If you’re running an e-commerce website, you have a lot of competition. This means you need to find every way possible to distinguish your store and provide a superior experience. For example, if you’re still presenting your wares on generic single product pages, it may be time for an overhaul.
While many online stores are set up in a traditional way, plenty have switched to a product table layout instead. This type of layout enables you to present your items in one searchable, sortable table – complete with all the information customers will need to make a purchasing decision.
In this post, we’ll explain why a product table layout may be the perfect choice for your e-commerce store. Plus, we’ll introduce you to some tools that can help you create one easily. Let’s talk!
What is a product table layout?
A lot of online stores are set up the same way. Every product or service has its own individual page, and customers have to visit those pages in order to purchase each item. While this setup works well for some shops, however, it’s far from the only option.
Instead of creating single product pages, you can choose to display all your offerings in one place. This is called a product table layout, and it looks something like this:
As you can see, all of this store’s items are displayed in one table – each product on its own row. The table presents all the key information about these products, such as their price, short descriptions, and even images.
These days, thousands of e-commerce stores are switching to this kind of layout. Let’s talk about why that is.
Why are so many stores using product table layouts?
There are a ton of reasons online shops opt for a product table design over a traditional layout. For one thing, it helps your store stand out among the sea of competitors. Of course, that’s hardly the only benefit.
Here are just a few of the reasons a product table layout can be the perfect choice for your e-commerce store:
- You save a lot of space, by concisely presenting all your products on a single page.
- Customers can see all the information they need at a glance, and can easily compare products.
- The buying process is quicker and more user-friendly, since people can purchase everything they need at once.
- You can add searching, sorting, and filtering capabilities to your product table, so visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.
- It’s simple to display variations and other options within the table, so people can customize their orders.
- Customers can add items to their carts right from the table, and can even select multiple products at once.
This list should make it clear that there many reasons to add a product table to your online shop. However, no feature is right for every store. So all that’s left is to decide whether this is something that can benefit your specific e-commerce site.
What types of e-commerce stores can benefit from using a product table layout?
Of course, you can use a product table layout in any e-commerce store. You can even use it in combination with individual product pages if you like. Still, there are some situations in which this feature is a must-have.
For example, a product table layout is perfect for any store that sells a lot of products. If you’re offering hundreds or thousands of items, it can be hard for customers to find what they need. A product table shows them everything you have to offer at a glance:
This layout also works well for shops that let customers select options or buy personalized products. You can even create a series of product tables, helping people ‘build’ the item they want and add everything to their cart at once:
Many restaurants also use product tables, in order to create an online menu. After all, people who are buying food online expect to be able to select everything they need and place their order on a single page:
This is hardly an exhaustive list. Product tables are also ideal for wholesale stores, photography shops, sites selling subscriptions or memberships, and much more. With all these applications, it’s no surprise that so many e-commerce stores are switching to a product table-based model.
How can you add a product table to your e-commerce site?
If you want to (and if you have the technical know-how), you can create a product table from scratch. Depending on the way you’ve built your site, however, there may be an easier solution.
Take WordPress, for instance. This incredibly popular platform is a top choice for e-commerce store owners, and for good reason. The many plugins offered by the WordPress community make it simple to add whatever feature you need to your site.
Posts Table Pro is the perfect example:
This tool lets you create a product table quickly, and customize it to display whatever information you want. It’s very flexible, yet still beginner-friendly. Even better, it can be used alongside just about any WordPress e-commerce plugin.
Of course, the most popular e-commerce tool for WordPress users is WooCommerce. If that’s the plugin you’re using, you’ll want to check out WooCommerce Product Table:
This plugin is very similar to Posts Table Pro – it’s just as powerful and easy to use. Plus, it’s designed to integrate smoothly with the WooCommerce platform. To date, WooCommerce Product Table has sold over 1,800 copies. That’s a lot of stores successfully using a product table layout to increase their sales!
Conclusion
A product table layout can be an incredible boon to your e-commerce site. This feature lets you show off all your products in an attractive format, and makes the buying process as simple as possible for your customers.
If your store stocks a lot of products, sells customizable items, offers an online ordering service, or fits any of the other categories we mentioned earlier – you’ll want to strongly consider switching to a product table layout. For WordPress users, this can be done in no time using plugins such as Posts Table Pro and WooCommerce Product Table.
Are you wondering whether a product table layout is right for your online store? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
