Acc picture speaks a thousand words! This adage couldn’t have been truer for online product photography. It is the “first-point-of-contact” with the prospective customer for an online store and hence, it is imperative that the photograph be of high-resolution quality that shows off the product in all its glory! It lures the reader towards the product and thus provides engagement on the site as well. It ought to be an integral part of the engagement strategy of the company. Shorter attention spans have made sure that lengthy product descriptions are on their way to redundancy. Hence, Product photography is a HUGE aspect that e-store owners need to think about when trying to convince people to buy your stuff.
How important is a good quality photograph for online retailers?
According to a study, 67 per cent of the respondents said that the photograph of a product is a ‘very important’ factor in making the vital decision for buying the product. A very surprising 63 per cent of the respondents said that the product image is more important than the features of the product. 54 per cent people preferred a good-quality photograph to a very long detailed description of the product. And 53 per cent said that they value the product images more over the ratings and reviews, accorded to it by their fellow-customers.
Another research says that almost 90 per cent of the information that is retained is visual in nature. It is also capable of co-relating and processing visual information almost 60,000 times faster than content. Hence, in case of online retailers, not just the product photographs, but any photographs featured on a website should have binding factor.
Key Reasons why an online retailer needs to focus on photographs
Not just customers, but the store owners agree as well, that good quality images are the key in any online store. A whooping 95 per cent say that visual content is of supreme importance in marketing. More than 80 per cent marketers reveal that good quality images are an integral part of their online marketing campaigns.
- Product Photographs are the ‘Showroom’ of your Online Store
The way mannequins sell your product in brick and mortar showrooms, the photographs of them sell online. And no seller wants to compromise with their showroom. Hence, you must not ignore the aesthetics of your showroom because the truth is, better your stuff looks better your sales are. Professional product photography can be a great help to ensure you meet your targets. Clear, detailed and well-shot product photographs are able to convey the USP of the product in an instant.
Also, generally consumers don’t read size chart and visualise themselves in the product just by seeing the photograph of it. Hence it is important to not only have a good quality image of the product but to have Model photography i.e. Models wearing/using that product. It gives an idea to the user about the size and look of the product when in use.
- Images build trust
The barrier with online shops is that the product cannot be touched or felt, and thus the brands and the buyers rely on text and images to communicate product. Additionally, content, i.e. words can distort the product through clever and creative writing, but the same power doesn’t exist with the photographs.
They represent the product, as it is; hence customer trusts photographs more than the content part. On the other hand, product photographs catch the attention of the customer immediately and convey much more, than the content part could ever do. They are a viable medium to gain the trust of the customers as well. According to Web Marketing Group, 40 per cent of the prospective customers respond better to images than just content.
- Product images lead to sales conversion
A good photograph can be a differentiating factor between no sales and conversion. Let us face the reality, no one will buy your stuff, if it looks old and outdated, no matter how good is your product in terms of quality, pricing and features.
In fact, according to eBay, each professional product image that is added to a particular listing increases sellers’ percentage of making a sale by 2 per cent. Thus choose wisely and choose high resolution 360 degree photograph of your product as you might lose your prospect buyers with a low quality image.
- Edge over the Competition:
When you choose your shop to go online, you meet big competitors like Amazon, Flipkart and many more. And in this age of savvy customers, who compare the products over numerous websites to get the better deal, it is not only important to have quality product but quality photographs of those products hold equal importance.
This is one of the criteria which buyers compare. Hence, photographs need to stand out from the competition and speak for themselves. Using a model is a great strategy as it could attract more eyeballs.
- The compact space of small-screen devices
People are using their smart phones and tablets more than ever nowadays. Hence, it is essential that they see good quality, mobile friendly and aesthetic photographs, which appeal to them, instead of trying to read through text about that item. In the small-display-screen-world, the power of images rules the roost.
- Images for social media
For better reach, online stores promote their product over social networking sites and the first thing that captures attention on social sites is products with high resolution images. A case in example is of the Facebook posts,’ which have visual content, have 180 per cent stronger engagement with the readers, compared to a text-only post
- Photographs show up in Search Engine Results:
There are numerous advantages of using good photographs for Search Engine Optimisation purposes. They will pop up in both the content and the images part of the search, thus doubling your visibility.
The products are the backbone of the business; hence it is obvious that when selling it online, its look might affect the prospective client’s perception for product and the brand, be it positive or negative. Good and effective visual content convey the appropriate message to the audience and form a connect with them, as well. Having a zoomed in shot of the products, especially fashion products like apparels, footwear, jewellery is crucial. Hence, A crucial part of e-tailers’ product strategy is adopting good quality visuals. Companies like Purple stores provide complete ecommerce solution to their clients which includes product photoshoot as well.
About the author
Amit Jain, founder Purple Stores, is an engineer from IIT Delhi, MBA from SP Jain Mumbai and worked with Fortune 5 company for 8 years in operations, finance, and risk before taking the entrepreneurial plunge. He is a certified 6 sigma black belt and LEAN expert. Amit is also an active speaker and contributor in the eCommerce space in India.
Purple Stores is a DIY eCommerce platform designed specifically for the Indian Merchants. It allows them to run their own eCommerce platform with ease even while selling on multiple channels.
