The Importance of Product Photography

There is no question that online retailers have impacted the way we shop. We can now search by a word, look at a photo, hit the buy button, and wait for it to arrive. Missing from this convenience is the ability to interact with the product. This is the key factor in why good product photography is so valuable to

e-commerce.

Online consumers cannot hold the actual product, try it on, or look it over. Instead, we must trust the photos the retailer is showing and decide if the virtual image is right for what we need. Images need to grab the shopper's attention and assure us of the product's value.

Online retailers must rely on visual content to speak to their customers. Product images not only represent the product, they also represent the business. This visual content needs to convey the company's interest in their customers as well as attract and keep the customer's interest in the company. Product photos become a powerful connection in the online seller-buyer relationship.

According to MDG Advertising's Infographic - It's All About the Images, "67% of consumers say that the quality of a product image is 'very important' in selecting and purchasing the product." Consumers also rank the quality of a product's image higher than spec information, ratings, and descriptions.

Quality is the key word in how to make product photography valuable for online retailers. High quality images of the product against a pure white background will allow the product to stand out. The main image should not include anything to distract the consumer. A product photo on an e-commerce site needs to be THE sales and marketing tool, especially when side-by-side with the competition.

The purple background in the photo on the left distracts from the colors of the soap. It also creates harder reflections in the chrome. The photo on the right is on a pure white background with the bottles' reflections. Online retailers, like Amazon, require a white background for their seller's main image. Quality photos can make all products look like high quality competitors.

Product images should also allow shoppers to see details up close and from different angles. Different vantage points differentiate from the competition by enabling the consumer to rotate and zoom in on special features. Online shoppers want to know exactly what they will receive. It is helpful to show the unique features to influence consumers to BUY! In the example below, multiple angles of a meat tenderizer show different aspects of the kitchen tool.

Let customers get to know your product with photos of multiple angles.

E-commerce sales are projected to increase by $2 billion by the year 2021:

Attract those shoppers with high quality images and convince them to click the buy button.

This is a list of what to consider for quality product images:

• High Quality

• Image Size

• Color

• Contrast

• Brightness

• Focus

• Angle

• Shadows

Great product photos will help in marketing online, and offline as well. Product images can be used to create social media posts, email blasts, and collection landing pages. Properly sized images can be added to brochures, flyers, banners, and other marketing materials used at promotional events.

Investing in product images creates a great first impression with your e-commerce store visitors. It is the first step in developing a trust level in the virtual world. Make your visual representation effective in increasing your sales.

Smart Product Shots can help you get the images you need and help convert your browsers into buyers!