Visualize This: Photography as a Selling Tool for Ecommerce
The colossal hurdle of attracting visual-oriented shoppers has haunted ecommerce merchants since online shopping began, and there is no shortage of well-meaning tips on how to adequately illustrate products. Yes, product information, descriptions, usage suggestions, and quality promises are integral, but for those who depend on seeing what they buy, nothing replaces a good photograph.
Improving image quality and placement on your ecommerce site may seem intimidating. It doesn’t have to be. Experts store up endless tips to share, and they share generously. Their most important hint is this: you don’t have to be an Ansel Adams, or anything close, to present pleasing images that are both flattering and accurate.
Keep in mind that beyond your proprietary site, selling goods on third-party platforms involves unique demands. If you’d like to use Amazon or eBay, for example, you will need to carefully ingest their specific image requirements. This is where the science of photography sneaks in, blending concepts of pixel count, scalability, and (most important) avoiding copyright infringement.
Making things more confusing are the product-specific difficulties in capturing clean images of goods like jewelry, clothing, and extra-large items. Consulting an online expert is your best bet.
Some basics to get you started:
Good news! You don’t need a high-end camera. In fact, a decent SmartPhone camera function is not only suitable, but excellent for quick editing. Invest in add-ons for editing with more specific settings.
Remember that highly saturated, high-resolution images are slower to load on many devices, which can make a prospective customer bail quickly.
Use a white backdrop in almost every case. This highlights specific detailing, colors, and even scale and size ratios. White backgrounds reconcile white balance temps and reflect a level of lighting that our brains recognize as a staring point.
A “photography sweep” works best, meaning a backdrop that offers a clean transition from a vertical to a horizontal surface. Make the “sweep” larger than the product, creating perfect balance.
Shooting tables are ideal for smaller products, offering flexibility in placement. Purchase one on a well-known online platform, or be handy and make your own using scrap wood pieces nailed to the back of a small table, clamping the sweep into place. Reflective qualities in white wrapping paper adds a bonus.
Always employ sufficient lighting levels. Your detail, palette, and color balance will improve immeasurably. The temperature of a light source can diffuse the impact and clarity of most goods.
Displaying images in different angles is an exceptional substitute for video presentation – although if you have the bandwidth, you can also consider those.
It’s critical to understand that every monitor or phone display is not equal, and what you see on your end may not reflect what others will experience. Try viewing your images on another household computer, or a friend’s device.
Speaking of expert tips, check out this piece from Shopify. It offers image optimization ideas for ecommerce sites. Or this one, exploring more customized enhancements. Other options include buying a tripod (they even make these for SmartPhones) and achieve top-rate image stabilization. Experiment with filters and diffusers, but check that they don’t grossly distort a product’s likeness. Your first objective as a trusted seller is to deliver what customers think they see.