Understanding the Shopper's Mindset
When a customer clicks on a Product Listing Ad (PLA), they're often still in the exploration phase. They're interested but not yet committed.
"I came to the site from a PLA, but I'm still in shopping mode and haven't made a choice about a specific product yet. I want both product details for the product I clicked on, but also a very easy/quick way to shop more products in the same category."
By catering to this mindset with a personalized landing page, you can keep potential customers engaged and increase the chances of increased conversions. AKA purchases.
The Power of Product Recommendation Carousels
Integrating a product recommendation carousel on your PDP for marketing campaign traffic coming from PLAs can significantly impact user engagement and sales.
- Increased Scrolling and Interaction: Heatmaps show that visitors are more inclined to scroll further down the page when a carousel is present. In fact, 97% of visitors scrolled down to see the recommended items section when it was just below the product images and buy box.
- Emulate the PLA experience on your PDP: A/B test placing a single row carousel right across the top of your PDP with a design template emulating the Google PLA carousel keeps shoppers in the same UI they’re already comfortable with and immediately shows them your broader catalog.
- Higher Add-to-Cart Rates: More clicks on the 'add to cart' button were observed, supporting the increase in cart additions and the value of personalized content.
- Additional Conversion Rate Optimization Opportunities: Besides adding items directly from the ecommerce landing page, 3% of visitors click 'view full details,' providing another chance to convert interest into sales.
Mobile Optimization Matters
With an increasing number of shoppers using mobile devices, optimizing this strategy for mobile is crucial.
- Significant Uplift in Key Metrics: A centaur landing page (a hybrid of a category page and PDP) for paid traffic led to a 14.1% increase in add-to-cart actions and a 5.3% increase in checkouts among mobile visitors.
- Higher Average Order Value (AOV): There was a statistically significant increase in AOV by 2.5%, boosting revenue per visitor by 5.3% - all from a very low investment in a small page design change.
- Enhanced User Engagement: Mobile users showed lower bounce rates, higher engagement rates, longer session durations, and more page views.
Desktop Users Benefit Too
While mobile is vital, don’t overlook the desktop experience.
- Improved Cart Adds and AOV: Desktop visitors experienced a 4.2% increase in add-to-cart actions and a 7.6% lift in AOV.
- Increase in Revenue per Visitor: These improvements led to a 6.7% rise in revenue per visitor.
- AOV Boost: For a client with a $255 AOV, the centaur landing page boosts the AOV by $19.55, or 7.6%.
- Transaction Boost: The add-to-cart rate increased by 2.6% for another client and transactions by 1.5%.
Tips for Maximizing This Strategy
- Optimize Page Load Times: Ensure that your PDP and carousel load quickly to prevent potential drop-offs. Leverage integrations from your existing tool stack so you’re not adding more scripts to your site.
- Personalize Recommendations: Use data-driven insights to display products that align with the user's interests. Tools like Rebuy work great for this by using AI to quickly learn what products to show to drive more sales. Plus, there’s no need to use a landing page builder since you’re leveraging your existing product detail pages.
- Clear Calls-to-Action: Make 'add to cart' and 'view full details' CTAs prominent and easy to find.
- Monitor User Behavior: Utilize tools like Heatmap to understand how visitors interact with your page and make necessary adjustments.
- Test Pricing: A/B test showing different variants of of the carousel based on products in a similar price range vs. products a little more expensive vs products slightly less expensive.
Embrace the Holiday Opportunity
By sending ad traffic to a PDP that features a product recommendation carousel, you're meeting customers where they are in their buying journey. This page personalization tactic aligns with their desire to explore options while keeping them engaged with relevant products. Especially during the holidays, when shoppers are in the spirit of buying, this strategy can set your ecommerce business apart.
By implementing these insights, you're not just improving user experience—you're strategically positioning your ecommerce store for increased sales and long-term growth.
