Score points with well-designed product overview pages in your online shop

What are product overview pages?

Product overview pages (also known as product listing pages) are entry pages in your online shop where your customers can find all products related to a specific topic. In addition to the product list, you can provide your users with further information on this page, such as the quality and features of your products, the promised benefits, or even more general content that appeals to the emotions of shop visitors.

Various types in the online shop

There are two types of product overview pages:

• Category pages: To improve the findability of individual items, online retailers group their products into categories with similar characteristics or areas of application. The products are permanently assigned to this category, so that the shop presents the same range to all visitors to the product overview page. However, personalization can also be used here to generate product lists tailored to individual customers. These then take into account the personal preferences of each individual when displaying the product order. This allows you to show each shop customer the most relevant products first.
• Search results pages: These pages are generated dynamically when users enter a search term in the search window or activate one or more filters. The algorithm automatically compiles a product overview page that presents items with the desired characteristics. These can come from different categories. Here, too, the product order can be personalized to offer maximum relevance.

On the COMSPOT search results page for the term "iPad," shop visitors can immediately see relevant results with important information such as storage capacity, price, and color options.
(Source: Screenshot from comspot.de)

Functions in the online shop

Category and search results pages can fulfill a variety of functions:

• With a clever design, you can attract both customers who already know exactly what they want and those who are still undecided.
• By making it easier for your customers to navigate and find their way around your online shop, you improve the customer journey.
• You can increase your conversion rate and sales opportunities by presenting the most likely searched products at the top.
• Product overview pages also offer enormous potential for search engine optimization and, as a result, for attracting organic page visitors from search engines.
• A well-thought-out product listing creates clarity.

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Product overview pages can also function as distribution pages in online shops. They then act as a hub and refer to other subpages. This is typical in large main categories that refer to subcategories.

The category page on the topic of "gardening" in Hornbach's online shop, for example, does not show a single product – instead, it displays numerous tiles sorted by topic with links to subcategories such as "garden furniture," "patio construction," or "garden shears." Distribution pages do not focus on content; rather, they serve to provide orientation and thus guide users through the online shop.

On the "Luggage" product overview page in the Lufthansa WorldShop, shop customers can get a good overview of the various subcategories and an insight into the respective product range.
(Source: Screenshot from worldshop.eu)

Why is the product overview page so important?

An appealing design of search results pages and product categories is essential for e-commerce marketing:

• Search results and category pages allow you to present a sub-section of your product range in a clear and informative way and sort it according to your conversion goals.
• The product overview page also appeals to your customers' emotions and invites them to browse.
• It is also a common landing page for new customers who have found the online shop via a search engine. It therefore shapes the essential first impression and influences the bounce rate in the online shop.
• Category pages offer some of the greatest potential for onsite search engine optimization in e-commerce. In addition to providing an excellent user experience, you can score points here with valuable information and SEO-optimized content.
• Well-designed filters and anecommerce search engine function help customers find the product they want quickly and easily.

In summary: The product overview page is a central point of contact for your online shop visitors and should therefore be consistently tailored to their needs.

Checklist: How to design the perfect product overview page

What the perfect product overview page looks like is very individual and depends on your shop and your customers. First, ask yourself what their search intent is. What are they looking for when they visit your online store? Do they want to find out more or are they ready to buy? Do they have a specific idea in mind or do they just want to browse? Keep the answers to these questions in mind as you go through our checklist for your converting product overview page:

