Are 2 column shops better than 3 column shops

Are 2 column shops now the norm for e-commerce.

[derekwong28]

I am wondering whether 2 column shops are preferable to 3-column shops as in the default OSC and x-cart layout. I note that many OSC and x-cart shops are now using a 2-column layout.

[Essex_boy]

Ive always prefered 2 column over three, you cant get enough on teh screen without scrolling across left to right=less work for teh vistors.

Otherwise you have to shrink the image down to fit three across.

I find 2 columns each 10 deep to be the optimum layout i.e 20 products to teh page.

[CernyM]

We run just a single column - but we have only very basic navigational needs.

Amazon runs three columns. J.Crew an Victoria's Secret run two. Each of these vendors is large and sophisticated - I would assume that there are well thought out and tested reasons that each has the layout that they do.

I wouldn't change the layout you have without pretty compelling evidence that it would be to the positive. Is there any way you can A/B it?

[derekwong28]

I may try to A/B it but I doubt anything firm will come out of it. I don't think it will affect conversions by more than 5-10% either way. You really need to have hundreds of conversions per day to test it out.

Can anybody else give some input on this. This is an extremely important topic.

[lorax]

I believe the 3 column layout to be the better choice for your landing pages primarily because it allows you to get that much more information above the fold.

In that first visit you want to establish who you are, what you sell, trust, and obvious action items to act upon. It's the building trust and providing action items which take up the majority of the space.

Trust items include the seals of,
SSL cert issuer
professional business orgs
independent reviewers
CC logos you'll accept

Action items include things like,
site search
spot ads
newsletter signups
categories and product links
calls to action like "Click here to get 20% off"
links from within the copy "Our lovely blue widgets are 100% guaranteed to keep spammers from filling your email box"

So the more columns you have the more room you have to jam it all in.

[tolachi]

IMHO this all depends on your strategy. Amazon.com, which sells other people's brands, usually takes a jam it all in there strategy. However, they have dedicated their homepage for a really long time to a letter about "amazon prime" a shipping program that differentiates them from the competition. J Crew and Victoria's Secret sell their own brand and aren't interested in jamming anything onto their homepage because they want to use it to reafirm their respective brand experiences. What you sell, who you sell it to, and what you are doing to differentiate yourself will determine what strategy you take for selling what you sell. Depending on how you pursue that strategy a 1, 2, or 3 column site may work best. Think about what your strategy is and pick a layout that fits it.

[derekwong28]

Thanks for your input, this certainly gives us something to think about. I also heard 3 columns is best for shops catering to a male market, whereas 2 columns are better for females. The reason being that females are more like browse around than males and would like more space to do so.

[lorax]

>> I also heard 3 columns is best for shops catering to a male market, whereas 2 columns are better for females.

Do you have a source for this info? It'd be good info to have on hand if it was a reputable source.

[derekwong28]

I do not have any reputable source. A friend of mine got this information from a book about newspaper and magazine publishing. It said that men are less likely to do into detail than women and therefore it is best to use a multi-column layout with a lot of headlines. Whereas women tend to spend more time looking into detail and therefore it is best to have fewer columns so that they have a wider field of view to peruse the information.