You’re underestimating your product carousel
It’s one of the most influential parts of your PDP
Hi there,
One of my favourite parts of a Product Detail Page is the product carousel.
Not because it’s fancy, but because it’s a small space where you can pack in a huge amount of decision-making support.
And unlike most carousels on websites (which, let’s be honest, often get ignored), PDP image carousels actually get used.
I’ve looked at a lot of heatmaps and session recordings over the years, and the pattern is almost always the same: people click through the images.
Not always all of them, but almost always the first two.
Which is why it pains me how many brands still underuse this space.
Five near-identical packshots. Benefit images with text so small you can’t read it on mobile. Lifestyle shots that look pretty but don’t actually answer any questions.
So in this week’s Convert article, I zoom in on product carousels and cover:
What actually makes a strong PDP product carousel
How to test carousel images properly in Shopify (without wrecking inventory or analytics)
How heatmaps and recordings can guide image order and removals
How AI can help when you don’t have the images you wish you had
The impact of improving your product carousel
I’ve seen carousel changes alone drive double-digit lifts. One client moved from five near-identical images to a mix of benefits, social proof, and clearer packaging, and saw a 17% uplift. No offer change. No pricing tweak. Just better decision support.
Here’s one of my favourite examples, The Ordinary. They use a similar structure for most of their skincare products that fits nicely together, but is powerful:
Product Image
Key usages
Results of using it
Before/after photo
Key ingredients and impact of the ingredients
If relevant: Comparison to similar products they offer to help you choose
For some products: Video explaining the product
Here you can see it for their Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner:
I cover another six great examples in the full article.
Practical tips
Bookmarking the article for later? Here are a few quick lessons you can apply to your carousel this week:
The first image matters more than you think. Test it before touching anything else.
Design mobile-first. If text isn’t readable on a phone, it’s not doing its job.
Use heatmaps and recordings to identify which images people engage with, then reorder or remove the weaker ones.
If you’re testing image 2+, analyse the segment of users who actually interacted with the carousel. Otherwise, you dilute the signal.
Video works best when it’s short (5–15 seconds), silent, and loop-friendly. Think demos or rotating reviews, not long brand films.
Carousels are one of those areas where small changes can have an outsized impact, especially on PDPs.
Recommendation
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Convert, an incredible testing platform for Shopify. If you have the traffic to run A/B tests, it’s a genuinely great tool.
And if you’re thinking beyond images — optimising things like layout, trust signals, or UX flows — Convert also has a strong article on 6 expert-backed ways to optimise your product page that’s well worth a read.
Product carousels aren’t glamorous, but they quietly drive decisions. Haven’t looked at yours lately? This is your sign.
Till next time,
Daphne