Want to make your WooCommerce product pages more engaging? A well-designed product gallery helps customers see exactly what they’re buying, leading to higher conversions and fewer returns.
The default WooCommerce gallery works fine for basic needs, but many stores need additional features to showcase their products effectively. Whether you sell clothing that needs to be shown in multiple angles and requires advanced zoom capabilities, or customizable items that benefit from video demonstrations, enhanced gallery functionality can make a big difference in your conversion rates.
In this guide, you’ll discover two main approaches to improving your WooCommerce product galleries: using themes with built-in gallery enhancements or adding dedicated gallery plugins.
We’ll also cover essential optimization techniques to ensure your enhanced galleries load quickly and look great on all devices. Plus, we’ll show you how to enhance your product pages further with features like live previews of customization options.
Enhancing your WooCommerce product gallery
You have two main options for enhancing your WooCommerce product galleries: using a theme with built-in gallery features or adding a dedicated gallery plugin. Your choice will depend on what specific gallery features you need and how much customization you want.
Plugin solutions for customizing your WooCommerce product gallery
For stores that need advanced gallery features, these WordPress plugins offer powerful customization options that go beyond basic theme capabilities:
1. Product Gallery Slider
Product Gallery Slider is a simple plugin that transforms your standard WooCommerce product gallery into a responsive slider with multiple layouts.
Key features:
- Custom variation galleries with unlimited images per variation
- Drag-and-drop image sorting
- Responsive design that works across all devices
- Image zoom with customizable lens options
- Lightbox functionality with 5 animation effects
The free version allows basic slider functionality, while Pro adds variation galleries, zoom features, and advanced layouts. There are 3 pricing tiers: $59/year, $79/year, and $119/year.
2. Gallery Slider for WooCommerce by WooGallery
Gallery Slider for WooCommerce by WooGallery is a comprehensive gallery solution with 8 different layout options and advanced customization.
Standout features:
- Multiple gallery layout options including vertical, horizontal, and grid views
- Custom video integration from YouTube, Vimeo, and self-hosted sources
- Advanced zoom capabilities with inside, right-side, and magnifying options
- Support for touch and swipe gestures on mobile
- Real-time gallery preview during customization
The free version includes essential features, Pro adds advanced layouts and video support, and starts at $39/year.
3. Product Video Gallery for WooCommerce
The Product Video Gallery plugin specializes in video integration while maintaining a clean gallery interface.
Core features:
- YouTube video integration in WooCommerce product galleries
- Combined video and image galleries
- Right-To-Left (RTL) language support
- Responsive carousel display
- Support for all major page builders
The free version supports only YouTube videos, while Pro enables multiple video sources and lets you loop videos and add shortcodes. Pricing starts at $25/year for 1 website and up to $99 for 10 sites.
Customizing product gallery functionality using a dedicated theme
Themes provide a more integrated approach that usually loads faster and won’t impact performance, but there aren’t many that offer this specific functionality. We’ve included one here, but a plugin may be a better solution.
An example of a theme with enhanced product gallery features is Blocksy. Their variation galleries feature lets you set unique images for each product variation, as well as including drag-and-drop sorting. For single products the gallery options include: adjusting the size and aspect ratio of images, as well as the ability to enable a sticky gallery. You can start with the free version and upgrade to premium ($69/year) if you need additional features.
If you’re just starting out but know what you want from your product gallery, a theme that provides that functionality can be a great option. However, if your site is already up and running, or you’re after more advanced functionality, then a performant plugin tends to be your best bet.
Best practices for enhancing your WooCommerce product gallery
Creating an effective WooCommerce product gallery goes beyond installing a plugin. Here are proven techniques to optimize your galleries for both performance and sales:
Image quality and optimization
As you’ve probably guessed, having high-resolution product photos (minimum 800x800px) is an absolute must. This will not only improve the user experience but also allow you to take full advantage of the zoom functionality. Still, to keep your site fast, make sure to compress images before you upload them using tools like TinyPNG or Compress JPEG.
For every image, make sure you have an accurate name (e.g. “blue-cotton-shirt-front.jpg” instead of “IMG_12345.jpg”) and a descriptive alt text (e.g. “blue cotton shirt front”) to improve accessibility and SEO.
Product presentation
Next, when it comes to how you present your products, here are the best strategies:
- Include multiple angles of each product (front, back, side, detail shots).
- For clothing, show items both on models and flat-lay.
- Use consistent lighting and backgrounds across all product images.
- Capture close-up shots of important features, textures, and materials.
- When using models, show products on different body types if possible.
Video integration
According to recent data, 62% of customers prefer learning about products through video, so make sure to include them in your product gallery when relevant.
- Keep product videos short (30-90 seconds) and focused on key features.
- Ensure videos load only when played to minimize page load impact.
- Include captions or text overlays for viewers watching without sound.
- Place the most important content in the first 10 seconds.
Technical optimization
Too many plugins, or poorly optimized plugins, can slow down performance. Therefore it’s important to regularly monitor your gallery performance through Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and Google Lighthouse. Your target for Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) should be under 2.5 seconds. To achieve this, you should:
- Regularly test your gallery’s performance across different devices and connections
- Use WebP image format with JPEG fallback for broader browser support
- Cache gallery resources to improve repeat visitor experience
Analytics and testing
To track the performance of your pages and how users interact with your gallery, you can set up custom events in GA4 or use plugins like Plausible Analytics. This data helps you understand which images and features drive the most engagement. Consider A/B testing different gallery layouts to find what works best for your specific products.
Accessibility considerations
It’s very important to ensure that every single user can access your content and complete a purchase, no matter the technology they are using. There are several things you can do to improve the accessibility of your store, including:
- Adding descriptive alt texts to your images and videos
- Having proper heading and page structure
- Using plugins and themes with built-in accessibility features like keyboard navigation support and ARIA labels for gallery controls
- Testing the entire process with a keyboard and screen reader technologies
The Gallery Slider for WooCommerce plugin is a great example of a tool that includes many of those accessibility features.
Maximizing product pages with the Live Content Preview
If you’re looking for another way to enhance your product galleries, the Live Content Preview add-on for Advanced Product Fields for WooCommerce (APF) is an excellent option. Unlike the plugins above, it shows your customers their customizations in real time, which helps build customer confidence and increase your conversion rates. If you use the APF plugin, adding the Live Content Preview add-on can be a real game-changer.
For example, for products with text personalization, customers can instantly see how their text will appear on the item. They can experiment with different fonts, sizes, and colors while watching the changes live on the product image. This feature is particularly useful for customized items like house signs, T-shirts, or name tags.
The add-on also supports image personalization, allowing customers to upload their photos and see them placed directly on the product. For example, when selling custom photo frames or personalized mugs, customers can preview exactly how their finished product will look before they make a purchase.
Instead of asking customers to imagine the final result, the Live Content Preview add-on shows them precisely what they’ll receive. By removing uncertainty from the purchasing process, you give customers the confidence to complete their orders, reducing abandonment rates and potential returns.
Maximize your WooCommerce product gallery conversion rate
A well-implemented product gallery can transform your e-commerce store’s performance. Remember that themes can provide basic gallery enhancements, while plugins offer specialized features for specific needs like video integration or advanced zoom capabilities.
Whatever solution you choose, focus on optimizing your images, maintaining fast load times, and providing clear, high-quality visuals from multiple angles. For customizable product variations, consider adding Studio Wombat’s Live Content Preview add-on to give customers real-time visualization of their personalization choices.
By combining thoughtful gallery design with performance optimization, you’ll create a shopping experience that helps customers make confident purchase decisions.
