---
title: "Getting started with Cancel Flow A/B testing"
slug: "getting-started-with-cancel-flow-a-b-testing"
updated: 2026-08-12T14:50:53Z
published: 2026-08-12T14:50:53Z
canonical: "help.skio.com/getting-started-with-cancel-flow-a-b-testing"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.skio.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting started with Cancel Flow A/B testing

## Before you start

- You need an existing **Active** Cancel Flow. There's no minimum volume requirement to start a test — the **Start A/B test** action is available on any eligible Active flow.
- A/B testing is managed from a separate **A/B Testing** tab inside **Cancel Flow**, alongside your regular **Flows** tab.
- Once a test is live, both the original and the variant flow are locked from editing until the test is paused or completed.

## What is Cancel Flow A/B testing?

Cancel Flow A/B testing splits your cancellation traffic between two versions of a flow: your **Original** flow and a **Variant** you create by duplicating and editing it. Skio tracks save rate and other metrics for each version separately, so you can see which one performs better before rolling out a change to everyone.

## Key terms

- **Original (A):** Your existing, live cancel flow. This is the control in the test.
- **Variant (B):** A duplicate of your original flow that you edit with the change you want to test.
- **Traffic split:** The percentage of customers routed to each version. You can adjust this from 1% to 99% per test; it defaults to 50/50, and Skio enforces the split you set when assigning customers to a variant.
- **Winning metric:** The metric Skio uses to declare a winner, such as churn reduction (save rate).
- **Statistical significance goal:** The confidence level (for example, 95% confidence) Skio uses before recommending a winner.
- **Lift:** The percentage difference in performance between the Variant and the Original.

## Test statuses

A test moves through several statuses over its lifecycle. Here's what each one means:

- **Draft:** You're still setting up the test. Nothing is live to customers yet.
- **In Progress:** The test is live, and customers are being split between your Original and Variant.
- **Paused:** The test is temporarily stopped. No new customers are assigned to a variant, but nothing you've already collected is lost.
- **Results ready** (shown as **Notified** if you have email notifications turned on): Skio has reached a statistical result and stopped assigning traffic. It's time to review the results and decide what to do next — promote a variant, end without promoting, or extend the test.
- **Inconclusive** (or **Goal not met**, for retention optimization tests): The test ran its full course without a clear result. This is a final status — no variant is picked as a winner.
- **Goal met:** For retention optimization tests only. Your Variant's save rate held up within the threshold you allowed. Neither flow is marked a winner for this goal type.
- **Winner promoted** (or **Treatment promoted**, for retention optimization tests): You chose to make the better-performing variant your new live flow.
- **No promotion:** A variant performed significantly better, but you chose to keep your Original flow running instead.
- **Cancelled:** You stopped the test before it reached a result.

> [!NOTE]
> Reaching Results ready happens automatically once Skio has enough data for a statistical result. Everything after that (such as promoting a winner, ending without promoting, or letting a test close as inconclusive) is a decision you make. Skio never promotes a variant on its own.

## Key benefits

- **Data-driven decisions:** Validate changes to your cancel flow with real subscriber behavior instead of intuition.
- **Lower risk:** Test changes against a live control group so a change that hurts save rate doesn't roll out to every customer trying to cancel.
- **Revenue visibility:** Each test tracks post-save revenue alongside save rate, so you can connect retention wins directly to recovered revenue.
- **Segment-level testing:** Because tests run on top of your existing flow entry conditions, you can test a treatment change for one customer segment without affecting others.

## Common use cases

- Testing whether a different discount amount or offer order improves save rate for a specific segment.
- Comparing a flow with an added pause option against your current flow to see if it reduces cancellations.
- Validating a "best practice" change from Skio's guidance against your own store's actual subscriber behavior before rolling it out.

Cancel Flow is a feature in Skio that helps you reduce churn by presenting targeted offers—like discounts, pauses, or product swaps—when customers attempt to cancel their subscription.