3 Facts about High Resolution Images in Shopping

High resolution images increase conversions

According to a recent email from Google, "merchants who show consistent, high resolution images on their product listings see more engagement from their customers on Google Search." A quick Google Search for high resolution image conversion statistics brings up many more articles with specific examples of conversion rate boosts from improving image quality. Since a boost in conversions is a long-term benefit, it can over time pay back the one-time fixed cost of sourcing high resolution images.

High resolution images look amazing on high-resolution devices

The majority of mobile devices today have a device pixel ratio greater than one (1). Technically, this means that the device's screen has more pixels per inch than a 'standard' device. Practically, this means that high resolution images look beautiful on these devices. But don't take my word for it, see the standard resolution image (1x pixel density) vs high resolution (2x pixel density) image below on your device and compare for yourself!

Standard Resolution Image 444 x 591 (below)

High-Resolution Image 1182 x 888 (below)

Look for sharper details that make you feel like you are actually there. You will not see any difference on a standard resolution screen. Image courtesy of AXP Photography.

High resolution images have a preferred aspect ratio

Google recommends portrait images have a 4:3 aspect ratio, and landscape images have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is the ratio between the height of the image and width of the image in pixels.

To qualify as 'high resolution', Google requires a minimum pixel size of 636x476 for a portrait image, and 412x734 for a landscape image. Google's suggested size is about two times bigger, at 1182x888 for a portrait image, and 768x1366 for a landscape image.

We recommend not be too concerned about the exact pixel size or ratio, but instead, focus on providing images of at least 1500x1500 pixels, and the highest image resolution available up to the maximum allowed 8000x8000 and 16 MB file size.

Our feeds ensure high data quality by always including the highest resolution image available for each product, when multiple sizes are available from the shopping cart software. Our feeds also include all additional images available for the products, up to the maximum allowed of 10.

Multiple high resolution images unlock special features

To unlock 2D to 3D video spins (a proven conversion booster) for shoes, provide five or more images from the following angles: Front, Back, Left, Right, and Top. The Bottom angle is optional, but recommended. Make sure all the angles are of the same size, color, and foot of shoe.

For apparel items, Google suggests to show the clothing being worn on a model. Seeing the clothes on a real person, Google says, helps customer's imagine how the clothing would look on themselves.

Next Steps

• Sign up for our Mailing List - Get notified of new blog posts!
• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on LinkedIn
• Create a Data Feeds Account - Free Trial, No Contracts, No Credit Card needed