Optimize eCommerce Photos For Your Small Businesses

According to a recent Forbes report, brand engagement on Instagram grows by an astounding 350 percent each year. In an Instagram-era dominated by video and images, visual cues are becoming progressively more important to the way consumers shop. This is especially true for ecommerce sites where the elements of touch and feel are not unavailable. Images help consumers fill in the gaps, while also communicating a story about the brand.

Images have an incredible power to persuade consumers and can help you sell more product without exerting very much effort. One study found that adding a photographs to a restaurant menu can increase sales of an item by as much as 30%. So in this post we will outline what makes good imagery for your ecommerce site and how to best utilize these photos online.

How to Take Good E-Commerce Product Photos

1.     Pay attention to the background

What is in the background of your product? Is it a clean white backdrop or is it placed in a setting where the consumer can picture it in use? Both are legitimate choices for different products. What about the angle of the camera? Notice the differences in the feel of the two product photo below. Consider how you want your customers to visualize the item and choose an angle and backdrop that works best for your product.

2. The Devil is in the Detail

Online shoppers are not able to pick up the item they are considering, so they are relying on you to give them the information they need. 58% of online shoppers say they will not purchase an item which has only one picture, or one which does not accurately portray the product. By adding multiple pictures taken from different angles and showing how the product can be used in real life can significantly boost sales.  

3.     Use Videos

Product videos are an extremely effective way to show products in use, how clothing looks on the body in motion or illustrate how easy a product is to assemble/dissemble. While creating videos can be a little more time consuming, the payoff is equally great.

Optimizing Great Product Images

Once you’ve followed our guide and taken some stunning photographs of your products, that isn’t the end of the story. To make sure you are leveraging these photos to boost your ecommerce site, we have a few more tips for you…

Be Mobile friendly

It’s a mobile world, we are just living in it. Make sure your ecommerce site and of course photos are optimized for mobile.

Incorporate User-Generated Content

63% of shoppers say customer photos are more trustworthy than brand photos. The added bonus of this is great customer engagement – and requires minimum effort on your side. Win win!

Make Images Shop-able

there are times when consumers may come across a photo on Facebook or Pinterest, but those shared images do not allow a consumer to purchase that product directly just by clicking on it. This results in missed opportunities for sales. Platforms like Kiosked create embeddable “smart” content that turns images into a consumer shopping service.

Now you are equipped with knowledge to go out and conquer the world of visual ecommerce. Happy snapping and good luck from the Solomoto team!