Photography plays an important role in helping you promote your products. But when it comes to online retail, product photography for e-commerce is absolutely essential.
After all, when potential clients can’t touch a physical product, photography is the best next thing, allowing them to see the details of the product and understand its properties. It’s not a surprise, then, that high-quality photos can be an incredible asset to your online business – while poor images can scare away tons of potential buyers.
Product photography for e-commerce sets itself apart exactly because it plays such a central role in the customer journey, and there are four main reasons for that.
1. The quality of your images impacts the client’s perception
While in a physical store, there are several elements that allow clients to form an opinion about the products, in an online store the number of factors is very limited. The photos, the text and the design of your online store are all the customers have to guide their perception.
Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. From the customer’s perspective, buying online is a risky deal. Without being able to touch the products, it is important to be assured that the purchase is not a waste of money.
If the product photography used in the online store is not high-quality, it conveys negative information to your audience. It indicates, first and foremost, that little effort went into the photos. Therefore, what is to say that the same is not true for the manufacturing of the products?
Whenever you have the opportunity of showcasing your products to potential buyers, you are automatically communicating explicitly (through the image and the text) but also implicitly (quality, customer support, brand values). Use every chance to convey positive messages about your business and your products.
2. The importance of details
Product photography for e-commerce has to show all the details relevant for potential buyers. Since it isn’t possible to simply pick the product up and examine it, the photography has to answer as many questions as possible.
Therefore, it should be high resolution, so customers can zoom in and see all aspects of the product. It should also show different angles, allowing clients to visualize the product from all sides. By giving your consumers lots of information through images, you make the experience more seamless and enjoyable.
3. It can go beyond the white background
Lifestyle images are necessary to show your customers how to use and interact with your products. It adds contextual information about the objects you sell, and allows clients to picture themselves using the products.
Imagine, for example, that you’re shopping for a watch online. A certain watch might look interesting in a white background shot, and you like all of its details. But what guarantee do you have that the watch dresses well? That’s where lifestyle photos come in.
To begin with, they show your product in perspective. Words like large and small are relative, and many people have difficulty in visualizing the real size when given the measures in numbers. By showing the product right next to a familiar object, or being used by a person, you give a much more understandable idea of the object’s size.
Lifestyle shoots also forge an emotional bond, allowing your audience to see themselves interacting with the product. Let’s say you have photos of a person having a great time while wearing your watch – that conveys an implicit message about the positive attributes of the watch. This way, not only you show the product in perspective, but you also give context and add attractiveness to it.
Likewise, if your product is innovative in any way, it is a good idea to showcase differences in use or in functions through lifestyle photos. Not all buyers will immediately understand how it is supposed to be used. By including this information visually, you make sure your audience won’t be frustrated, having to look for answers elsewhere.
4. It plays a role in audience retention
When it comes to online stores, retaining website visitors is a deal breaker. The longer visitors stay on your website, the better the odds of completing purchases, as well as increasing the number of items purchased.
To make it more likely that visitors stay for longer, navigating through your website must be easy and enjoyable. That means making sure everything works as it should, but also that the design is on point. Consistency and coherence in the images used play a big role in making your online store aesthetically pleasing.
Therefore, using high quality e-commerce photos and other engaging images that your visitors will enjoy looking at is a must. Opting for product shots that follow the same guidelines (for example, all shot against a white background) also contribute to create a cleaner, better user experience in your online store.
As you can see, product photography for e-commerce is a world unto itself. The particularities of e-commerce call for high quality photos to increase your sales and customer retention.
Having product and lifestyle photoshoots for your online business is a necessary investment. Luckily, it is also a cost-effective one with Klaud9! Our platform makes it easy and simple to book a photoshoot package, anywhere in the world.
Just let us know what you need and we will do the hard work. Within seconds, we find the right professional photographer for your project. You will receive your amazing photos within 24 hrs that will make your online store stand out. Relax. We do the rest.