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Around 16 years ago a pioneering graphic designer decided that this was a good layout for a product page:
The idea took hold and we’ve been following it ever since. But why is the product page laid out this way?
– Is it because this is the best layout from a conversion perspective?
– Is it because this is the layout that’s most familiar to shoppers?
If we had a good scientific reason for why product pages all look the same I’d be fine with it. But my hunch is there is a little bit of “the others are doing it this way, let’s not rock the boat” going on here.
But product pages don’t have to be the way we’ve been designing them. Have a look at this innovative design on thenueco.com:
Unique Mobile Product Page Layout Layout
Here is an interesting mobile product page concept. Normally on mobile product pages, the layout looks like this (example from warbyparker.com):
This is a mobile page I’ve never seen before. It’s a very experimental concept on theraspecs.com where the retailer is showing their unique selling proposition at the very top of the page. Experimenting with new ideas is how brands win. You need to have the courage to do something new, even when you know you may fail:
Further Reading
We hope you enjoyed this article.
We’ve spent the last 13 years in our marketing lab, experimenting with ways to optimize conversion rates and grow sales. We’re ready to spill the beans.
The following articles will save you 13 years:
— Before revealing the secret that’ll improve conversion rates by 20% let’s zoom out to see the forest for the🌲: Optimize Conversion Rates: A Totally Different Approach
— For every 1,000 product pitches encountered the shopper buys one item (and we’re being generous). You want this to be your product. How do our brains choose? They rely on a ranking algorithm, not dissimilar to the one Google uses for search results. Our conversion copywriting process is designed to get your pitch to the front of the line.
— The link above revealed how to construct the perfect sales pitch. Next, this killer pitch needs to be infused into your product page. We have just one chance to convert this visitor (only 15% of visitors ever return). Read this next: Infusing Your Product Story To Your Product Page.
Comments 6
There is no such thing as the “right product page design”. Old or new. Each product/customer combination has its own set of needs. One might require a strong emotional hook, another a longer logical explanation. For another, strong third party validation might be critical. Each of these will be best achieved with a different graphic layout. The only way to know is through A/B testing. It is VERY easy to fall in love with a cool new design, only to discover that it doesn’t convert as well.
Author
Hi, Mark. That’s exactly right 🙂
Never thought about this. It’s so common that I never stopped to think, “why are products page this way?” It’s great to get a glimpse into the world of CRO.
SOOOO Many things that could be designed and tested!
I wish I had more traffic to allow for the resources to test this product page design out.
Author
Love seeing your comments come in. Ron, I’m always happy to do a free project for my buddy. Just need enough traffic for an A/B test.
Yeah, gradually it’s going up. According to Yahoo Store Manager, we had 38,000 page views in last 30 days. Yahoo! always shows more than GA does. Maybe since the store is Yahoo! it’s more accurate.