When customers browse listings, products, or portfolios online, one question quietly drives everything: What does this look like? Visual content isn't a nice-to-have – it's the first handshake, the brand pitch, and the tipping point for engagement.

And when that moment lags, so does the buyer’s interest.

In a recent webinar, Andreth Salazar, Core Services Engineering Lead at Auction.com, explained how his team delivers up to 200 visuals per listing with near-zero latency – and why that speed is essential not just for performance metrics, but for business outcomes. Whether you're selling real estate, software, vehicles, or luxury goods, his insights apply to any business dealing with high-consideration, image-driven experiences at scale.

Here are 5 key takeaways from that conversation.

1. Recognize that visuals drive buyer decisions

Auction.com is one of the largest online marketplaces for distressed real estate, with over 14,000 active listings. Each property can have dozens, even hundreds, of images – and those images are often the first and most influential element buyers see.

“You might have a set of technical details, but you always want to see what you’re buying,” said Salazar. He explained how the site uses “product cards” with price and a front-facing photo as the first point of engagement. The ability to deliver those visuals instantly ensures users can browse, hover, and dig deeper without delay.

Tip: Make the most impactful images appear first and fast. Your first few milliseconds set the tone for buyer trust.

2. Ensure visual consistency across devices

Before making improvements, Auction.com faced major inconsistencies. Some images were too large, others too pixelated or poorly cropped. This lack of uniformity weakened user confidence.

“We had high latency on rendering an image,” Salazar explained. “And we also had to prepare image transformations in advance…. Some images looked pixelated or poorly cropped.”

That changed when the team implemented dynamic formatting and compression. Now every image is tailored in real time based on screen size and context, no matter the device.

Tip: Stop storing multiple image sizes. Use tools that adapt media on the fly for consistent, responsive display.

3. Eliminate manual media maintenance

Rather than manage a growing library of pre-rendered assets, Auction.com now transforms visuals in real time using simple URL parameters. These parameters handle resizing, formatting, cropping, and more – without engineering overhead.

“It’s just code and URL parameters for us,” Salazar said. By offloading the generation of image variations, they simplify maintenance and make it easier to A/B test presentation options without rebuilding the media pipeline.

Tip: Automate image transformations. Let delivery tools handle formatting instead of maintaining redundant image variants.

4. Treat documents as part of the user experience

For Auction.com, speed isn’t limited to images. Buyers need instant access to documents – like disclosures and purchase agreements – that help them make informed decisions and move forward confidently.

“These documents need to be there when the buyer is just clicking on bidding or registering to bid,” Salazar noted. Auction.com now delivers PDFs with the same infrastructure and performance standards used for images.

Tip: Extend your performance strategy to include documents. Ensure fast delivery of all user-facing assets, not just visuals.

5. Explore future-ready enhancements with AI

Auction.com is currently testing AI-based tools for privacy and image quality – both critical in real estate listings.

“One of them is privacy reduction,” said Salazar. “The API already removes license plates by default.” His team is also evaluating automated enhancements to improve clarity, fix lighting, and clean up distracting elements in photos.

Tip: Look ahead to automation in visual QA. AI tools can speed up privacy compliance and ensure every visual asset supports conversion.

See how Auction.com put it all together

To see the full breakdown of Auction.com’s visual strategy – including visual layouts, performance results, and a sneak peek at upcoming AI features – check out the webinar replay: How Auction.com Delivers Instant Visuals That Sell.