Code freeze
A period before a peak sale when a store stops publishing theme changes, installing apps and starting new tests, so nothing breaks at the busiest time.
Also called change freeze
Changes made just before a peak have the least time to be checked and cost the most if they break something. A freeze sets a date after which only reviewed, low-risk changes go live.
For tests, it means deciding before the freeze which tests run over the peak, and starting no new ones after it.
A store freezes on 16 November, ten days before Thanksgiving. Its Black Friday offer and two landing page tests are checked and scheduled; everything else waits for December.
Related terms
- Guardrail metricA metric a test must not make worse, watched alongside the goal the test is trying to improve.
- Novelty effectA temporary change in behaviour because something is new, which fades once visitors get used to it.
- Offer testA test that gives different groups of shoppers different offers, such as 10% off versus $10 off, and compares what each earns after the discount.