The humble toggle is a small but mighty element that gives customers control over your UI to enhance how they shop. Whether it’s the traditional “switches,” buttons, radio buttons or tabbed patters (where you can flip between icons or text links), toggles let customers instantly experience different views, content and context. Check out 15 ways online retailers are using them creatively across Category and Product pages:
Category pages
1. Choose model
Allowing customers to visualize apparel on bodies closer to theirs is a trending feature. Good American persists a shopper’s selection across Category/Search lists as they browse, and reports higher conversion with this implementation.
2. Flat-lay to model
Let customers shop their way with a quick-switch of flat and on-model shots. H&M uses clear text labels and flickerless image load.
Marc Cain’s icons are nice, but may not be as easily recognizable and understood as text labels. The reload flicker could also be improved.
3. Product to lifestyle shot
IKEA lets you switch between product and in-room shots to give you better size context at-a-glance before committing to a PDP click.
4. Grid view to List view
For products where tech specs and finer details drive the purchase decision, List view enables quick assessment at the Category/Search level (and consider making List view the default view for such Categories).
5. Cards per row
For visually-driven products, bigger is better when it comes to mobile images — but the tradeoff of larger cards is more scrolling. Layout toggles let customers decide how they want to browse (but use data to determine which view you show by default).
It’s a nice touch on desktop, too! Fashion Nova provides 3 options.
6. Products to content
If you invest a lot in product-related content, you may have a good use case for product-to-content views. Michael’s lets you find crafting and DIY projects that match your search keyword.
7. Shop my store
For customers pre-shopping your site before a store visit, the ability to filter a product list by preferred store availability is money. The toggle pattern is a checkbox alternative used by sites like Abercrombie and GAP brands.
Old Navy takes a similar approach, but places it below other filters.
Zoom:
8. Show / hide filter sidebar
Give customers more cards-per-row with a Filters: On/Off control. KURU styles it poppin’ green for extra visibility.
9. Swap departments
Did you notice KURU’s Women/Men toggle in the filter panel? While it’s less helpful within Men’s and Women’s categories, it’s great for macro-categories like New Arrivals, Sale and Best Sellers, and for search results.
10. Filtered navigation
Vetsak has a perfect use case for filters toggles — some fabric variants are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The filter tab clarifies what’s not obvious at the Collection level, and helps customers think about their buying criteria earlier in the funnel.
Product pages
11. Swap model gallery
Alo’s “change model” toggle swaps each gallery image out for a different set. This helpful and inclusive feature is starting to trend across the intimates and apparel industry!
12. Variant grid-to-list view
There are use cases where color swatches alone hide relevant details customers are looking for, such as specific shade names (and short desccriptions) or stock availability at-a-glance. A list view presents more detail for customers that want/need it, while keeping the default state clean.
13. Mystery cross-sells
Alex + Ani presents blurred mystery cross-sells and “special offer” with a toggle to reveal. Blurred content may just be anti-banner blindness — it’s unusualness serves as a pattern interrupt that causes our reptilian brain to go “wait, what’s this”?
14. International size conversion
Cider supports international size conversion that swaps out the variant options on user selection. This is an advanced move that requires a little custom development.
Shapermint’s chart toggle makes it easy to gauge sizes for international visitors
Saxx’ size chart toggle adds a pop of color for additional visiblity
15. Shop similar hotspots
Fashion Nova’s Shop Similar tool lets shoppers toggle between hotspots to see visually similar products, with real-time stock availability (they’re using Syte.ai for this feature).
16. Men / Women’s styles
👟 Vessi’s toggles convert Men’s and Women’s Sizes and Colors instantly.
Compare tables
17. Highlight differences
Best Buy provides a toggle to highlight only what’s different, giving a quicker way to scan (you can also do this as “Hide similar” to remove redundant rows).
👉 Check out 30+ more Compare table ideas
🤓 Resources for UX/UI designers
Smashing Magazine What makes a great toggle button? (Part 1)
Smashing Magazine What makes a great toggle button (Part 2)
UX Collective The good, the bad and the toggle
UX Tweak Effective toggle button design [Research Overview + Guidelines]
Mockplus How to design a great toggle switch ← includes some very creative inspo!