1. Header as a first impression
   The header should immediately give shop visitors the feeling: "This is the right place for me." Ideally, it should be informative without consisting solely of text and represent the content of the page. You can also use it to showcase current offers or exciting products.
2. Emotional introduction
   The short paragraph before the product list is not about conveying information. Instead, appeal to your customers' emotions and use positive wording to show them why they are in exactly the right place on this product overview page.
3. The right view
   In list view, the products are listed one below the other and you have space for more details next to them. This option is therefore ideal for technical products or those that require explanation. In grid view, there are at least two items in a row. The focus here is on visual perception, which is why meaningful product photos are even more important.
4. Harmonious product images
   Display meaningful product images in the product list with as similar a layout as possible. A consistent background color and a comparable perspective are important, because order appeals to the eye.
5. 
   product highlights Take advantage of the opportunity to highlight individual products—your bestsellers or top-rated products. Amazon highlights the most frequently purchased items in a category with a clearly visible banner. This allows you to create targeted incentives to buy.
6. Well-thought-out product sorting
   The items in the first row receive the most attention – so present your bestsellers here, similar to a supermarket, where the high-margin items are always at eye level. With the help of personalization, you can also specifically display products that match your customers' individual preferences. This allows you to display items that are potentially of particular interest to your shop customers.
7. Pagination or infinite scroll
   Many online shops are adopting "infinite scroll," which automatically expands the product list as you scroll. Alternatively, products can be reloaded at the touch of a button, or customers can scroll through multiple pages (pagination).
8. User-friendly navigation
   A positive customer journey requires a well-designed and clearly visible navigation structure. The breadcrumb trail should be visible on every subpage of the website. Faceted navigation is also very convenient for users because it allows them to compile the content of their product overview page themselves using filters, narrowing down the product list according to their desired characteristics.
9. Optimized content
   Content with added value on product overview pages in the online shop satisfies visitors' need for information, creates relevance to the keyword set of the subpage, and thus contributes equally to increasing the conversion rate and search engine optimization. A structured, varied text layout with boxes, checklists, and FAQs, easy-to-understand language, and emotion-evoking H1 to H6 headings also motivate new visitors to browse.

The best way to find out which elements of your product overview page are most popular with your shop visitors is to use A/B testing. Special tools display two versions of the same page simultaneously and test which one achieves more conversions. This allows you to gradually adjust your product presentation and customer approach.

GARTENMOEBEL.DE impresses on category pages with top seller product recommendations, filter options, well-thought-out product sorting, and banners within the product list, among other features.
(Source: Screenshot from gartenmoebel.de)

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Enhancement of the product overview page through personalization

A study on this topic shows that more than two-thirds of online shoppers are willing to share their personal preferences with online stores in order to improve their shopping experience.¹ You should take advantage of this willingness by offering them a personalized shopping experience. You can also use personalized elements on the product overview page, for example:

• Use intelligent onsite search in e-commerce to display personalized search results pages based on previous purchases and past behavior.
• When sorting products, take into account what customers have purchased in the past or viewed frequently, and thus respond to their individual preferences (e.g., color preferences, preferred brands, price range).
• Suggest items to the customer in a product list that they have purchased before, either identically or similarly, or highlight them in the product list.
• Provide your customers with powerful filters that allow them to filter by numerous product attributes. To make it easier for them to find what they are looking for, you can make a preselection (e.g., by gender, color preferences, or desired price range). In addition, the filters can be dynamically adjusted depending on the search query or selected category so that only filters relevant to the search or category are presented.
• Customize the content. This allows you to appeal to regular customers in a different way than new customers.
• Offer shop visitors personalized product recommendations to provide further incentives during a phase of high purchasing willingness.

GartenHaus GmbH focuses on personalization and displays the first six results on the product overview pages based on individual click and purchase behavior.
(Source: Screenshot from gartenhaus-gmbh.de)

Conclusion: Design your product overview pages in a well-thought-out and personalized manner.

If shop visitors find what they are looking for on the product overview page, this significantly increases the likelihood of a purchase. Carefully designing and continuously optimizing search results and category pages is therefore a crucial component for improving conversion rates and increasing sales. Always keep your customers' needs in mind and use personalization to create an individual shopping experience for each shop customer—this is almost a guarantee for success.

Source: ¹ e-tailment

Frequently asked questions about product overview pages