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Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

econsultancy.com

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Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#11

Post by saurik »

robomartin wrote: post #10
nicpottier wrote: post #2

Would be nice to see actual the numbers to judge whether the results are statistically significant. At first blush all but the last Dell treatment are absolutely horrendous to my eye, so I just don't know how to even judge these.

How would you calculate what would constitute statistically significant results for each of these sites? How about any other site?

It doesn't really have anything to do with the site... it has to do with what the difference is vs. the total size of the sample. If you see a 50% increase but only had 3 people in your sample, that is not statistically significant because the probability of that happening by chance is so high. To make this concrete, if the actual proportion was 4:1 against that figure (as in, you "should" have measured a whopping decrease to 25% the original conversion), you'd still measure the totally incorrect 50% increase in one out of every ten attempts at that measurement.

Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#12

Post by jmount »

robomartin wrote: post #10
nicpottier wrote: post #2

Would be nice to see actual the numbers to judge whether the results are statistically significant. At first blush all but the last Dell treatment are absolutely horrendous to my eye, so I just don't know how to even judge these.

How would you calculate what would constitute statistically significant results for each of these sites? How about any other site?

Roughly a good sample size is around -log(d/2)/(2 e a^2) where d is the significance you want and a is the difference in conversion rates you hope to measure. See http://www.win-vector.com/blog/2013/03/a-bit-more-on-sample-...

Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#14

Post by Shish2k »

In the case of an online auction, it seems pretty obvious to me that more detailed images of the item being sold will increase interest (I've been scrolling past lots of potentially good deals on graphics cards on ebay recently, because there wasn't a detailed photo of their output sockets...)

In the other cases, it seems more like "a change happened" and "conversion rates went up" - far too many changes at once to imply one specific change caused it :-/

Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#15

Post by orangethirty »

1. Bigger images usually improve click-through rates. Why? There are a number of reasons. An image is used to to tell part of the sales message. People relate ideas to images and understand the message you are trying to send better. Also, a lot of people love reading what is under images. As a result, your copy gets read more often. A bigger image amplifies this by turning the landing page into a sort of short story.

2. Big buttons work. They are the call to action, and big call to actions get a big amount of attention.

3. When picking images, be mindful of the market you are selling to. The race of the people in the images are very important. Not because of racism, but due to how people relate to those who look like themselves. A self-taken photograph usually nets better results than stock photos. Even one from a mobile phone.

4. If you are selling a service, then include a photo of the dashboard/main area in the main page. People want to see how it looks like without signing up.

Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#17

Post by gav »

Shish2k wrote: post #14

In the case of an online auction, it seems pretty obvious to me that more detailed images of the item being sold will increase interest (I've been scrolling past lots of potentially good deals on graphics cards on ebay recently, because there wasn't a detailed photo of their output sockets...) In the other cases, it seems more like "a change happened" and "conversion rates went up" - far too many changes at once to i…

The better product content you present the customer: bigger pictures, different product shots, video, reviews, comparisons, product alternatives, better copy, detailed descriptions, line-art with dimensions, etc., the better the conversion rate.

It's a big differentiator when the same (or equivalent) product is sold by multiple merchants. Customers in my experience are even willing to pay a premium to the merchant with the better content, presumably because they seem more legitimate and less-risky.

Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#18

Post by dclowd9901 »

> Responsive web designers know that on many sites, as few as 20% of visitors will bother to scroll down.

Is this really an "understood" truth? In our own study for our own site, we found nearly everyone scrolled the page all the time, and that seems the be the case with every colleague I've ever talked to as well. Who goes to a page and says, "fuck it, that scroll wheel is just way too damned difficult"?

Re: Do bigger images mean improved conversion rates? Three case studies

#20

Post by btilly »

Massively improved conversion rates..on what sample size? Can we trust these results?

So try it for yourself. Track results. And make sure you do the statistics right to know if you're looking at signal or noise. (Early noise can be very, very impressive.)

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