Category pages (product listing pages) are among the most visited and least optimized pages in most ecommerce stores. Visitors arrive from navigation, search, and paid ads β and the category page determines whether they click through to a product or bounce. A/B testing PLPs can lift product click-through rates by 15β30% and directly increase add-to-cart and purchase rates downstream. For Indian D2C brands with large product catalogs, category page optimization is one of the highest-leverage growth activities available.
Most teams spend their CRO budget on product pages and ignore the funnel step that determines which products visitors even consider. This guide covers what to test on category pages and how to run valid experiments on PLPs.
Why Category Pages Are Under-Optimized
The funnel math: If your category page has a 25% click-through rate to product pages and your product page converts at 4%, changing your category page CTR to 35% effectively adds 10 percentage points of qualified visitors to your product pages β without changing the product page at all.
The challenge: Category pages serve many different visitors with different intent levels. Someone who arrived from a "best moisturizer" organic search is different from someone who navigated from your homepage to "Skincare > Moisturizers." Segmenting these behaviors is essential for interpreting test results.
The opportunity: Most D2C brands A/B test their product pages, checkout, and homepage β but not their category pages. This means category pages are often running on default Shopify theme settings rather than optimized layouts.
What to Test on Category Pages
Test 1: Product Grid Layout β 2 vs. 3 vs. 4 Columns
The number of products visible per row is one of the most impactful category page variables.
What to test:
- 2 columns (larger images, more detail visible)
- 3 columns (standard on most Indian ecommerce sites)
- 4 columns (smaller images, more products visible)
Expected findings: For beauty and premium categories, 2 columns often outperforms 3 because larger images show product detail and texture. For functional products (supplements, cleaning products) where variety matters more than aesthetics, 3β4 columns can increase click-through by letting visitors see more options quickly.
Mobile consideration: On mobile (dominant for Indian ecommerce), a "2-column" layout is standard. Testing 1-column vs. 2-column on mobile is a meaningful variant.
Test 2: Product Card Design
Each product card in the grid is its own optimization opportunity.
What to test:
- Showing price prominently vs. showing price only on hover or below the fold of the card
- Star rating visible on card vs. hidden (click to see)
- "Add to cart" button directly on category page card vs. click-through to product page only
- Product name below image vs. overlaid on image
- Secondary image on hover vs. static single image
High-impact Indian D2C test: Adding an "Add to Cart" button directly on the category page card (without requiring a click to the PDP) can increase overall category page CVR β but test this carefully as it removes the product education that product pages provide.
Test 3: Sort Order and Merchandising
The products shown first on a category page convert at dramatically higher rates than products shown later.
What to test:
- Bestsellers first vs. newest first vs. highest-rated first vs. algorithmic personalization
- Manual curation (put your highest-margin or best-converting products first) vs. default sort
- In-stock first vs. mixed in-stock/out-of-stock display
- Pinned "hero product" at position 1 vs. standard grid
Expected findings: For most categories, showing bestsellers first maximizes click-through rate for new visitors. For returning visitors who've already seen the bestsellers, "New Arrivals" first can be more engaging. Test these separately by visitor type.
Indian festive context: During Diwali or Valentine's Day, test surfacing gift sets and bundles to the top of relevant category pages. A "Gifts under βΉ999" or "Diwali combos" sort can significantly lift festive season revenue.
Test 4: Filter and Sort Placement
Filters help visitors narrow down a large catalog but add page complexity.
What to test:
- Left-sidebar filters vs. top horizontal filter bar
- Expanded filter options (all filters visible) vs. collapsed filters (accordion)
- Filter labels: "Price" vs. "Budget Range", "Skin Type" vs. "Your Skin Type"
- Filter order (which filters appear first)
Indian context: Filters relevant to Indian consumer decisions β "Free Shipping", "COD Available", "FSSAI Certified", "Cruelty-Free" β are under-represented in most filter sets. Test adding these as filterable attributes.
Test 5: Category Banner Content
Most category pages have a banner at the top (image + headline). This is prime real estate.
