Your product image gallery plays a crucial role in attracting and retaining customers. It allows potential buyers to get a visual representation of the products they are interested in purchasing and can be the deciding factor in whether or not they complete a purchase.

On a WordPress website/WooCommerce store, the product image gallery is essential for showcasing products and providing customers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.

So in this blog post, we’ll provide you with a range of tips and tricks for optimizing your WooCommerce product image gallery for success in 2024.

From using high-resolution images to showcasing multiple angles and features, these tips will help you create an engaging and professional product image gallery that converts visitors into customers.

WooThumbs for WooCommerce

Enable zoom, sliders, video, fullscreen, multiple images per variation, and customisable layout options for your product imagery.

Tip #1: Use high-quality, professional images

When it comes to product images, poor-quality ones could reduce trust among buyers.

📈 According to a survey by Digital Commerce 360, 30% of U.S. shoppers refuse to purchase an item from a store with low-quality images.

With this as an example, it’s clear that image quality directly correlates to product quality in most people’s minds. 

So, how can we improve our product images if this is the case?

How to improve your WooCommerce product images

The best thing you can do is hire a professional for high-quality images. Professional photographers will have the equipment and editing expertise to help your products jump off the screen and entice users to buy them.

However, professional photography can be expensive, and for many ecommerce store owners, it isn’t a viable option.

In those cases, you can take high-quality photos that will work well for your product image gallery with the following tips:

  1. Always make sure you’re taking photos in a well-lit space. Low light can lead to greater sensitivity in the camera sensor, leading to much grainier photos.
  2. Learn how to adjust your ISO and shutter speed settings. This will help you take photos with a better focus that are not blurry when users zoom in. 
  3. Even the most basic editing can go a long way. From buying presets to playing around in Photoshop. Editing the color and light in your photos can help them pop out. 
  4. Consider the background. When selling products, you want a neutral background that does not distract but enhances your product. 
  5. Take photos from every angle and in different settings. 

Finding what will work for the photography of your items can vary. 

For example, the Intelligent Change online store product imagery includes lifestyle shots. These can help you visualize the lifestyle the products can help you achieve.

product image gallery example

In stark contrast, the Anthropologie store offers plain backgrounds that help bring out its products.

product image gallery example lifestyle

Both approaches work for these individual stores because they align with their mission. That is with the elements of the brand they are promoting. 

Want a more in-depth look at improving your product photos? Read our ecommerce product photography guide.

Improve product photography on your WooCommerce website

So once you’ve improved your product photography, you’re ready to add it to your website. But once it’s there, you don’t want to be let down with a product image gallery that’s not up to scratch.

In steps WooThumbs for WooCommerce. It’s key when uploading your product image gallery.

This WooCommerce product gallery plugin has improved image zoom, carousel transitions, and a new gallery layout that helps showcase the different high-quality photos you’ve taken.

woothumbs for woocommerce product gallery

These features will allow customers to see your improved single-product photos in more detail. All so they can make a more informed buying decision, and you can increase conversions.

WooThumbs for WooCommerce

Enable zoom, sliders, video, fullscreen, multiple images per variation, and customisable layout options for your product imagery.

Tip #2: Use a modern and customizable design

As hinted at in the previous segment, having good photos is not enough if the users visiting your website cannot truly appreciate them. A modern and customizable product image gallery design will help enhance your product photos even more. 

WooThumbs for WooCommerce can help you completely change and customize the design of your product image gallery. From altering the size of the images to including zoom options and deciding the order in which the images and videos will appear.

woothumbs product gallery

Some of the customization options that you will gain access to include:

  1. Switching the layout option from a horizontal carousel (product gallery slider) to a modern stacked product gallery. 
  2. Changing the position of the product gallery thumbnail images (when it’s a horizontal slider). 
  3. Ensuring loading times are reduced to allow for easier scrolling. 
  4. Compatibility of your product image gallery with mobile devices.
stacked layout product gallery woothumbs

Many users have switched to exclusively using mobile devices for online shopping. So ensuring your product image gallery is compatible with these devices is key.

