AVIF for Shopify 2026: Speed Up Store 3x [Implementation Guide]

Why AVIF for Shopify

Shopify stores live and die by page speed. With product-heavy pages often containing dozens of images, AVIF offers transformative performance improvements.

The typical Shopify collection page loads 20-50 product images. Converting these from JPEG to AVIF can reduce page weight by 3-5MB—a massive improvement for mobile shoppers on limited connections.

Google's Core Web Vitals directly impact search rankings. AVIF's smaller file sizes improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), often the failing metric for image-heavy e-commerce pages.

App-Based Solutions

The easiest way to implement AVIF on Shopify is through optimization apps.

• TinyIMG: Automatic AVIF conversion, lazy loading, and WebP fallback. Integrates seamlessly with existing themes.
• Crush.pics: Bulk optimization with AVIF support. Good for stores with large existing image libraries.
• Shopify's Native CDN: Shopify's CDN now serves AVIF automatically for supported images. Check if your theme supports this.

Manual Implementation

For full control, implement AVIF manually through theme editing.

Shopify's image_url filter supports the format parameter for AVIF and WebP. Combine with the picture element for automatic format selection based on browser support.

{% comment %} Shopify Liquid: Product image with AVIF {% endcomment %}
<picture class="product-featured-image">
  {% if product.featured_image %}
    <source 
      srcset="{{ product.featured_image | image_url: width: 800, format: 'avif' }}"
      type="image/avif">
    <source 
      srcset="{{ product.featured_image | image_url: width: 800, format: 'webp' }}"
      type="image/webp">
    <img 
      src="{{ product.featured_image | image_url: width: 800 }}"
      alt="{{ product.featured_image.alt | escape }}"
      loading="lazy"
      width="800"
      height="{{ 800 | divided_by: product.featured_image.aspect_ratio | round }}">
  {% endif %}
</picture>

Theme Customization

Modify your theme for comprehensive AVIF support across all image types.

• Product Images: Update product.liquid, product-card.liquid snippets with picture elements.
• Collection Headers: Often large hero images—prime candidates for AVIF optimization.
• Blog Images: Convert article featured images and inline content images.
• Homepage Sections: Hero banners, featured collections, and promotional images.