ClassPass, a pioneering fitness and wellness platform, has garnered a global following since its inception in 2013. With a user-centric approach and seamless app-based platform, ClassPass provides individuals in 30 countries across 5 continents with unparalleled access to a wide spectrum of fitness and wellness activities, ranging from yoga, strength training, dance classes, spa appointments, manicures, massages and more.

As ClassPass continues to expand its offerings and refine its user experience, it remains at the forefront of the fitness and wellness revolution, connecting people around the world with a vibrant tapestry of physical and mental well-being opportunities.

ClassPass also offers wellness activities like sports recovery as well as beauty and spa appointments like manicures, massages, etc.

ClassPass’ leverages Optimizely and experimentation culture for growth

As an innovative and forward-thinking organisation, ClassPass have had a long and fruitful relationship with both experimentation as a discipline and company culture, and Optimizely as its preferred A/B testing partner. ClassPass’ experimentation and conversion rate optimisation (CRO) program is supported by an experimentation culture that stems from senior leadership.

As Nina Bayatti, Director of CRO at ClassPass, who has led the company’s experimentation growth since 2018, explained, “It’s amazing to see, in the five-and-a-half years I've been at ClassPass, the growth in scope of the experiments that we're running.” From isolated landing page optimization tests, to leveraging user research to optimize messaging, to now running a full end-to-end web redesign through Optimizely; ClassPass has leveraged Optimizely’s web experimentation tool to empower their Marketing CRO team to become a key ally for the product and engineering teams to test features using a minimum viable product approach.

In evaluating experimentation tools over the years, ClassPass has consistently championed Optimizely. A significant factor in this choice is the extensive knowledge-sharing ecosystem formed by Optimizely's widespread usage. ClassPass benefits from a wealth of documentation, both from Optimizely's official resources and community forums where fellow practitioners share insights, tips, and even shareable code snippets. This robust repository of information has proven instrumental in ClassPass' successful utilization of Optimizely, reinforcing its position as a pivotal asset in ClassPass' experimentation journey.

Benefits

ClassPass’ internal teams noted several positive benefits from utilising Optimizely’s experimentation capabilities. By utilising Optimizely’s Stats Engine, ClassPass’s CRO team have confidence surrounding the data their experiments produce. Nina Bayatti noted that her team appreciated both the simplicity and shareability of Optimizely’s dashboards.

ClassPass' enthusiasm for Optimizely's Web Experimentation platform is grounded in its ability to empower their engineering team to focus on impactful initiatives. This streamlined approach encourages swift experimentation and innovation, facilitating a culture of continuous learning. The organization's experimentation culture has grown organically, with cross-functional teams actively engaged in driving experiments. The company's commitment to end-to-end testing, involving various departments such as product, creative, legal and customer service teams reflects their dedication to optimizing user experiences comprehensively. This experimental culture, endorsed from the top down, has not only accelerated decision-making but also reinforced a profound understanding of the value of testing and iteration.

Utilising Optimizely’s Web and Feature Experimentation products allows ClassPass to quickly and effectively run both simple and complex experiments on its various platforms. ClassPass utilize Optimizely's Feature Experimentation to conduct lifecycle testing, allowing ClassPass to meticulously examine and optimize the member experience across various stages such as class discovery, booking, and inviting friends to class. The implementation of Feature Flags and Rollouts allows ClassPass to seamlessly test and refine the existing user experience to gain deeper insights into user behaviour and preferences.

Integrations

ClassPass' strong partnership with Optimizely's Web Experimentation platform is characterized by strategic integrations and diverse utilization. ClassPass’ Content Management System (CMS) seamlessly integrates with Optimizely’s experimentation platform for efficient rollout of successful variants while minimizing performance risks.

The adoption of behavior analysis tools, like LogRocket, deepened their insights beyond numerical metrics. This visualization aided in understanding user interactions comprehensively. Additionally, UserTesting.com streamlined their design process, aligning designs with user expectations before coding commenced.

The user-friendliness of Optimizely is evident in how I approach hiring. I never consider prior Optimizely knowledge a prerequisite because it's remarkably easy to learn. If someone has a background in web development and a basic grasp of AB testing concepts, they can quickly grasp the page targeting, event tracking, and utilization of the on-page editor, all of which are seamlessly integrated within the Optimizely UI.

Nina Bayatti - Director of Conversion Rate Optimization

Director of Conversion Rate Optimization

Use Case 1 – ClassPass Website Redesign

ClassPass embarked on a comprehensive website redesign initiative with the goal of improving the end-to-end user experience, driven by insights from previous experimentation efforts and user feedback. The company recognized that its former approach to experimentation lacked cohesion, focusing on specific elements of the signup process without considering the holistic flow. With a laser focus on enhancing the end-to-end user journey, ClassPass leveraged the Optimizely’s dynamic experimentation platform to create a seamless and captivating signup process.

Past user surveys and exit intent surveys conducted revealed significant opportunities for improvement. A portion of potential customers cited confusion about ClassPass' credit system as a primary reason for not signing up. 
In response, ClassPass formed a cross-functional team involving marketing, UX design, and engineering to collaboratively drive the redesign process. The team's alignment marked a pivotal moment, as it fostered a unified approach to design and testing, effectively breaking down silos that had previously existed. This collective effort aimed to ensure that the redesign addressed various friction points identified through user feedback.

Examples of new and intuitive designs

Image 1 - mobile-friendly designs for CTAs, easy-to-read walkthrough before signup flow

 

Image 2 - new credits explainer web page to address common questions about how ClassPass credits work

The redesign process took place primarily on the mobile website to enable focused and rapid iteration. The ClassPass team began with wireframing, mapping out the flow of information to ensure that common user questions were addressed cohesively. Optimizely’s powerful experimentation platform allowed ClassPass to swiftly develop lightweight prototypes for swift feedback collection, followed by user testing to gauge user comprehension and reactions to the proposed changes. The iterative approach to design based on user feedback aimed to align the redesigned experience with user expectations. 

Throughout the website redesign, a balance between aesthetics and performance was struck. The team decided not to pursue certain visually appealing design elements that might compromise page loading speed and overall performance. 

ClassPass' strategic redesign initiative, driven by user-centric insights, cross-functional collaboration and Optimizely’s A/B testing capabilities, resulted in an enhanced mobile website experience. The focus on clarity, comprehensibility, and speed ultimately aimed to address the credit system confusion and encourage sign-ups. The iterative approach, combined with a thoughtful use of design elements for performance optimization, illustrated ClassPass' commitment to delivering a user experience that aligns with user expectations and facilitates ease of navigation and interaction. 

Conclusion

Looking ahead, ClassPass envisions extending its well-established experimentation program to various other dimensions of its offerings. Nina Bayatti detailed that the company has developed a thriving corporate program, allowing HR managers to facilitate subsidized ClassPass memberships as part of employee benefits. This initiative has gained significant traction, attracting the participation of renowned companies worldwide. 

As the corporate program continues to gain prominence, the company's focus is now directed towards optimizing the user journey for HR managers and employees engaging with the program. This strategic shift towards experimentation in this domain provides an exciting opportunity to explore a fresh demographic, gaining insights into the distinct requirements and preferences of both employers and employees. 

With the rapid expansion of the corporate program, the subsequent increase in traffic offers ClassPass ample prospects for rigorous testing and iterative enhancements. This new avenue of experimentation holds promise as it expands ClassPass' understanding of user dynamics and aspirations within the corporate landscape, paralleling the successful approach employed on the consumer-facing side of the platform.