With some simple tweaks, mobile shopping can allow you access even more customers through your existing store. 

Tip #3: Use image zoom and enlarge functionality

A picture can be worth a thousand words, but in cases where image zoom and enlarge are available, it can be worth a lot more. People trust their eyes when making online sales, no matter how many details you write in your single product page description.

📈 Most users will retain 80% of what they have visually seen over what they have read. 

This is where your product image gallery comes in. When curating the photos you’ll include, you should consider how these products work to convince customers of the quality of your goods. Image zoom can help with that.

📈 According to an ergonode survey, around 86% of users use product photos to decide which products to choose and buy.

Let’s imagine you’re selling a dress, but once the user zooms in, they can see that it isn’t lined and the fabric is thin. With this information in mind, they might not buy the dress because it appears to be of poor quality.

Even if, in the product details, you talk about high-quality fabrics or good construction. If the user’s eyes tell them otherwise, they will not purchase the item.

However, if your product is high-quality, the customer can use image zoom to get proof of that. By zooming in, they’ll be able to see the quality of the product with their own eyes.

How to add better image zoom to WooCommerce

WooThumbs for WooCommerce can help you add enlargement and zoom-in features that will help bring more users in. By allowing users to examine your product images in detail, you’re showcasing your belief in your product. 

woothumbs image zoom settings

WooThumbs, though doesn’t just enable you to use basic zoom. Instead, it provides you with multiple customizable zoom capabilities. These include hover zoom, inner zoom, outside zoom, and follow zoom. 

Different types of image zoom you can use with WooThumbs for WooCommerce:

  • Hover zoom essentially means that zoom capabilities will be enabled when a user’s mouse hovers over a certain image. 
  • If you have set it to inner zoom, the current image will be brought forward so you can examine it more thoroughly. 
  • With outer zoom, a pop-up will appear, letting you look at the details you are hovering over without the original image moving. 
  • Finally, following zoom is essentially a magnifying glass. Anywhere you hover over, a large square or circle display will appear, allowing you to examine the item more. 

Choosing which of these zooms works best for your products can depend on your selling type. For apparel, the following zoom is more common, whereas, for household items, inner zoom tends to be the choice many retailers opt for.

WooThumbs for WooCommerce

Enable zoom, sliders, video, fullscreen, multiple images per variation, and customisable layout options for your product imagery.

Tip #4: Showcase multiple angles and product features

If you were to go shopping in a retail store, chances are you would quickly find yourself picking up the product you’re interested in and checking it out from every angle.

Naturally, this is not possible with online shopping. Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to replicate the process for customers using ecommerce merchandising.

Adding multiple photo angles and product features can help provide customers with more information about the item you’re selling. These different product shots can work better than any detailed product description

multiple variation images woothumbs black

How to add multiple images per product variation in WooCommerce

WooThumbs for WooCommerce allows you to add multiple images for each of your product variations in WooCommerce.

So if you have variable products with lots of options, with WooThumbs, you’ll be able to showcase these options with more than one product image. In essence, adding additional information is about helping users visualize how a product can be added to their lives and even enhance them. 

multiple images per variation woothumbs

For example, the UK brand RatandBoa will often add their clothing on a completely white background, along with a range of images taken on location. This helps showcase the products, the type of energy, and the person who would choose to wear them.

This can do wonders for buyers who visualize themselves wearing the outfit in similar settings to those in the photo.

With a default WooCommerce install, this simply isn’t possible for product variations. With WooThumbs for WooCommerce, though, it is.

Tip #5: Use video to bring products to life

Videos are becoming more and more common in the ecommerce world. This is largely because a 30-second or minute-long video can convey a lot of information quickly. 

📈 A Hubspot survey clearly showed that 72% of users found learning the product information through a video far more enticing than reading the description.

This showcases the power of using video in ecommerce. Videos are great for engaging customers and showcasing products.

The more information users can gather from your product image gallery, the more likely they will purchase.

