Most people rely on sight to learn about the world around them. Processing visual information helps you make decisions to proceed, stop or go in a different direction. This demonstrates the importance of product photography for e-commerce and its’ role influencing consumers to click the buy button.
Creating a virtual shopping experience.
In a store, a consumer can touch, physically examine, determine size, try on, smell or even taste a product before buying. (Don’t taste what you try on … just a word of advice, don’t ask how I know.)
With e-commerce, great photography and descriptive copy have to take the place of the physical experience. You need to help shoppers understand everything they need to know in order to make an informed purchase.
Informed purchases reduce wasted time, returns, complaints, bad reviews and unhappy customers. This means your upfront investment can save your business lots of aggravation and expense later on.
Descriptive marketing and sales copy that sells.
There are all types of advice for writing copy that sells. Books have been written on the subject. Some say to answer every question a buyer may have. Others say to talk to the reader as if they were a friend right in front of you. There are even those who say keep it short and concise.
Which method is right? That depends on you and your brand. One thing for sure, more people buy based on product photography than based on the sales copy.
The importance of high quality product photography.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Since most people won’t read a thousand words, you can say so much more with product photos.
Multiple images from different angles, close-up details, info-graphics, stop motion clips and 360º product photos can tell the story of your product. Using images in coordination with product descriptions will create a comprehensive overview of your offering.
How important is product photography for e-commerce?
Imagine going to a website that sells balls. They have a small, somewhat grainy looking image of a ball, and buy buttons for different sizes. How confident would you be of that business? Would you feel comfortable making that purchase not knowing if the ball would work for your needs and may need to be returned? You go to a second website and it has some photos with a ball taken outdoors, kind of looks like someone just snapped a quick shot. Will this “business” be a reliable place to spend your money? Are they real?
Now imagine going to another website that sells balls. Each type of ball sold has its’ own product page that has quality photos and descriptions. You can zoom in to see the details of the seams and the material the balls are made from. Info-graphics show you the material thickness and diameter compared to an every day object. Each design has its’ own product photos. You can easily tell what ball is great for soccer, kickball or ping pong. The site is consistent with branding and photography. How confident would you be?
Creating a professional presentation.
For an e-commerce business, your website or online sales platform is your store. Consumers will form opinions of your company and brand based on the images and look of your site.
Professional photography shows you are a serious business, immediately building trust and confidence. It sets the tone for each interaction you have with a shopper.
Taking your own e-commerce product photos.
Some people want to save money when just starting out. Unfortunately, taking your own e-commerce product photos is not the best idea.
Your product photography sets expectations. Without a solid understanding of all the aspects of professional product photos, you can make mistakes that impact your sales.
Do you understand the natures of:
- Product lighting,
- Diffusion and reflections,
- Backgrounds,
- Camera angles,
- Camera settings,
- Depth of field,
- Creating visual guides to draw the eye, and
- Editing & retouching with color correction
E-commerce photography is more than setting a product down and taking a picture. Don’t short change yourself in this aspect of your business. Saving money could be costing you sales without realizing it.
The benefits of e-commerce product photography.
In addition to creating trust and confidence in your company, here are some other benefits of e-commerce product photos.
- Providing visual product information
- Showing product quality
- Establishing realistic expectations
- Encouraging shares
- SEO to help your products & business show up in searches
- Reinforcing your brand
And product photography isn’t limited to your e-commerce website.
You can make use of your images in other ways to draw in more business.
- On social media
- In emails
- Online ads
- Print ads
- Circulars
- Flyers
- Postal mailings
- Posters
- Displays
- Catalogs
- Packaging
and how many more things can you be inspired to use them for?
Conclusion
The importance of product photography for e-commerce shouldn’t be overlooked. Professional quality product images can make or break your brand and business.
It doesn’t matter if you are just starting, an established business or in the midst of an update, I’d be happy to discuss options with you. Even if you decide I’m not the right photographer for you, I can help you get started down the path to boosting your e-commerce sales.
Want to talk about product photography for your website? Just fill out the form below!
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You may also text me at: 410-596-4127 or E-mail me at: tom@tomcrowl.com