Analytics
Holdout Testing
Holdout testing isolates a control group from receiving a specific marketing treatment to measure its true incremental impact. By comparing outcomes between the exposed group and the holdout group, marketers can quantify the causal effect of a campaign.
Examples
An email marketing team holds out 10% of a segment from a promotional campaign and finds the campaign drove a 12% incremental lift in purchases versus the holdout group.
Best Practices
Ensure holdout groups are randomly selected and statistically significant, maintain the holdout long enough to capture the full purchase cycle, and use holdout results to calibrate attribution models.