Configure a Path Optimizer Test Activity

Follow these steps to configure the Path Optimizer Test activity in Journey Builder.

1. Drag the Path Optimizer activity onto the canvas.
2. Add activities to the paths between the start and finish points of the Path Optimizer.
   The activity defaults to two paths, but you can add up to 10 paths for testing.
3. Click the Path Optimizer activity.
4. Click Configure Winner Evaluation.

   To pick a winner automatically based on email metrics, click Email Engagement. Then choose the metric and evaluation period. The evaluation period is how long the system waits after contacts pass through the longest path before picking the winner. You can configure the evaluation period in hours or days with a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 99 days.

   To review your data and manually pick a winner, select Manual Engagement. If you don’t select a winner within 7 days of activation, the test expires and contacts are held back as if they’re now part of a Random Split.

5. Click Split.
6. Select the percentage of contacts to send on each path.
   To include more paths in your testing, click Add Path.
7. Click Holdback.
   

   Important The Holdback feature is only available when you use the Run Once entry schedule type. Change the entry schedule type back to Run Once to activate the journey with a Holdback. If you want to use the Recurring schedule type, you must first change the entry schedule type back to Run Once, then remove the Holdback feature from Path Optimizer before activating your journey.
8. Select the percentage of contacts to include in the test. The rest of the contacts wait in the Holdback group until a winner is selected, then enter the journey on the winning path.
   

   Tip To allow the system time to track engagement for all preceding messages, add a wait activity after the last message included in the test.
9. Click Done.
10. Activate your journey.
11. Click the Path Optimizer activity.
12. Review Test Summary.
13. For Email Engagement tests, review the results of your running test. These results include all email metrics, which path is in the lead, and elapsed time of the test. To end the test early, click Select Winning Path. Select the winning path, and click Select Winner.
    

    Note The test duration is the sum of the evaluation period you select and the length of the longest path including wait activities.
14. For Manual Engagement tests, click Select Winning Path. Select the winning path, and click Select Winner.
15. Click the Analytics dropdown, and select Summary to view the activity configuration.

After the test completes, the activity shows Test Summary metrics that are snapshots of test stats at the time the winner was selected. Also, Post-Test Performance stats show elapsed time, how many contacts passed through, and engagement metrics after the winner was selected. This information allows you to compare performance for ongoing optimization of your journey.

Note If you copy a journey with a Path Optimizer activity and you select a winning path, only that winning path remains in the copied journey. If you didn’t select a winner, all potential paths copy into the new journey.