Docs
  • INTRO
    • What is Shoplift?
    • What to Test
    • Quickstart
      • Install Shoplift
      • Create a Test
      • Edit Your Variant
      • Launch Your Test
  • TEST
    • Template Testing
      • Overview
      • Guides
        • Guide: Testing Individual Pages
        • Guide: Testing One-Click Payment Methods
        • Guide: Testing App Blocks
        • Guide: Testing Different Template Types
      • Theme Compatibility
      • Template Management
      • Switching Themes
      • Shopify Markets
      • Shopify Translate & Adapt
    • Theme Testing
      • Overview
      • Guides
        • Guide: Testing a Navigation Menu
        • Guide: Testing a Mini Cart
      • Theme Management
      • Theme Development
      • Switching Themes
    • URL Testing
      • Overview
      • Guides
        • Guide: Testing URLs
        • Guide: Testing Product Properties
    • JavaScript API (Beta)
      • isHypothesisActive
      • setAnalyticsConsent
      • getVisitorData
    • Lift Assist™
      • What is Lift Assist™?
      • How To Use Lift Assist™
      • Brand Styles
    • Audience Targeting
      • Devices
      • New and Returning Visitors
      • Custom Audiences (UTMs, Referring Domains, and Geo-targeting)
    • Test Management
      • Test Compatibility
      • Mutual Exclusion
      • QA Checklist
      • Scheduling Tests
      • Pausing Tests
      • Implementing Winning Tests
    • Performance
      • Pagespeed
      • Shopify Caching
      • CDNs and Edge Delivery
  • ANALYZE
    • Reports
      • Overview
      • Metrics
        • Goals & Reporting Metrics
        • Metric Views
      • Test Progress
      • Statistical Significance
      • Channel Groups
    • Tracking
      • Visitor Attribution
      • Web Pixel
      • Liquid Snippet
      • Anti-Flicker
      • Analytics Discrepancies
  • integrate
    • Integrations and Tooling
      • GA4 (Beta)
        • Integrate GA4 (Shopify)
        • Integrate GA4 with Google Tag Manager
        • Integrate GA4 with Elevar
        • Analyze Test Data In Google Analytics
        • Disabling the GA4 Integration
      • Subscription Apps
      • Page Builder Apps
      • Reporting Tools
      • Heatmapping Tools
      • Custom Integrations
  • ADMIN
    • Plans and Billing
      • Subscription Plans
      • Uninstalling Shoplift
    • Users and Permissions
      • Managing Team Access
      • Managing User Notifications
    • Privacy and Compliance
      • Customer Data and GDPR
  • PARTNERS & DEVELOPERS
    • Shoplift Partner Program
    • Testing on Development Stores
  • SUPPORT
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Get Help
    • Give Feedback
Powered by GitBook

Contact Us

  • Get help
  • Give feedback
  • Request a feature

Helpful Links

  • Shoplift
  • Shopify App Store
On this page
  • Pausing Tests
  • Why Shoplift Pauses Some Tests

Was this helpful?

  1. TEST
  2. Test Management

Pausing Tests

PreviousScheduling TestsNextImplementing Winning Tests

Last updated 7 months ago

Was this helpful?

Pausing Tests

For any active test, you can choose to pause your test at any time and resume it later on. This is particularly handy, for example, if you noticed that you made a mistake when editing your test variant and need to correct it, but don't want to set up a brand new test from scratch.

If you pause a test, visitors to your website will immediately stop seeing the tested experiences. Data collection will also pause, and paused periods of time will be represented in performance over time charts on the test report page with plots for when a test was paused, when it was resumed, and if it was paused and resumed in the same day.

Days plotted in the performance over time chart during which a test was paused will be represented with a "partial data" tag in the tooltip when hovering over that point on the chart.

While we would always recommend starting a new test if you plan on making changes to your tested variants (because changes can invalidated your collected data), you can always determine for yourself when a test should be re-run.

Why Shoplift Pauses Some Tests

In Shoplift, tests are paused when there are changes to your store’s templates or themes that make it impossible to run the test as designed. There are two common reasons for this:

1. Missing Templates in a Published Theme

  • What happens: If you're running a test on a specific template (like a product page or collection page), and you publish a new theme that doesn't include that template, the test will be paused.

  • Why: The test uses the template to display different versions to visitors. If the template no longer exists, visitors can't access it, making the test invalid.

  • How to avoid it: Ensure that any new themes you publish include all templates involved in your test, or make sure templates have the same name across themes.

2. Template Changes in Theme Tests

  • What happens: If you modify the original theme by creating a new template and assigning it to an asset (like a product or page), the test will be paused.

  • Why: The new template can't be accessed from the variant theme, so visitors on the variant will see a 404 error when trying to load that page.

  • How to avoid it: Avoid creating new templates for assets during an active test, or make sure they are accessible from both themes.

How to fix it: Add the missing template to your live theme, being sure to maintain the correct template name (i.e. "sl-12345"). For detailed information on adding a template to your theme, see .

How to fix it: Add the missing template(s) to your live theme, being sure to maintain the correct template name (i.e. "sl-12345") for each template. For detailed information on adding a template to your theme, see .

Theme Compatibility
Theme Compatibility
Pausing Tests