What to test:
- Banner with offer ("20% off sitewide") vs. banner with category editorial ("Find your skin type")
- Banner with specific product featured vs. category lifestyle image
- With banner vs. no banner (banner removed, grid starts immediately)
- Category-specific seasonal banner vs. sitewide promotional banner
Common finding: Promotional banners drive higher click-throughs to specific featured products but reduce broader category exploration. Test this trade-off with both CTR and revenue per session as metrics.
Test 6: Product Labels and Badges
Badges on product cards signal quality, urgency, and value.
What to test:
- "Bestseller" badge on top 3 products vs. no badge
- "New" badge on recent launches vs. no label
- Stock scarcity: "Only 8 left" vs. no label (only test when genuinely low stock)
- Savings badge: "Save βΉ200" vs. "20% off" vs. no price comparison badge
- "Free Shipping" label on qualifying products
For Indian D2C: Test "COD Available" as a badge on products that support COD β for lower-ticket items where COD is a purchase trigger, this badge can increase card click-through rate.
Measuring Category Page A/B Test Results
Primary metric options:
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Click-through rate to PDP: (Product page views from category / Category page views) β this is the most direct measure of category page engagement.
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Revenue per category page session: Most complete measure β accounts for click-through, product page conversion, and AOV.
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Add-to-cart rate from category: Only applicable if you have ATC buttons directly on category cards.
Secondary metrics:
- Scroll depth on category page (how far visitors scroll to see more products)
- Filter usage rate (are filters being used? A/B test filter improvements)
- Exit rate from category page (without clicking any product)
What not to use as primary metric: Bounce rate alone (visitors might scroll the category then leave to purchase via a different channel) or session duration (longer isn't always better if it means visitors are confused).
Category Page Testing in CustomFit.ai
CustomFit.ai's visual editor supports category page testing on Shopify without developer involvement. You can:
- Change product grid column count
- Modify product card elements (price display, CTA buttons, badges)
- A/B test category banner content
- Test filter layout changes
- Segment category page tests by traffic source (organic vs. paid, new vs. returning)
The platform pulls conversion data directly from Shopify order history, so you can see the revenue impact of category page changes β not just click-throughs.
Tips / Best Practices
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Test product sort order before visual design β what products you show has more impact than how the card looks.
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Run category page tests for at least 2 full weeks β category pages often have different traffic on weekdays (browsing/discovery intent) vs. weekends (buying intent). You need both cycles.
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Segment results by traffic source β an organic search visitor arriving on a "moisturizers" page for a specific query needs different category page UX than a paid traffic visitor arriving from a brand awareness ad.
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Test your top 3 highest-traffic categories, not all categories simultaneously β focus your testing effort where traffic is high enough to reach significance quickly.
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Track the full funnel impact β a category page test that increases PDP click-through should also show downstream impact on add-to-cart and purchase rate. If CTR increases but revenue doesn't, the change is driving unqualified clicks.
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Test mobile and desktop separately β category page layouts optimized for desktop often perform poorly on mobile. Run device-specific variants.
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Use heatmaps alongside A/B tests β Microsoft Clarity (free) or Hotjar can show you where visitors click and scroll on category pages before you design your variants. This improves hypothesis quality.
Key Takeaways
- Category pages are among the most visited and least optimized pages in most D2C stores β high testing leverage
- Product sort order (bestsellers first, new arrivals first) is the single highest-impact category page variable to test
- Product grid layout (2 vs. 3 vs. 4 columns) significantly affects engagement, especially for beauty and premium categories
- Indian D2C brands should test category-relevant filter options: COD Available, FSSAI Certified, Free Shipping β these are under-represented in most filter sets
- Measure category page tests with revenue per session, not just click-through rate β you need to see the full funnel impact
- Mobile-optimized category page layout is critical given 70%+ mobile traffic in Indian ecommerce
Related reading: A/B Testing Cart Pages | A/B Testing Social Proof | Funnel Analysis Drop-Off | Conversion Rate | A/B Testing Pillar Guide
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