Faster product images, with less to build and maintain.
A B2B commerce company wanted its website images to load faster and its cache to be easier to manage. A side-by-side evaluation of two image delivery options improved performance by roughly 25% to 50%, and showed which option delivered the same results with the least customization.
Client name withheld.
A catalog lives or dies on its images.
A B2B commerce company serves a large product catalog on its website. Slow images slow the page, stale images mislead buyers, and a problem at the image source can show up as broken pages.
The team wanted faster delivery, simple control over the cache and a setup that keeps serving images if the source is unavailable, without adding systems to build and maintain. Before committing, it ran an evaluation of two options.
At a glance
| Organization | B2B commerce company |
|---|---|
| Need | Faster, more resilient website image delivery |
| Evaluation | A side-by-side proof of concept of two image delivery options |
| Result | Roughly 25% to 50% faster delivery, and a clear recommendation |
| Client details | Name withheld |
A fair fight, measured the same way.
Both options were set up to deliver the same images with equivalent settings, so the comparison was apples to apples.
Define the comparison
Reproduce the image presets used in production in both options, so the same images are delivered the same way.
Configure both options
Provision a new Adobe Dynamic Media environment in its standard configuration, and stand up the alternative image service with equivalent policies.
Measure performance
Compare delivery performance against the starting point and against each other, across settings for compression, format and quality.
Test operations
Try clearing the cache for one asset, many assets and everything, publishing images and monitoring the queue, and what happens when the image source is unavailable.
Weigh the options
Compare performance, effort, risk and what each option would take to run day to day.
Recommend
Choose the option that delivers the performance with the least complexity, and plan a staged rollout.
Both options were faster. One was far simpler.
- Roughly 25% to 50% faster: both options improved image delivery performance over the starting point, depending on settings.
- Better cache control: both made it easier to clear a single asset, a group of assets or the whole cache.
- Smart delivery by device: Dynamic Media's Smart Imaging serves an optimized image to each device and can be combined with quality settings chosen for the business.
- Resilience: if the image source is unavailable, both options keep serving a cached image until it returns. Dynamic Media also offers an active backup environment.
- Modern formats: both support moving to the sRGB color space, and Dynamic Media supports the newer AVIF format. Both recommend responsive source sets over picture tags.
- Settings found: the evaluation defined the best balance of compression, format and quality for production, without compromising quality.
The same results with the least to build and run.
Prolifico's takeaway for teams choosing between image delivery options.
Least customization
Dynamic Media works inside the DAM and was configured in hours. The alternative needed extra image servers, storage and a custom publishing workflow in every environment.
Fewer failure points
Each added system is another thing that can fail and another thing to monitor. The standard configuration kept the path from DAM to delivery short.
Proactive cache
New and updated images are synchronized and the cache is pre-populated, rather than waiting for a request to rebuild each rendition.
Familiar to the team
Presets, publishing and queue monitoring live in the interface the team already uses, so training and change management stay light.
A staged rollout, so any problem has one cause.
Define the presets and format
Document the new production presets and delivery format, including quality, Smart Imaging and an evaluation of AVIF and device pixel ratio support.
Provision production
Set up the new Dynamic Media environment with the new image URLs, Smart Imaging and cache failover that serves stale content if the source is unavailable.
Recreate and test
Recreate the existing presets in the new configuration, republish images to a test instance, and test the website against the new URLs.
Publish and cut over
Publish all images to production, point the production site at the new URLs and update the publishing workflow to clear the CDN cache when images change.
Retire the old setup
Disconnect the legacy configuration once the new one is proven.
Rolling out in stages lets the team tell whether an issue came from a platform change or from the move to the new image delivery.
If images slow your pages, start with a side-by-side test.
A short, fair evaluation gives you real numbers and the settings to use, before you commit budget and engineering time.
- Test your own images and presets, not a demo set.
- Include cache clearing and failure scenarios, not just speed.
- Count what each option would take to build and run, not only what it costs to turn on.
- Roll out in stages.
How Prolifico helps
Prolifico launches AEM Assets and configures Dynamic Media, migrates assets and metadata, and can run an AEM Assets proof of concept with your own content.
Planning an image delivery change?
Tell us about your catalog and we'll outline an evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
How much faster was image delivery in the evaluation?
Both options improved image delivery performance by roughly 25% to 50% over the starting point, depending on the settings used.
Why did the team choose the Dynamic Media standard configuration?
It delivered the same or better performance and features with the least customization and complexity: no extra image servers, existing presets reused and one familiar interface for images, publishing and cache management.
Can Prolifico run an image delivery evaluation for our catalog?
Yes. Prolifico launches AEM Assets and configures Dynamic Media, and can run a proof of concept with your own images and presets. See AEM Assets implementation.