# A/B test: show a second image on listing cards

> If each listing card lets shoppers see a second image, with the product in use or a close-up, then more people will click through to the product page, because a single studio shot on a white background does not show how it really looks.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/second-image-on-product-card
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it might work

A bag on a white background looks a lot like any other bag on a white background. What makes someone tap the card is picturing themselves with it: seeing it on a shoulder, seeing its size next to a person, seeing the clasp up close.

On desktop many stores already swap the image on hover. On mobile there is no hover, so nobody sees that second image. That is where the test is.


## How to set it up

In Bixlow you describe the change to the agent, it builds it on your site and launches it as an A/B test once you approve it.

1. Check that your products have a second image that adds something: in use, on a person, or a detail. Another studio angle adds little.
2. On mobile, the variant can be a two-image swipe inside the card, with dots showing there is more.
3. On desktop, swap the image on hover and also on keyboard focus.
4. Run it on category listings and split mobile and desktop in the analysis.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Clicks to a product page from the listing |
| Metric that must not get worse | Listing load speed and orders per visitor |
| Where it is measured | Category listings, by device |


> **When I would not test it.** If your catalogue has no useful second images, you need a photo shoot first, not a test. And if the listing is already slow, doubling the images can make it worse: load the second one only when it is needed.


## FAQ

### Which image should be the second one?

Whichever answers what the first one doesn't: how it looks worn, how big it is, what the fabric looks like close up. For clothing, almost always the shot on a model.

### Won't it slow the page down?

It can, if you load every second image at once. Load them when the card scrolls into view or when the shopper swipes.

### Does it work the same on mobile and desktop?

They are different experiences (swiping versus hovering), so read the results separately. It can win on one and not the other.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: shipping cost next to the price](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/shipping-cost-next-to-price)
- [What an A/B test is](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/ab-test)
- [The A/B testing platform](https://bixlow.com/en/platform/ab-testing)