Importance of Category Pages in E-commerce
In the ever-changing world of e-commerce, I think category pages are probably more important than most people realise. As a seasoned online shopper, the first thing that catches my attention when browsing an unfamiliar store is the layout of its categories page. It's almost like walking into a brick-and-mortar store and being greeted by a tidy display of products that indicates where everything is. The category page is sort of like the landing page - it helps me decide if the website is worth going through for my needs.
And let's be honest, if you canāt get this right, your sales funnel will end before it even begins to take shape. The impact could be enormous. Poorly structured online shops tend to lose more customers over time simply because finding what theyāre looking for ends up being too much work for them to bother about.
On the other hand, when Iām able to locate what I want with ease and compare it to other products or spot alternatives quickly on another part of the website, it makes my job as a buyer so much easier. Category pages are at their most efficient when theyāre seamless and allow me to navigate effortlessly through your site without feeling overwhelmed by information overload or choice anxiety. But there's more - category pages play a vital role in enabling up-selling and cross-selling. Itās no accident that you end up on a list of summer T-shirts during your browsing session for winter boots.
Have you ever noticed how some stores are so subtle with their suggestions that you add items to your cart without meaning to. So next time youāre working on your website, maybe take some time out to work on those category pages - because you really donāt want your sales funnel dying at stage 1.
Key Elements of an Effective Layout
Iāve noticed when it comes to retail, shoppers expect to see the best bits upfront. Shuffling through virtual aisles isnāt quite as fun as browsing an actual store. So thereās only one way: make sure categories, subcategories and filter options are all on the front page - above the fold.
For this layout element to work, teams need to work out which categories really matter, and which will likely be used for filtering. Should they use āMen, Women, Kidsā or a more neutral āAdultsā and āKidsā. Would left navigation or top navigation work better for each visitor. This is slightly probably where shopper data can help drive decisions.
But also test out different layouts till they get comfortable with one. Out-of-sight really is out-of-mind online. Sort of.
Especially when it comes to purchases and product recommendations that have been re-positioned towards the bottom of a page. Most of us have very little patience for scrolling down endlessly to find what weāre looking for unless thereās an incentive at the end of it all. Frankly, I think layout elements are mostly instinctive - they either work or donāt. Theyāre also one of those things you only look out for when they donāt appear to be performing well.
If teams catch themselves thinking about these things too much, it might help to ask their regulars about what works well for them.
Prioritizing User Experience for Better Navigation
You know, when I think about category page layouts, itās difficult not to remember the absolute chaos that was online shopping in the late 2000s. It might be nostalgia, but not the good kind. Most of it felt a bit like using map coordinates without knowing what youāre looking for.
Most of the time, I found myself lost and stressed and regretting my decision to shop online. Sort of. But some things have changed, and it appears that designers have found something that works - user experience.
The way I see it, prioritising user experience for navigation is much more important than people think. Instead of trying to cram new features into category pages, designers have decided to focus on providing users with a streamlined experience. This means that websites are a lot more intuitive now and easier to navigate.
Which means youāre less likely to abandon your search for a new slow cooker five minutes in. Iāve also noticed that websites with great navigation and user experiences seem to do better than the ones that donāt. Thereās something about well-planned layouts with all the right features in the right places that makes buying things easier.
This might be the complete lack of buyersā remorse talking, but Iām a big fan of these newer, more intuitive layouts. At the end of the day, navigation features do more than just help people find what theyāre looking for. It also gives them an opportunity to explore new experiences and come across new products on your website. I think itās important that website designers pay attention to how a customer would typically use their product before designing navigation options and even category pages in general.
So letās put aside the bells and whistles and focus on things that work - at least when people are looking for something - literally.
Visual Hierarchy: Guiding the User's Eye
It's funny how the more we see, the less we notice. That seems to be the ongoing issue with modern e-commerce. With thousands of choices on display, people only see a sea of products and nothing else.
But good design can help guide the user's attention in subtle, often clever ways. Visual hierarchy is rarely one of those tricks that have become essential to online shopping. It prioritises information and features through images, text size, colour, icons, symbols, contrast, spacing, and more.
More or less. What you want to show first is always at the top. But this hierarchy can also change depending on context and time - sometimes a product that's popular today won't be tomorrow.
That said, there are seldom some non-negotiables when it comes to visual hierarchy in e-commerce category pages. A header at the top followed by filters on either side or below it with clear icons/symbols are some examples of why people prefer this layout for online shopping. If you're going to create your own structure or even work within an existing framework, it's worth noting what should go where on your category page and if you need something at all.
Sometimes simplicity can be rather misleading if executed poorly - so a simple rule of thumb here would be to always keep users' preferences first and adjust accordingly as you go along.
Mobile Optimization: Ensuring Accessibility
I find it rather remarkable how much of our world is condensed onto a tiny mobile screen these days. Strikes Me As and yes, every website worth its salt should run seamlessly on smartphones. The whole idea of mobile optimisation for category pages seems almost basic at first glance. But itās also the area where most sites drop the ball.
This is especially important when youāre working with an eCommerce platform, where shopping lists and inventory filters are the norm. I think this might be why quite a few big companies and brands mess it up - thereās an overload of information that they just canāt pack into one cohesive page without looking like someone just dropped a heap of options into a digital bin. Or, conversely, thereās so much whitespace that you donāt know what to click on next.
That brings me to a point about clarity - clutter is never good for mobile pages, but neither is losing direction when youāre in the middle of online shopping. Everyone wants your attention, and every brand, filter option, tag, product or accessory has something to offer - but this isnāt clear when there isnāt a clear layout plan in place. I think the visual hierarchy of such pages needs to be thought through a little more than other regular web pages.
Mobile-first design for category pages (or any page) is not about minimising information and oversimplifying content; itās about adding as many necessary layers as required without causing user fatigue. At the end of the day, if users leave your site feeling better about themselves than they were before opening their browser or app, youāve hit home.
Testing and Iterating for Continuous Improvement
I see it all too often - layout updates become a one-off project with limited follow-up. Someone tests a new format for category pages, sees a small increase in conversions, and launches it thinking theyāre sorted for the year. If only that were true.
Testing and iterating is really about continuous improvement. Thereās this clichĆ©: if you arenāt learning, youāre dying.
I wouldnāt say itās that dramatic but iterative optimisation truly is an ongoing thing - not a major event once a year. The good thing is, with changing customer behaviour and rapidly evolving technology, itās never been easier or more important to be proactive in your approach to learning and improving your ecommerce strategy. Fine-tuning isnāt about being perfect right from the start.
Like life itself, thereās no end goal when it comes to continuously improving category pages. The key is to stick with it, look at what is and isnāt working for your audience, and tinker - even after achieving short-term results. Trialling things like A/B testing and working through how incremental adjustments may affect performance means you arenāt wasting time chasing big spikes that will eventually flatten out.
When my clients have adopted this approach, Iāve noticed their business gets better and better over time - regardless of what changes happen in the industry or how macro events affect customer behaviour elsewhere. If you ask me, experimentation, testing, and iteration should never stop being priorities for any business looking to have a successful online presence in 2024 and beyond.