Should I lazy-load below-the-fold images on PDPs?
Muhammed Tüfekyapan
Founder & CEO
TL;DR - Quick Answer
Complete Expert Analysis
Comprehensive Guide to Lazy Loading Product Images
Lazy loading is a critical performance optimization technique that can significantly improve your product detail page (PDP) loading speed and user experience.
What is Lazy Loading?
Lazy loading defers loading of non-critical images until they are about to enter the viewport, reducing initial page load time and conserving bandwidth.
Implementation Strategies
1. Native Browser Lazy Loading
<img src='product.jpg' loading='lazy' alt='Product Image'>Modern browsers support native lazy loading with the 'loading' attribute, requiring minimal implementation effort.
2. JavaScript Libraries
- •Intersection Observer API
- •lazysizes.js
- •Native browser lazy loading polyfills
Performance Impact Analysis
| Metric | Without Lazy Loading | With Lazy Loading |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Page Load Time | 4-6 seconds | 1-2 seconds |
| Bandwidth Usage | Full image set | Critical images only |
| Mobile Performance | Slower | Significantly Improved |
Best Practices
Do's
- ✓Lazy load below-the-fold product images
- ✓Provide placeholder images or low-resolution previews
- ✓Ensure first-fold images load immediately
Don'ts
- ✗Lazy load hero or primary product images
- ✗Implement on small image sets
- ✗Forget mobile optimization
Optimize Image Loading with Growth Suite
Growth Suite offers advanced image optimization features that go beyond traditional lazy loading. The platform intelligently predicts which images are most likely to drive conversions and prioritizes their loading, while dynamically managing below-the-fold content to ensure the fastest possible page performance. By analyzing visitor behavior and engagement patterns, Growth Suite ensures that your product images load precisely when they'll have the maximum impact on purchase decisions.
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With over a decade of experience in e-commerce optimization, Muhammed founded Growth Suite to help Shopify merchants maximize their conversion rates through intelligent behavior tracking and personalized offers. His expertise in growth strategies and conversion optimization has helped thousands of online stores increase their revenue.
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