Experiments that improve category pages in retail

Two experiments that show how the right signal at the right moment (a promo message and a badge) changes what visitors do next.

• WHO: E-commerce & CRO teams
• INDUSTRY: Retail
• IMPACTED PAGES: Category pages, product pages

Experiment 1: Consistent promotional messaging across every category and product pages

Hypothesis: Including consistent promotional messaging for eligible items on both product category and product detail pages will increase the add-to-cart rate and purchase conversion rate.

Image source: Optimizely

Results:

Takeaways:

1. Promo messaging on category pages resonates with visitors, increasing clickthrough to product detail pages.
2. Reinforcing the messaging on product detail pages increases the likelihood that a visitor will add the item to their cart.
3. The magnitude of the shift in behavior associated with promo-eligible items is enough to influence the entire purchase conversion rate.

Experiment 2: Descriptive badge overlays on product images

Hypothesis: Overlaying descriptive badges on images of popular items will increase the likelihood a visitor adds an item to their cart.

Image source: Optimizely

Results:

Takeaways:

1. Overlaying badges on item images is effective in driving purchase intent behaviors.
2. The 'Our Pick' variation performed better than 'Featured', indicating brand strength and the value consumers place on a stamp of approval.
3. Despite add-to-cart rate and PDP view increases, no significant impact was observed for purchases.

Most visitors on a category page know what they want

What happens next is your call. The Experimentation Ideation Agent surfaces promo messaging, badge, and layout test ideas for your category pages, so more of those visitors click through to a product rather than leaving to find it somewhere else.

And when those tests start producing results, the learning does not stop at the category page.

See experience optimization in motion