New Recommendations for Ecommerce Images

A fascinating look at the implications of image optimization. The user experience of an image isn’t just when you see it on the product page, but it persists all the way until you receive the product in the mail and judge whether the image on the website matches your unboxing expectations in real life.

Until now, I’ve advocated reducing file size as much as possible even in cases where it reduced image quality. I’ve argued at times that a 1x image or a compressive image—a 2x image saved at low image quality and shrunk to fit—is good enough quality. What matters most is the speed of the image because of the impact on user experience and conversion rate.

While user experience is my primary concern, it isn’t the only one…

But what has a greater impact? A larger image file or a product that travels to a customer’s home, is shipped back to the merchant, and ultimately ends up in a landfill?

For ecommerce companies—particularly for those selling apparel—it likely makes sense to prioritize image quality above file size.