As well as increasing sales, product videos can also increase website traffic. Videos improve SEO (search engine optimization) ranking, meaning your store will appear higher on product searches. 

With WooThumbs for WooCommerce, adding a video to your product image gallery is easy.

You’ll be able to create a video gallery by adding product videos in a few different ways:

  1. Via an external site such as YouTube or Vimeo.
  2. Uploading your product video directly into your WordPress website’s media library.

You’ll also be able to add alternative media like sound files from Soundcloud or any page via an iframe.

woothumbs video in gallery

Adding videos using WooThumbs is pretty simple, but if you’d like a full tutorial, take a look at our WooThumbs video doc. It contains instructions for adding a video and including a preview thumbnail. All so you have much more control over your product image gallery.

Tip #6: Optimize image file sizes

When running an ecommerce store, one of the most important aspects to consider is the performance of your website. This includes the speed at which your pages load and the size and quality of the images used on your site.

In particular, the size of your product images can significantly impact your WooCommerce store’s performance. Large images can slow down the loading times of your pages, leading to a poor user experience and ultimately resulting in lost sales.

There are several ways to reduce the size of your product images without sacrificing quality. One of the most effective is to use image optimization software. This type of software can significantly reduce the file size of your images while maintaining the same quality.

Another way to reduce the size of your images is to ensure they are properly sized before you upload them to your site. This means that you should resize your images to the appropriate dimensions for the space where they will be displayed on your site.

But what if you’ve already reduced the size of your images and uploaded them to WooCommerce, but they’re still not right?

How to change your product image sizes in WooCommerce

This is where WooThumbs for WooCommerce can be particularly important as it allows images to be resized as needed.

Once your photos are uploaded, you’ll be able to adjust their size and dimensions, the cropping rate, and more. All within WordPress and the WooThumbs for WooCommerce settings.

woothumbs image sizes

The plugin will also help you ensure that all your different product images have the same size. This can be particularly important as it provides greater visual consistency. It will also help your image product gallery look more well-curated and put together.

WooThumbs for WooCommerce

Enable zoom, sliders, video, fullscreen, multiple images per variation, and customisable layout options for your product imagery.

Tip #7: Use a lightbox or full-screen mode for a better customer experience

When on the WooCommerce product page, customers are looking to get product details fast. There’s no faster way than to see a product image in full-screen.

Adding a way for your customer to click on the main product image and see it in a lightbox-style popup will make things so much easier for them.

How to add a lightbox/fullscreen popup to WooCommerce

While this feature is available in a standard WooCommerce install, it could be much cleaner and easier to use.

With WooThumbs for WooCommerce, you’ll add a clear way for customers to view product images and even product videos in full-screen. Each image or video thumbnail in the gallery will have a clear ‘enlarge’ icon. Once clicked, it will open up in a full-screen lightbox.

fullscreen lightbox woothumbs

Customers can then use the arrows on the screen to quickly flick through the rest of the images in your gallery and leave whenever they want.

Catering for every type of user is important when building a good customer experience for your online store. So don’t overlook this valuable and user-friendly feature.

fullscreen lightbox settings woothumbs

When it comes to your product image gallery, you can make many changes to help increase sales.

Higher quality photos paired with a modern design gallery increase trust and the appeal of your products.  

As most users depend on visual imagery to decide which products to buy, adding the zoom feature and product photos showcasing every product angle can help buyers decide what to buy. A good product image gallery can essentially replace your product description. 

A properly curated product image gallery will also help increase your website’s SEO. This can be done through the addition of a product video. Alternatively, you can add alt tags that associate your images with keywords. 

Finally, you can add a lightbox to make buying from your WooCommerce store even easier.

All that and more is available through one simple plugin. WooThumbs for WooCommerce can help you implement all of our tips and give you full control over your product image gallery from one easy-to-use plugin.

WooThumbs for WooCommerce

Enable zoom, sliders, video, fullscreen, multiple images per variation, and customisable layout options for your product imagery.