4 Elements of a Winning Category

BEST PRACTICES IN RETAIL WEBSITE TESTING AND OPTIMIZATION,

PART 2

4 ELEMENTSOF A WINNING

CATEGORY PAGE

4 Elements of a Winning Category Page : : Best Practices in Retail Website Testing and Optimization, Part 2

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Table of Contents

3 Good News

5 Elements of a Category Page

6 #1 Product Imagery

7 #2 Search

8 #3 Sort and Filtering

9 #4 Quick View

10 Case Study

11 Making It Work

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Good News. Your site visitors are moving along the path to purchase and onto the category page. Maybe it was those powerful calls-to-action or a well-designed navigation experience. Maybe you caught them with SEO or a 3rd party affiliate.

But don’t get comfortable just yet. If you don’t serve up what they were searching for (in the right way), you’ll never get them through to the product details page — or even worse, the glorious “Add to Cart” moment.

So what does it take to keep customers on the path to purchase?

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It’s really simple A good category page promotes the products in that specific category.

Yes, it sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised…

Whether visitors are arriving on a category page from your homepage or from elsewhere on the web (having found you through search, display ads, pay-per-click ads, etc.), it is essential to treat any category page like a landing page.

All promoted content and offers should be designed specifically to serve visitors’ needs and draw them into a meaningful, relevant shopping experience.

All of this is related to achieving your main goal of moving your customer forward. A well-designed category page should drive customers to specific product pages or to add a product to their shopping carts.

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Elements of a Category Page If you want your category pages to drive customers to desired behaviors, like clicking through to the cart — or better yet — buying, be sure they offer:

Products, Products and More Products. Shoppers know they’re looking for a particular type of product. Your site should show them plenty of relevant options to help them find the product they need — and new ones to want.

Filter, Sort, Find. A customer on a mission shouldn’t have to work too hard to find a particular product. The ability to search by brands, lines, specific attributes, price and beyond will eliminate frustration and encourage buying.

Inspiration. From featured products and special offers to highlighted brands and new sales, there are plenty of ways to inspire a customer to try new products, add more items to their carts, or be wooed into product upgrades. Don’t pass up the opportunity to sell to motivated shoppers.

When it comes down to it, there are 4

key ways to optimize a category page…

Clear category names

Large images

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Maybe it sounds obvious, but from the moment visitors land on a category page, they should see an appealing array of product images. This type of display will draw them into the site to engage with more — such as clicking through to the product pages or even adding items to the cart. With such a small window of time to catch visitors’ attention, the more visual, the better.

Element #1 Product Imagery

Product search is embedded at the top of the page.

“Save this search” functionality allows visitors to save a search and file it under

a specific “search name.”

Left-hand search functionality allows the user to interact with search filters

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Element #2 Search

Functionality should enable visitors to easily locate product(s) based on certain parameters within the category — leading them down the path to purchasing exactly what they are looking for (or getting inspired for something new!).

Frame icons replace text list.

Color swatches replace traditional color listings (text) for filtering.

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Most major retailers don’t just have a variety of products to offer; they also have many different styles, colors and options for those products.

Allowing users to more effectively dive into your offerings will help them see the breadth of your product, understand their choices — and know that you have what they want!

Element #3 Sort and Filtering

Quick-view pop-in that occurs when a product is clicked is unique because you do not have to

“X” out the window to see the new product.

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Visual overlays and quick-view functionality empower customers to preview products without having to click through to irrelevant or distracting secondary pages. They also help customers get to the cart faster with fewer clicks needed to reach the end goal.

Element #4 Quick View

CHOICE A

CHOICE B

CHOICE C WINNER!

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Objectives:To determine which product family imagery resonates with visitors and drives engagement on the Printer Hub Page.

Test FormatA/B/C — Changed the subcategory imagery to reflect lifestyle images versus output focused images.

One Category, Multiple Paths to InspirationCase Study: Global Electronics Retailer

Results: While visitors engaged more with imagery that focused on the product, users who engaged with the “output image” were more likely to purchase.

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Shoppers who arrive at any given category page already know what direction they want to go — or at the very least have an idea.

That focus narrows the parameters of content and offers, but it opens up the options for creativity in highlighting specific offerings and products — and for really understanding what captures the attention of your target customers.

By testing and optimizing dedicated category pages, you’ll get to know your customers and how to serve them better — information that helps you move them to the product pages, and maybe even the cart.

Give ‘Em What They Want

Better category pages. Better ROI.

If you are interested in speaking with someone at Maxymiser, please email [email protected].

What are you waiting for?

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4 Elements of a Winning Category

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