Overview

Amazon has rolled out a feature called dynamic main images that automatically swaps the default product photo shown in search results to better match what a customer is actually searching for. For sellers offering customizable products with options like color, shape, or material, this addresses a longstanding visibility problem where the generic main image failed to reflect available customization choices.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Automatic image matching — When a shopper searches for a specific product variation, such as a particular color or shape, Amazon will display the most relevant image rather than the default main photo.
• No extra cost — The feature is included free of charge as part of Amazon's Custom program and requires no additional subscription or fee.
• Pre-defined configurations required — Dynamic main images only work with pre-defined product configurations like color, shape, material, or pattern. Fully free-text customizations are not supported.
• One image per option — Sellers can upload a single main image for each customization option, and each image must meet Amazon's standard main image requirements.
• Automatic activation — The feature turns on automatically once sellers have pre-defined configurations set up and images uploaded for each option.

How It Works

Traditionally, Amazon displays the same default main image for a custom product regardless of what the customer searches for. This creates a disconnect — a shopper looking for a green travel mug might see a black one in results, even though green is available. Dynamic main images solve this by matching the displayed image to the customer's search query. When a match is found between the search terms and a specific customization option that has an uploaded image, Amazon swaps in that option-specific photo for both search results and the detail page. If no match exists, the listing continues to show the standard default image.

Setup and Image Upload Process

Sellers can configure dynamic main images through the custom listing editor in Seller Central. After navigating to a product's customization settings, sellers will find a new image upload feature labeled for each pre-defined option. Clicking the camera icon next to any option allows sellers to upload the corresponding image. For those managing listings in bulk, the upload process through templates mirrors the workflow used for other custom product images. Once images are submitted, Amazon processes them internally and validates each one against standard main image requirements. Successfully uploaded images will appear in the listing, while any that fail validation will be flagged with an error message highlighting the specific problem.