Syed Balkhi — July 19, 2019 — July 19, 2019
When creating an online store, images are important. Whether they’re on your website, on Amazon or Etsy, or on social media platforms like Instagram, eye-catching images of your product are a must. After all, most people shop with their eyes, so if your product images aren’t appealing, how do you expect to make any sales?
But taking awesome product photos is harder than it seems. In fact, according to Small Business Trends, 61% of eCommerce sites have product images that disappoint customers.
Of course, it all starts with taking quality photos. It’s important to use quality equipment, get the lighting right, use a clean background, know your way around photo editing software, and so on. So, if you’re doing all of that and your product images still aren’t impressive to online shoppers, what can you do?
Check out 5 tips for how to improve your eCommerce product photos.
Be consistent.
The first tip for creating better eCommerce product photos is to be consistent. Images shot with the same background and from the same angle will create a more professional look for your online store.
Take a look at this example from Fenty Beauty. As you can see, the consistency in the product images on their online store creates a cohesive look for the collection.
Not only does consistency look more professional, but it also helps consumers easily shop your store. They can look at a product image and immediately compare it to others on your site.
While it’s important to be very consistent with the product images for your online catalog, you can have a little more fun with images for your home page, featured blog post images, and social media.
Add simple props.
When in doubt, a clean white background is the best way to create professional eCommerce product photos. But, if you want to add a little more interest to your photos, consider adding simple props.
The best props to use in your eCommerce product photos are ones that are relevant to your product and also help show off the realness of the product.
As an example, take a look at this product photo from the home page of the Nova Scotia Fisherman website. They make natural sea kelp soaps and use real sea kelp as a prop in this image to show off the natural ingredients in the product.
Instead of a product on a plain white background, adding props to your product images can give shoppers a better idea of the quality of your product. Just remember, the main focus of the photo is your product, so don’t go overboard!
Show multiple angles.
For many types of products, one image from one angle only will not do. Shoppers want to know exactly what they’re getting before making a purchase, so they need to know what your product looks like from all angles.
This is especially important in eCommerce categories such as fashion. If a shopper is going to buy a new pair of shoes or a dress, they’ll want to know what it looks like from the front, back, and sides. So, be sure to provide those shots for them.
For instance, check out the example below from Forever 21.
People will be more likely to buy your product when they have a good idea of what they’re getting and how it looks. Showing your products from multiple angles can even help reduce returns. According to statistics from Weebly, 22% of online product returns are because an “item looks different than the photos”. So, make sure your website visitors get the full picture.
Show your product in use.
Many consumers can’t buy a product just because it looks nice. Rather, they need to be able to envision using the products in their real lives as well as understand how the product will improve their life. So, to make it easy for consumers to envision those scenarios, take photos of your product in use.
Take a look at these product photos from Gorilla Carts. Instead of just showing the image of their product with a white background, they also show images of how consumers can actually use the products in their gardens and yards.
Photos like these help consumers better imagine how they could use the product in their real life, making them more likely to buy.
Add people to your photos.
Adding a little human touch to your product images can go a long way. In fact, it can even increase engagement and conversions. When the company Highrise, now known as Basecamp, added a human face to their landing page, conversions increased by 102.5%. So, if you want your eCommerce product photos to be more effective, add people.
For instance, take a look at this image from Yellow Leaf Hammocks. Instead of only showing their product, the hammock, they add smiling people in order to better connect with website visitors.
Online shoppers will be able to see themselves in these kind of images; they’ll think: “I want to snuggle with my partner in a hammock too”, and head to the checkout.
You can even consider adding a section to your website to display user-generated content. Images of your real customers using your product can demonstrate social proof on your website. When your website visitors see your happy customers, they’ll want to become customers too.
Over to you.
People are visual creatures, which is why it’s so important to give them stunning product photos to look at while browsing your website, online catalog, social media, and so on. So, if you’re selling online, start using these tips to turn your ineffective product photos into revenue-generating product photos.
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