{"id":2632,"date":"2018-09-27T14:17:32","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T12:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growcode.com\/?p=2632"},"modified":"2023-12-13T11:49:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T10:49:31","slug":"category-product-listing-page","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.growcode.com\/blog\/category-product-listing-page\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Conversion-Centered Tips for Category (Product Listing) Page"},"content":{"rendered":"

Category pages are an essential part of any ecommerce site. A well-designed category page will build engagement and drive conversions, encouraging visitors to click through to individual product pages and buy.<\/span><\/p>\n

But at Growcode, we often find that category landing pages are underperforming on our clients’ sites.<\/p>\n

Retailers tend to focus on optimizing checkout funnels, marginalizing their category pages in the process.<\/p>\n

And this is a big mistake. Category pages are major contributors to your overall conversion rate.<\/p>\n

The average US ecommerce conversion rate<\/a> hovers at around 2.6%.<\/p>\nThe average US ecommerce conversion rate hovers at around 2.6%. #ecommerce #EcommerceTips #EcommerceStats <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

If you’re eager to boost the conversion rate for your ecommerce store, then I recommend you pay close attention to your category pages!
\n\"Conversion<\/a>Conversion rates for this year hovered around 2.6%.\u00a0Source<\/a>. <\/span>
\nIn this article, we’re going to outline some simple optimization tips to get the most out of them, along with an array of practical category page examples.<\/p>\n

What Is a Product Listing Category Page?<\/h2>\n

A product listing page or category page is a page that lists multiple products within a category, with each product represented by a photo, a price, and product name. These pages are usually linked to from the category navigation bar and include filter options.
\n\"Asos<\/a>An example of a category page from ASOS. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why Are Product Listing (Category) Pages Important?<\/h2>\n

In terms of ecommerce site pages, category pages are among the most important. Customers with general buyer intent – who know they want a product but are unsure of the exact type or brand – use them to browse and evaluate items.<\/p>\nIn terms of #ecommerce site pages, category pages are among the most important. Customers who know they want a product but are unsure of the exact type or brand - use them to browse and evaluate items. #EcommerceTips <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

They also often act as important ecommerce landing pages<\/a>. If, for example, you’re promoting “new arrivals” in an email, visitors will land on a category landing page. Many search engine results – such as for general queries like “buy bikes” or “buy handbags” – are focused on category pages.<\/p>\n

Category (Product Listing) Page Optimization Guide<\/h2>\n

Here’s a quick list of the questions you should ask to create the best experience on category pages so you can jump straight to your most urgent issue:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Is the price for discounted products struck through and have you included the percentage of the discount?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Do you use eye-catching colors (like bright red) for important elements like the sale price or the word “SALE”?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Are product images visible above the fold and there is a clear, visible header with the category name?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Are product pictures large enough (do you make the best use of space)?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Are alternative product shots shown on hover?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Have you included sub-category filters on your listing page?<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Can products be filtered by category-specific variables like size, color etc.?<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Do you have a comprehensive set of ascending\/descending ranking options like price, popularity, relevance, and new arrivals?<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Do you include all the appropriate information?<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Do you show available sizes for categories like clothes?<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Do you show color options?<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. Are you showing too many ads?<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Are unavailable products only shown towards the end of product page listings?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ready to optimize? Let’s dive in.<\/p>\n

    1. Is the price for discounted products struck through and have you included the percentage of the discount?<\/h3>\n

    Draw attention to discounts by striking through the old price and including it next to the new one. Also include the percentage of the discount, so that price reductions appear sizeable.
    \n    \"REI<\/a>Alongside the struck-through original one, REI includes the difference between the previous price and the discounted one as a percentage, re-emphasizing the offer twice. <\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Do you use eye-catching colors (like bright red) for important elements like the sale price or the word “SALE”?<\/h3>\n

    Category pages can appear cluttered, so ensure that discounts stand out. Use eye-catching colors that aren’t overwhelmed by other elements on the page.
    \n    \"Highlighted<\/a>Kohl’s highlight sale prices with a red font. <\/span><\/p>\n

    [blog-newsletter title=”Want more insights like this?” form_id=”2853″]Get weekly ecommerce tips, strategies and leading industry knowledge.
    \nDelivered right into your inbox.[\/blog-newsletter]<\/p>\n

    3. Are product images visible above the fold and there is a clear, visible header with the category name?<\/h3>\n

    Visitors use category pages to browse, so provide information that confirms they’re in the right place, like a category header. Also, make sure that products are already visible above the fold without the need to scroll down. You may try including best-selling products above the fold to reduce the bounce rate<\/a>.
    \n    \"Sephora<\/a>Sephora includes a category headline and showcases top-performing products above the fold. This might help reduce bounce rate and thus get you better positions in Google’s search results.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Are product pictures large enough (do you make the best use of space)?<\/h3>\n

    Category pages are all about images. Ideally, you should provide the maximum number of images per row without sacrificing on quality and size. Are features clearly visible? Three to four images per row is a good category page best practice to follow (on mobile it’s two – find out how to design the best mobile product detail page<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    Category pages are all about images. Ideally, you should provide the maximum number of images per row without sacrificing on quality and size. #ecommerce #optimization <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>
    \n    \"Category<\/a>Urban Outfitters shows large, detailed pictures of products. Product listing design is neat, not cluttered and four products per row are presented in a great way. <\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Are alternative product shots shown on hover?<\/h3>\n

    Reduce friction by showing alternative product shots whenever a visitor hovers over an image. A potential customer may engage with a second image if they are not convinced by the first.<\/p>\n

    \nhttps:\/\/www.growcode.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ecommerce-procuct-listing-pictures.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

    Asos shows a different silhouette of one product. So a potential customer may engage with a second image if they are not convinced by the first.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. Have you included sub-category filters on your listing page?<\/h3>\n

    Amazon includes this feature on all of their listing pages, whether it’s a category page or a search results page. It helps visitors that are browsing to narrow down their search.
    \n\"AdvancedIn this example, while looking for pillows we get more than 800.000 results! Such detailed categories help visitors that are browsing to narrow down their search.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7. Can products be filtered by category-specific variables like size, color etc.?<\/h3>\n

    Many visitors will go to category pages to browse but with requirements for certain features like size, color, price, brand etc. Include these filters at the top of the page or in the sidebar.
    \n    \"Advanced<\/a>ASOS includes an array of filters on its category landing pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

    8. Do you have a comprehensive set of ascending\/descending ranking options like price, popularity, relevance, and new arrivals?<\/h3>\n

    Along with filters, it’s important to allow visitors to rank products by a number of variables, like price, relevance, new arrivals etc. Doing so builds engagement by adding variety to the browsing experience, while also catering to visitors that have feature requirements in mind but for whom filters are too specific.
    \n    \"Advanced<\/a>Crutchfield has an option to sort by a number of options, such as “Price: Low to High”.<\/span><\/p>\n

    9. Do you include all the appropriate information?<\/h3>\n

    There are five pieces of information it’s absolutely essential to include on your listing page. At Growcode, we’ve found the conversion consequences of not including just one can be significant.<\/p>\n

    These pieces of information are:<\/p>\n