The importance of the thumbnail

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

CodingJack said
For marketplaces that support a thumbnail hover, the 590×300 preview image sort of becomes an extension of the thumbnail. When I shop, usually I need a thumbnail to stir my interest, but a hover preview image to close the deal (warrant a click). So in this context, the thumbnail really becomes more of a way to capture your attention, but the preview image is the gatekeeper.

I think that’s the best definition I could find until now. I was always confused and I was wondering what is the logical difference between item thumbnail and item preview (besides the images size).

Item Thumbnails should be reviewed too

Put a transparent png thumb in a good item, and it will sell anyway. Agree with CJ about preview images working as “click warrants”. The funny thing is that i use conceptual images and not theme screenshots, maybe i should change them.

pezflash said
The funny thing is that i use conceptual images and not theme screenshots, maybe i should change them.

But people are also attracted to quality design. So when I see a fish-like preview, I’m clicking on it

We can speak about best practices but we never know the actual combination of results in terms of sales – I believe it is impossible to come up with a solid-common conclusion. The original post’s link itself is an example – a simple icon format graphic fails while a moderately complex graphic wins for that particular product. This can’t be considered as a rule for all kind of products.

We are able to see that a thumbnail change can reflect in sales number. But the actual problem is not just with changing thumbnail but coming up with a thumb graphic that helps maximum quality click throughs.