If your brand is struggling to increase online sales even though you’ve attempted every eCommerce growth technique in play, including lengthy and compelling product descriptions, maybe you’re missing perhaps the most important change you can make to increase conversions and grow sales… high-quality product photos.
In the first part of this series, we’ll discuss the impact of product photography on online shoppers and why improving the quality of your imagery can make all the difference.
Aside from the eCommerce site’s overall design, professional-looking product photography will influence whether people decide to shop with you. Improving the online store can be as easy as having great product photography.
What is Product Photography?
It’s important to remember that online shoppers don’t have the same sensory experience as those who shop in-store. They can’t touch, try, or feel the products you sell. Great product photography will not only show what your product looks like, it will also show a product’s texture, fit, features and appearance from multiple angles and settings.
At Deforest Group, creating effective product photography involves applying our extensive photographic knowledge and skills to eCommerce images to attractively showcase them and encourage potential customers to buy products.
As with all creative assets, once you have great images, you can repurpose those assets across many other various online and offline marketing activities, including:
Brochures/Leaflets
Flyers
Catalogs
Digital ads/Social Media
Magazine ads
Landing pages
Today, many online retailers have specific guidelines for product photography that must be followed in order for your product to be featured on their site. Every item, ideally, is displayed with a range of angles and views including a 360-degree spin image — which significantly enhances the customer experience online.
For most online retailers, there are 4 main ways to show your product:
Product-only images: Products on a white background
In-context (lifestyle) images: Products being used in a real-life situation
360-spin: Puts your product in full rotation for viewing of all sides
Video: Product demonstration, in-use and contextual situations are ideal for capturing your product in motion and showing its functionality
A product-only image is the best choice to showcase all angles of your product in the best light. It highlights your products against a background that’s white in most cases. Using only one-color background keeps the store look consistent while emphasizing different item colors and styles. In addition, the white background is the best choice to reduce distractions to display your products.
An in-context lifestyle image is the most popular choice if your brand has collections of items that go well together, or you want to interest customers with real-life applications of your products. In addition, you can upsell by showing how your products can complement one another.
A 360-spin lets shoppers take your product for a spin and various Internet shopping studies have shown this can increase conversions by as much as 50%. Bring your product to life and show every side and angle which allows shoppers to better understand the functionality of the item.
A video for your product is one of the most engaging and compelling ways to get a shopper’s attention among the crowded eCommerce landscape. Videos can be as simple as a quick demonstration of functionality such as open/close of storage compartments, to full blown “in use” clips that show actors using the product and putting it through its paces.
A Customer’s First Impression
Images influence the first impression of customers, which encourages them to continue browsing your store and ultimately, buy your products.
The importance of product photography for eCommerce is more evident today than ever. On one hand, product photography helps to certify the product’s quality, but on other hand, it is a window into an eCommerce store, bringing transparency and trust to your brand.
No matter what your product is—books, clothes, accessories, machines, or hardware, you need product photography to show customers exactly what they will pay for. A key benefit is that it also reduces the return rate if the product doesn’t meet their demands.
The Quality of Your Product Imagery Makes All the Difference
In closing, the product photos you use are one of your greatest assets. When done well, they improve your customers’ online shopping experience by building trust, as well as increasing site conversions and average shopping cart value.
If you’re looking for great quality photography and a process that is efficient and fast, talk to one of our experts to learn how Deforest Group can help.