Collection Page Category Portals: $8K/Day Revenue Case Study
[ SUMMARIZE WITH AI ]
Filters aren't enough. Sometimes people need a shortcut.
We tested collection page layout for a 9-figure gym apparel brand. High SKU count. Lots of products. The Women's collection alone had dozens of subcategories buried in a sidebar filter.
The fix? Visual category "portals" at the top of the collection page. Five cards showing Sports Bras, Outerwear, Shorts, Leggings, and Tops. Each with an image, description, and "SHOP NOW" link.
Results: +$8,000/day in category revenue.
That's not per month. Per day.
The Problem With High-SKU Collection Pages
The control collection page had filters. Lots of them.
Category filter with subcategories: Criss Cross Straps, Flared, Hoodies, Jackets, Long Sleeve, Open Back, Pocketed, Quarterzips, Racerback, Seamless, Strappy, Tanks. Plus Size, Color, Bra Support filters.
Functional? Yes. But overwhelming for someone who just wants to find shorts.
Sidebar filters work for people who know exactly what they want. They don't work for people who are browsing, exploring, or aren't sure what category their desired item falls into.
When you have hundreds of SKUs, dropping someone into an endless product grid with a wall of filter options creates paralysis.
The Hypothesis
Visually enhanced collection page with improved navigation and layout would increase product discoverability and engagement. By highlighting key categories with imagery users would find it easier to browse and shop.
The idea: give people visual shortcuts to the most popular subcategories before they hit the product grid.
Test Setup
Page: Collection Page (Women's)
Location: Above product grid
Platform: Intelligems
Test Type: A/B test
Control
Standard collection page layout:
- "WOMEN'S" header with tagline
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Left sidebar with filters (Category, Size, Color, Bra Support)
- "Sort by: Featured" dropdown
- Product grid with images, names, prices, ratings, color swatches
Users had to use filters or scroll to find what they wanted.
Variation (Winner)
Added visual category portals above the product grid:
- SPORTS BRAS: "Stylish, form-fitting, and a range of support for any activity" + SHOP NOW
- OUTERWEAR: "Engineered for training sessions, warming up, or lounging in comfort" + SHOP NOW
- SHORTS: "Versatile women's athletic shorts for lifting, running, cycling" + SHOP NOW
- LEGGINGS: "High-waisted, squat proof workout leggings for max flexibility" + SHOP NOW
- TOPS: "Performance and comfort from tanks, hoodies, shirts" + SHOP NOW
Each portal had a lifestyle image, category name, short description, and CTA. Same filters and product grid below for those who wanted to browse everything.
Results
Winner: Variation (Category Portals)
| Metric | Improvement |
|---|---|
| Daily Category Revenue | +$8,000 |
$8K per day. At scale, small navigation improvements compound into massive revenue.
Why It Worked
1. Visual shortcuts beat text filters
A sidebar filter that says "Shorts (48)" requires reading and clicking.
A lifestyle image of a woman in athletic shorts with "SHOP NOW" is instant. You see it, you get it, you click.
Visual navigation is faster than text navigation. For a broad collection page, speed to the right subcategory matters.
2. Surfaced the most popular paths
The portals highlighted five key subcategories: Sports Bras, Outerwear, Shorts, Leggings, Tops.
These are the categories most people landing on "Women's" are looking for. The portals put the popular paths front and center instead of burying them in a filter dropdown.
Not everyone needs portals. But enough people do that it moved the needle significantly.
3. Descriptions added clarity
Each portal had a short description: "High-waisted, squat proof workout leggings for max flexibility."
That's not just navigation. That's selling. The descriptions communicate product benefits before the customer even reaches the subcategory page.
Navigation and merchandising in one element.
4. Didn't remove existing functionality
The portals were additive. The sidebar filters stayed. The product grid stayed. The sort options stayed.
Power users who want to filter by Bra Support level can still do that. Casual browsers who just want to see leggings can click directly there.
Serving both user types is better than optimizing for one.
5. Lifestyle imagery created aspiration
The portal images showed real people in the apparel. Not flat lays. Not product shots. Athletes wearing the gear.
For fitness apparel, aspiration drives purchase. Customers want to look like the person in the image. The portals triggered that desire before they even started browsing products.
What This Means for Collection Pages
If you have a lot of SKUs, your collection pages need more than filters.
Filters assume the customer knows what they want. Portals guide customers who are still figuring it out.
Things to test:
- Category portals: Visual cards linking to key subcategories
- Use case navigation: "For Running," "For Lifting," "For Yoga"
- Featured collections: Highlight new arrivals, bestsellers, or seasonal picks
- Visual filters: Replace text filter options with thumbnail images
The goal is reducing time to relevant products. Every second of confusion is a chance to bounce.
FAQ
How do you choose which subcategories to feature as portals?
Look at your data. Which subcategories get the most traffic? Which have the highest conversion rates? Which do customers search for most?
Feature the paths most people want. Don't try to feature everything or you recreate the overwhelm problem.
Won't this push products further down the page?
Yes, slightly. But that's okay.
The tradeoff is worth it if the portals help more people find what they want. A customer who clicks directly to Leggings converts better than one who scrolls aimlessly through 200 products.
Depth on page matters less than clarity of path.
Should portals appear on every collection page?
On broad, high-SKU collections, yes. On narrow, focused collections (like a specific product type), probably not.
If someone is already on the "Leggings" page, they don't need portals to other categories. But if they're on "Women's" with 500 products, portals help.
How many portals is too many?
Five worked well here. More than six or seven starts to recreate the overwhelm problem.
The point is curation, not comprehensiveness. Pick your top categories and feature those. Everything else stays accessible via filters.
This test was run using Intelligems as part of a CONVERTIBLES personalization program. Want to see what collection page optimizations could do for your store? Book a call to get 3 personalized recommendations for your store.