PERSONALIZED CATEGORY PAGES IMPROVE RETAIL E-COMMERCE BUSINESS
Introduction to Category Pages and Their Importance
Category pages are extremely important in an e-commerce business. It appears to be a list of products, but it is far more than that. Category pages function similarly to secondary homepages for products that are similar or related to one another. These are the pages that allow customers to select and purchase products from a specific category.
Categories aid in the organization of products, making it easier for visitors to find what they're looking for. It is critical that a store effectively displays a variety of products and raises the possibility of sales.
Category pages should be appealing and visually appealing on the front end. They should be simple to navigate for new visitors and useful for returning customers to easily find what they need. (Continue reading to learn how to provide personalized recommendations to visitors.)
As we all know, online stores offer a wide range of products, but customers frequently come with the goal of finding optimal products, and only proper categorization can meet their needs.
If a store can provide the right product at the best price, the customer is more likely to purchase it. However, it is not easy due to two factors that drive customers away from the store.
What exactly are these two reasons? Let us investigate.
Two Reasons Why Your Online Store Should Be Properly Categorize
1. The first reason is that when customers enter the store, it's unclear what product they're looking for or what is the best fit for their needs. This results in an inability unless they find a way to a product page via a search option or browse categories.
It is impossible to predict what visitors will search for, but they can be given the ability to narrow down the inventory of products that they are interested in. As a result, they can easily find products that match their preferences.
2. The second reason is that internet customers expect a simple solution delivered in a few clicks. They don't want to waste time figuring out or purchasing the product they want.
Customers want to move forward with each click, and because they dislike adjusting to new logic, they prefer to do so in a way that is familiar to them. However, if they find it difficult to browse their desired product or if it takes too much time for them, they will look for another option.
The solution to this problem is to provide the ability to find and choose products as easily and quickly as possible, and in order to succeed in both of the above-mentioned problems, ideal product categorization is required.
Best Practices for eCommerce Category Page Optimization
The goal of creating effective category pages is to assist customers in making product selections. When products are properly classified, customers can easily find and purchase them, knowing they made the right choice.
However, in order to create ideal category pages, the following factors must be carefully considered and handled:
1. Product listing
2. Reducing the number of products on the list
3. Making specific product suggestions
An e-commerce business can improve the user experience and bring desired products to the forefront by effectively optimizing these three aspects of Category pages.
Let's go over each of these aspects and discover the secret to perfect category pages:
1. Product listing
The product listing emphasizes what the customers see, what they see first, and how relevant the results are based on their interests. The listing of products is an important consideration when creating an ideal category page. The following are the product listing practices that should be adopted in order to create visually appealing category pages:
A. Product information presented
The products displayed on a category page should provide all of the information required by a customer to make a product selection (like type, budget, size, or other features related to the product industry). However, because the entire information is intended to be on the product page, it should only be precise and necessary information. It is preferable to display product ratings beneath the product information.
B. Photos & Icons
It's a good idea to use clear product photos on the category page. It gives the viewer an idea of what the product looks like. Another good feature to incorporate is the ability to enlarge images or icons on hover. A picture allows the customer to see all of the other products in the same category on the same page. The use of 360° images can aid in the direct impression of the product. Unless it is done to outperform other products in the same category, the images used should not be too flashy.
C. The number of items in a row
Any number of products can be displayed in a single row on a category page. However, it should be decided based on the products and their information. A row may display a single product, but it appears wasteful unless the information requires more space. Similarly, a row may contain 4-5 products, but this is acceptable for products that do not require larger images or lengthy information.
Products such as television, for example, must be displayed as a single product per row due to more specifications, whereas apparel can be displayed in multiple product rows. Users of an online store may also be able to customize rows.
D. The number of products on a single page
A category page should not display too few or too many products. Fewer products indicate a lack of variety, whereas an abundance of products causes confusion. It is recommended to include at least 10 products per page and no more than 50. To make it easier for visitors, a dropdown list can be provided to select how many products to display. However, scrolling is far more convenient than going down to another page, so there's no reason to be concerned about the number of products.
E. Product Sorting
A category page should allow visitors to sort the order of products based on their preferences. By providing this feature, a visitor is able to sort products based on their specific needs. Default, bestsellers, customer rating, new arrivals, and price (high to low) are some of the sortings presets available on online stores (Low to High). Although most users browse the 'Default' listing, it is best practice to sort 'Default' well with recommendations (keep reading to know the benefits of recommendations on the category page).
2. Showing relevant product recommendations
This, however, is the most advantageous and innovative type of Categorization. This is a service that every eCommerce company should offer. Product recommendations aid in direct navigation and everything is based on the customer's personal interests.
This type of categorization is served by processing the user's browsing and purchase data, which is why only recommendations that are already being searched by the visitor are made. Recommendations are also made in relation to the returning customer's previous purchase. At best, recommendations increase brand loyalty.
Furthermore, most customers who are concerned with finding a solution aren't interested in going through the entire product line. Specific product recommendations can provide the most fruitful categorization for such customers and all browsing visitors.
3. Reducing the number of products on the list
The goal of narrowing the product list is to assist visitors in reducing the number of items on a category page. This will make it easier for them to decide which product to buy. There are three additional tools for narrowing down product lists:
A. Classification
B. Filtration
C. Search
A. Classification
The classification is simply the grouping of products based on specific criteria. These groups are referred to as categories. It should be noted that in a broader sense, categories should have both general and specific names.
Men's gear, for example, is the category for helmets, gloves, and so on. A product range is said to be single-level category if it only has one category, such as business, literature, etc.
Subcategories are used to further group products, which are also known as double-level categorization. There can be any number of subcategories, but too many will cause confusion, so it is recommended to use alphabetical order if there are too many subcategories.
Types of Classification
Demographic Classification
Demographic classification categories products based on demographic criteria such as type, gender, and so on.
Example:
Men's, women's, and children's clothing
Toys: under the age of three, three to eight years old, sixteen years old, and so on.
Functional Classification
Functional classification categories products based on the function to which they are related. This is the most common classification.
Example:
Clothing: trousers, t-shirt, skirt
Computer: desktop, peripherals, software
Application Classification
Categorization of this type is accomplished by determining where and how the product is used (or where is it installed).
Furniture: dining room, bathroom, bedroom
Computer: Internet, Gaming, Business
Solution Classification
This classification is used to determine the solution provided by specific products.
Example:
Food supplements: weight loss, weight gain
Medical supplements: Diabetes, Cardiac problems.
Specific Classification
Specific categorization is performed on products that have specific characteristics that allow them to be grouped. These characteristics are not general, but are specific to certain products.
Example:
Clothing: material, washing instructions
Computer monitors: 15″, 20″
B. Filtration
Filtration is a rewarding feature that allows customers to narrow their search by using various presets and elements. Price, manufacturer, or product-specific elements such as size, discounts, and so on are common filters.
Filtration is used after the product list has been narrowed down through the use of categorization. It is the highest level of product selection. Filtration provides various options in the top or side menus for narrowing down the list of products.
C. Search
The customer enters the product name or any feature of the product into the search option, and the related results are displayed on the page. Customers can take advantage of this feature by entering a keyword in the search box, using preset values in the filter search, or simply selecting a product from the Auto-suggest search, which suggests products based on the keyword entered in the search field.
This is all about category pages and how to achieve ideal categorization. This is how Categorization should work in accordance with the needs and preferences of the customer.