easy-to-share visuals for team and stakeholder reports

  
  

With CRMx, you don’t just see which A/B test version won — you understand why it worked.

✅ Final Thoughts

In email marketing, knowing what works is good — but knowing why it works is better.
Heatmaps give you the visual insight to back every decision with real user behavior data.

When you combine A/B testing in SFMC with CRMx heatmap analytics, you go from trial-and-error to strategic, repeatable success.

📬 Test smarter. See clearer. Win bigger.