A/B Testing Product Listing Pages to Improve Engagement and Conversion

Product listing pages play a key role in the user journey, as they are often the first point of contact between users and a product family. However, these pages are frequently under-optimized and lack visual context.

This project focuses on testing multiple versions of a product listing page to better understand how visual elements influence user behavior, engagement, and conversion.

Why This Test Was Necessary

The original product listing page displayed only product names grouped by category, without any images or visual cues. To view product images, specifications, or details, users had to click into the product detail page.

This additional step created friction in the user journey and limited engagement. The hypothesis was that introducing visual elements directly on the listing page could both improve user experience and reduce unnecessary navigation.

Main Objectives

The primary objective was to determine whether visual enhancements on listing pages could increase engagement and improve conversion rates.

Secondary Objectives

Beyond conversion, the test aimed to evaluate whether it was possible to:

• Reduce reliance on product detail pages
• Shorten the user journey
• Improve product discoverability
• Enhance perceived content richness

Test Setup and Methodology

Four different versions of the product listing page were tested using A/B testing via AB Tasty. Each version introduced a different visual interaction model.

Version 1 — Static Category Image

A simple static image was added at the top of each product family category. This version aimed to provide immediate visual context without adding interaction complexity.

Version 2 — “Product Image” Button with Pop-in

This version introduced a button labeled “Product image”. When clicked, a pop-in modal opened to display the product image.

The goal was to allow users to access visual information without leaving the listing page.

Version 3 — Contextual Sticky Button with Side Panel

A contextual sticky button was displayed based on the product family. The button included the category name and image.

When clicked, a side panel opened from right to left, displaying a large category image and the best-selling products.

Version 4 — Classic Sticky Button with Side Panel

Similar to version 3, this variation used a sticky button, but without contextual adaptation to the product family.

The interaction opened the same side panel with images and best-selling products.

KPIs Tracked

• Click-through rate on visual elements (CTR)
• Image interaction rate
• Average time on listing page
• Bounce rate
• Click rate to product detail page
• Add-to-cart rate from listing page
• Overall conversion rate

Key Results

Version 1 — Static Image

• Time on page: +8%
• Bounce rate: -2%
• Conversion rate: 0% (no significant change)

Version 2 — Pop-in Image

• Image interaction rate: +21%
• Time on page: +12%
• Conversion rate: 0% (stable)

Version 3 — Contextual Sticky Button

• Interaction rate: +35%
• Add-to-cart rate: +18%
• Clicks to product detail page: -14%
• Overall conversion rate: +9%

Version 4 — Classic Sticky Button

• Interaction rate: +22%
• Add-to-cart rate: +10%
• Overall conversion rate: +4%

Conclusion and Learnings

This A/B test demonstrated that adding visual context directly to product listing pages improves engagement and conversion when implemented intelligently.

Contextual and dynamic elements outperformed static or generic solutions, showing that reducing friction and limiting unnecessary navigation steps can positively impact both user experience and business performance.