A sign post to direct your users

After getting introduced to your value proposition with a ‘hero section’ at the top of the homepage, the next step is to help them decide where to go on your site (which category to open). A list of main categories serves that purpose.

I recommend:

Putting it directly below the hero section, or at least high up on the homepage.
The other section that I usually recommend right below the hero section is social proof or credibility components.
Just as importantly as with product photos, make sure to have high quality images for those category thumbnails.

Two sections instead of one?

One of things that I find interesting about IKEA’s site is that they feature 3 categories right below the fold.

Then they have a section ‘Shop by Category’ lower on the homepage.

The 3 featured categories are the equivalent to a link bar on mobile. Normally I recommend to have something like their ‘Shop by Category’ section right below the fold, but I like how they’ve featured 3 to start with and have a longer list later on.