Ali Demirbaş - Lab

Category & Listing

List View vs Grid View on Category Pages A/B Test

A grid shows several products at once, while a list gives each product more horizontal space.

  • Category listing
  • Product detail click-through rate

Option A vs Option B

Two alternatives; neither is the incumbent.

Changed
Options
Page
Category listing
Difference
changed

Hypothesis

With product information held constant, layout may affect how visitors compare options and choose what to inspect. The result may vary by category.

How to run this test

Primary metric

Product detail click-through rate

Compare product-page visits among visitors who see each category-list layout.

Other metrics

  • Purchase conversion rate (CR)Check whether purchases change.
  • Products viewedMake sure the number of products actually seen does not fall materially.
  • Page load timeEnsure the layout change does not slow the page.
  • Return-to-list rateReturning to the list can be normal comparison behavior; interpret it alongside subsequent actions.

What to check before and during the test

  • LayoutCompare list and grid views with the same product information.
  • Saved preferencesDecide how to handle visitors with a saved layout preference; do not override it.
  • Keep constantKeep sorting, prices, product details and image quality unchanged.
  • DensityReview the number of products seen alongside clicks.
  • CategoryCheck category differences before expanding the result.

Setup mistakes to avoid

  1. 1Do not change the layout and the information shown on cards together.
  2. 2Do not override a visitor's previously saved layout preference.
  3. 3Do not apply a result from one category to every category.
  4. 4Do not reduce image quality when making images smaller in list view.
  5. 5Keep the existing view switcher and preference-saving behavior in both arms.