33 Ecommerce Product Categories Guidelines

Simple and clear category names always usually better than a creative one. If you get creative with naming your categories, it cannot be evident for shoppers. As a result, they will not understand which products you sell there.

If product images are the main factor for your target audience (i.e., jewelry store), it's better to use grid view. If you are selling complex products with specific attributes (i.e., cameras, computers, printers, any complex devices), specs (i.e., power, battery, dimensions, etc.) are much more important than visuals here, so it's better to use a list view.

Consistent style of images (a type of images, background on images, white-space around products, size of products, angle of photos) decrease cognitive load and improves scannability of a product list.

If you are using grid view on the category page, keep the size of product items consistent. If you decide to change some products' sizes (to highlight them among other products), it will make the interface more complex for perception. It will be harder for shoppers to scan the whole product list.

All product items should have the same information (title, price, reviews, short description, etc.). There should be enough white-space between these entities to make it scannable, readable, and easy to compare between products in the list.

Usually, a page can't show all the products that there are under a certain category. But every category page should show the total number of available products, so shoppers will clearly understand how many options are available.

The more products you have in a category, the harder it will be to choose something because it creates the paradox of choice. So if you have many products in your store, then you must have filters on category pages.

Different categories of products require different filters. Make sure that you don't show irrelevant filters on different categories.

Some filters are most likely used more often than others, so you need to place them at the top of all filters to make it easier and faster for shoppers to find and use them.

If you want people to use filters, they must first notice them. When you hide filters under a button or the filters section is very obscure in the visual hierarchy, no one will use it. If you want to encourage shoppers to use filters to find products faster, you have to make them prominent enough.

In many cases, shoppers will want to apply multiple filters at once. And this is logical: they want to see only those products that match their desires and needs. If you don't allow to select multiple filters at once, shoppers will have to use them separately. As a result, this will seriously complicate the search for the right product.

It depends on the number of filters. If you have many filtering options, you have to place filters on the left sidebar (most preferred option). If you have just a few filtering options, you can use the top horizontal bar above the product list.

Don't make shoppers do unnecessary actions. Apply filters and update the product list right after any filter option was selected.

The general rule for UX of filtering options is to use checkboxes. Once the user clicks on a checkbox, the product list is automatically updated based on a chosen filtering option. But there are also some cases when it's better to use other selectors instead of checkboxes.

Some shoppers need to sort products based on attributes like price (low/high), highest rated items, best selling items, new items, discount amount, etc. This helps them to find the right product much faster. That's why it's important to have a sorting feature on product categories.

The logic here is the same as in the recommendation to place filters in the left sidebar - shoppers are used to it, they know where to find it. That's why it's good for usability.

CTA buttons perform a two-faced task: guide the shoppers on what's needed to be done next and taking them down the conversion funnel. That's why you should consider adding CTA-button into the product category listing that will motivate users to click on it.

Product titles are the 2nd most important entity in product listings after images. Product titles help shoppers to understand if it's the product that they are looking for. So make sure that product titles are prominent, clear, and contains all needed information.

When you sell spec-driven products (usually it's technical goods), it's important to show the most important information about them on product categories. It's handy for shoppers because they will not have to go back and forth between categories and product pages. It will make it easier and faster to find the right product.

The price of a product should always be shown right on category listing pages. It's the best place to reveal pricing without asking users to visit product pages necessarily. And it's really critical information when buying products.

If you have any discounts on a product, it makes sense to show that on category pages. You should display a price before and after the discount, the amount of savings, and the percentage of savings.

As well as the price, it is important to display the product ratings. Product reviews and product ratings play an important role in customers' decision making. That's why that information should be displayed on product categories.

If you are selling products with different product variants, you must show different variants available. If you don't show that information, shoppers will never know that a product has different attributes like color, type, available sizes, etc.

While browsing the sea of products on your site, shoppers can get lost in all of the options. Adding "Best Seller," "New," "Trending" and other badges can help your visitors make decisions faster.

The more details should be visible in the product pictures (or the more product information you want to show), the larger the size of product cards should be, and, accordingly, the fewer products will be visible on a single row. Visually-driven products should have 3-4 items in a row, while for technical products, it can be decreased to 1-3 items per row.

The more product information you show, the easier it will be for shoppers to choose the right option. That's why it's useful to show the second product picture when shoppers hover over product items. It will reveal more visual information about a product.

Additional details in a product list can give shoppers the information they need to understand the differences between products and compare them to find what they need. Think about what do they need to know to make a purchasing decision.

While browsing the sea of products on your site, shoppers can get lost in all of the options. By showing trending and best-selling items on the top of the product list, you simplify the decision-making process. Don't forget to highlight that these items are trending or best selling. Otherwise, no one will ever know it.

People are more likely to purchase products with high ratings and many reviews than products with zero reviews or bad ratings. Also, showing good ratings and many reviews creates confidence in your products, store, and brand.

In the end, it makes product selection easier. That's why it's important to place top-rated products on the top.

It always makes sense to entice customers with a great deal, especially at the current time when discounts rule the e-commerce world. If you offer discounts on certain products, include that information either on a product image (like a badge) or in product details.

Want to create more demand for your products? Showcase that by adding urgency and scarcity triggers. This can mean that time is running out to get an offer, writing that something is in "limited supply," or that there are only a few products left. Due to that, customers will be more likely to purchase from you right now.

Such pages are a great starting point for shopping for those who do not clearly understand what they want. Pages with sales are very attractive because shoppers can save money there. Bestsellers are good because we are social creatures and love to follow the crowd. New products are especially relevant for repeated customers.

Include a short general description of each category at its bottom, so it will not distract users because this is mostly for the search engines.