@CROguy_
@elevate_ab
@joshtCROWhy product images matter on the product page
The gallery is usually the first thing a shopper sees on a product page, before the price or the copy. As Dave Diederen puts it, the first image does almost all the work: it also shows on collection pages and in ads.
The tests fall into three groups: which image goes first, how shoppers move through the gallery, and what the images say beyond showing the product.
Measured results
The first image
- A new first product image: +10.26% conversion rate, +10.44% revenue per visitor, AOV unchanged (Dave Diederen).
- Second photo moved to first position: conversion rate 11.66% to 12.61%, revenue per visitor £3.32 to £3.60, +£785 in 10 days across 9,913 visitors. Nothing else changed (Elevate A/B Testing, for a food hamper brand).
- One product image change: +5.09% conversion rate, +5.57% profit per visitor, +$24,347/month (Dave Diederen).
- Swapping the model in the first image: the blonde model reached 9.55% conversion rate against a 9.32% control, for an estimated +$18,828/month (Dave Diederen).
Thumbnails and gallery navigation
The clearest repeat pattern is thumbnails. Dave Diederen's thumbnail strip instead of dots on mobile won +10.71% conversion rate, +15.10% revenue per visitor and +15.90% profit per visitor. Dave Diederen's view: dots tell shoppers there are more images, but thumbnails show them.
Want results like this on your store?
Dave Diederen at Syntra Labs. Dave builds and tests Shopify stores at Syntra Labs, and shares most results in public.
Dave Diederen's separate thumbnails under the gallery test won +6.06% conversion rate and +7.34% revenue per visitor. Oliver Kenyon included thumbnails in two bundled wins: clickable thumbnails with a rating under the title and a sticky ATC (+$38,846/month) and mobile thumbnails with the urgency bar moved up (+$24,000/month).
Images that carry selling points
- Images with USPs, testimonials, guarantees and delivery info: +7.17% conversion rate, +6.36% revenue per visitor (Dave Diederen).
- USP images instead of product-only shots: +$10K/month, with no copy or layout change (Oliver Kenyon).
- A model size overlay on fashion images: +2.63% conversion rate, +4.61% revenue per visitor (Dave Diederen).
Badges on the image
Two Dave Diederen tests point in opposite directions. Adding a Best Seller badge on the hero image won +7.04% conversion rate. In a separate test, moving the badge off the image to above the title won +6.05% conversion rate, and +9.04% in a second test. Making the badge visible helped both times; the best spot may differ by store.
Bundled redesigns
Milos reported +81% conversion rate from a redesign with a lifestyle image, benefit headline, bullets, testimonials and bundles, and +50% revenue per visitor from a rebuild with lifestyle images and an emotional headline. Milos's redesign with better images took conversion rate from 2.1% to 3.2%. Oliver Kenyon's new image slider with clearer CTAs won +$36,772/month and a swipeable-image hero with trust icons won +$27,000/month. These changed many things, so the images' share is unknown.
Kasper Dolk also reports captions on UGC videos and a more branded page as winners, but gives no figures.
Losing or flat tests
No test lost overall. Inside Dave Diederen's model test, the brunette variant reached 9.01% conversion rate, below the 9.32% control. Changing the first image can hurt as easily as help, which is why it should be tested, not just swapped.
Untested ideas
76 ideas have no measured result. The most common:
- Order gallery slides deliberately: hero shot, how to use, benefits, specs, a featured review (Kasper Dolk).
- Add slides for before/after results, comparisons with alternatives and what's in the box (Kasper Dolk).
- Let the next image peek in, or add arrows, so shoppers know the gallery scrolls (Dave Diederen, Kasper Dolk).
- Use real customer photos and UGC with faces. Josh Thompson claims large gains from this on several stores but shows no test data.
Placement and design patterns that won
- Show thumbnails, not dots, especially on mobile.
- Test the first image on its own. It is cheap, and has moved conversion rate by up to 10%.
- Put USPs, guarantees and sizing info inside the images.
- Use a visible bestseller badge, on the image or above the title.
Related tests elsewhere on the store
See the full product image collection, collection page image tests, homepage image tests and product page review tests.
Questions
Should product galleries use thumbnails or dots?
Thumbnails won in both of Dave Diederen's tests: a mobile thumbnail strip instead of dots won +15.10% revenue per visitor, and thumbnails under the gallery won +6.06% conversion rate.
Is it worth testing only the first product image?
Yes, in these tests. Dave Diederen's new first image won +10.26% conversion rate, and Elevate A/B Testing lifted revenue per visitor from £3.32 to £3.60 just by reordering photos.
Do USP or infographic images help on product pages?
They won twice: Dave Diederen's images with USPs, testimonials and guarantees won +7.17% conversion rate, and Oliver Kenyon's USP images won +$10K/month.