Should I lazy-load below-the-fold images on PDPs?

Question

As an e-commerce manager, I'm trying to optimize my product detail pages (PDPs) for better performance and user experience. I've heard about lazy loading images, but I'm unsure about its implementation, potential benefits, and whether it's suitable for all product images. I want to understand the technical implications, impact on page speed, SEO considerations, and best practices for implementing lazy loading on below-the-fold product images.

Muhammed Tüfekyapan · Accepted Answer

Shopify Conversion Rate Benchmarks for 2026
Conversion rate without context is meaningless. A 2% conversion rate for a luxury watch brand is excellent; the same rate for a $15 impulse-buy product is poor. Understanding what "good" looks like in your category is the starting point for any meaningful optimization effort.

2026 Shopify Conversion Rate Benchmarks by Category

CategoryAvg CVRTop QuartileAOV Range

Food / Grocery3.5-5%5-8%$40-80
Health / Beauty2.5-4%4-6%$50-120
Apparel / Fashion1.5-3%3-5%$60-150
Home / Garden1.5-2.5%2.5-4%$80-200
Electronics1-2%2-3%$150-500
Luxury / Jewelry0.5-1.5%1.5-2.5%$300-2000

Key Funnel Benchmarks

65-75%
Cart abandonment rate (good)

50-60%
Checkout completion (industry avg)

25-35%
Return customer rate (healthy)

Growth Suite Funnel Report shows your full conversion funnel from session to purchase, with comparison benchmarks from similar Shopify stores in your category. Cart Insights breaks down where customers exit - at cart, at checkout info, at payment - so you can prioritize which step of the funnel to optimize first rather than guessing.

When to Prioritize Conversion Over Traffic
If your conversion rate is more than 0.5% below your category benchmark, fixing conversion will generate more revenue per dollar than buying more traffic. At scale, a 1% CVR improvement on 100,000 monthly visitors at $80 AOV = $80,000 additional monthly revenue with zero increase in ad spend.

Should I lazy-load below-the-fold images on PDPs?

TL;DR - Quick Answer

Complete Expert Analysis

Shopify Conversion Rate Benchmarks for 2026

2026 Shopify Conversion Rate Benchmarks by Category

Key Funnel Benchmarks

When to Prioritize Conversion Over Traffic

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Muhammed Tüfekyapan

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Use Cases

Category	Avg CVR	Top Quartile	AOV Range
Food / Grocery	3.5-5%	5-8%	$40-80
Health / Beauty	2.5-4%	4-6%	$50-120
Apparel / Fashion	1.5-3%	3-5%	$60-150
Home / Garden	1.5-2.5%	2.5-4%	$80-200
Electronics	1-2%	2-3%	$150-500
Luxury / Jewelry	0.5-1.5%	1.5-2.5%	$300-2000