Testing Category Card Images on a Listing Page

Category click-through rate

Among visitors who see category cards, compare how many open the relevant category; assess purchase impact separately with conversion.

• Purchase conversion rate (CR)Check whether better category navigation carries through to purchases.
• Category return rateReview returns alongside subsequent browsing; a return alone does not prove the category was wrong.
• Page load timeMake sure the images do not slow the page.
• Categories seenMake sure visitors continue to see the same number of categories.

• ImagesAdd predefined representative images next to category names.
• Keep constantKeep names, order, category count and destination pages unchanged.
• RepresentationDo not make an image suggest a narrower range than the category actually contains.
• ReadabilityKeep category names easy to read.
• Separate testComparing photos with icons is a separate test; track category visibility on mobile in this one.

1. 1Do not use an image of a product that is not in the category.
2. 2Do not change images and category order together.
3. 3Optimize images before launch so page-speed loss does not confound the result.
4. 4Do not overlay category names so heavily that they become unreadable.
5. 5Do not reduce the number of categories when adding images.