Helpful Tips on Product Photography for E-Commerce
The success of Instagram, infographics, and live video content proves that visual marketing is here to stay. For those in e-commerce, your overall aesthetic can be the deciding factor on whether your site visitors will make a purchase. That’s why, when you invest in building your online shop, you need to incorporate product photography for e-commerce into your plan.
If you’re setting up an e-commerce store, it’s best to put effort into your photography and other visual elements. The good news is we’ve put together some helpful tips and advice for you.
But first, let’s talk about the importance of product photography for e-commerce…
How Important Is Product Photography for E-Commerce?
According to Statista, 90% of online shoppers claim that the photo quality of the products can impact their buying decision. Etsy conducted a similar survey, and their customers agreed that e-commerce photos were also a critical deciding factor.
But why is product photography so important?
Photography Brings Products to Life
If you have an e-commerce business, adding product images is nonnegotiable. However, don’t just add any photos; make sure to use professional-quality product photography for e-commerce.
Your photos must bring your products to life because it is hard for customers to envision what they will look and feel like when they can’t examine them in person. Make sure your photos showcase the product's size, texture, color, and other essential properties.
Your goal is to make the products as immersive as possible so that the customer feels like they can see and feel them even though they can’t.
It Allows for an Interactive Shopping Experience
Use technologies like 3D imaging and augmented reality whenever possible. This will greatly enhance the way your customers interact with your products on your e-commerce site. The idea is to enable your customers to turn the products around and see them from any angle.
The ultimate goal with the focus on interactivity is to bring that offline shopping experience online. This approach will give your shoppers added confidence that they are buying the product they are looking for.
The Use of Photos Increases Conversions
Driving conversions is the main purpose for optimizing your e-commerce site, which also includes choosing high-quality product photography for e-commerce.
But how does imagery make an impact? Online consumers of today are much more informed with their purchase decisions. In fact, 60% of them spend time researching a product before they decide to buy it.
Product images are part of their research process. But product photography goes beyond bringing aesthetic value to your website; it makes it easier for potential buyers to imagine using the product in their daily lives. Moreover, it addresses customer fears and banishes doubts about the product.
What Equipment Do You Need for Product Photography?
Investing in high-quality and professional photography equipment is a must for any e-commerce shop. While your trusty smartphone might be good enough for your Instagram grid, you need a more reliable full-frame camera when it comes to product photography for e-commerce—plus a few other items…
Full-Frame DSLR Camera
If you want to produce the best quality photography for your e-commerce products, choose a DSLR or any mirrorless camera. This type of photography equipment delivers sharp and highly detailed images. Without it, your photos could end up looking dark and pixelated.
It is also recommended that you use a camera of 12 megapixels or higher with auto-focus abilities. This will ensure that you get great quality photos every single time.
Tripod
Aside from a good camera, you also need a heavy-duty tripod as part of your product photography setup. A tripod helps keep the camera stable so you can focus on getting the best shots without worrying about how heavy the camera is. It also keeps your images from blurring as a result of the photographer’s movement.
Computer & Editing Software
Once you’ve captured quality photos, make sure to process them on the computer using excellent editing software. Professional photographers always ensure their photos are consistent with their branding, and they edit out any inconsistencies in lighting and texture. There are many photo editing options out there, so you’re sure to find one that fits your budget and needs.
7 Tips to Help with Product Photography for E-Commerce
Product photography is the first point of contact that your would-be buyers have with your products on your e-commerce website. Your goal is to achieve the perfect shot for the style and purpose that it was intended for.
Here’s a quick list of tips you can use to improve product photography for e-commerce each and every time…
1) Ensure the Image Is Sharp
Using sharp images can make your product photography stand out. They are much more visually appealing than soft images, especially when it comes to e-commerce photos.
Adding sharpness to an image also makes certain details stand out and helps you overcome blurring issues.
2) Use Professional Layouts
Of course, you want your product to be the spotlight of every shot. Here’s your chance to make that possible.
Always follow the Rule of Thirds when positioning your product in the frame. The human eye is drawn to the left or right side of the frame, which is why you should refrain from putting your product right in the center. A slightly off-center shot will appear more stylized and professional looking.
3) Get the Lighting Right
Lighting is vital to achieving the best product photography for e-commerce. So, make sure to use three-point lighting: key light, fill light, and backlight.
The use of three-point lighting for product imagery sculpts and shapes the subject. This will create a flattering result as it adds depth and dimension to the subject, compared to having a single light source.
4) Show Multiple Angles
Add as many photos as possible to the product page. As mentioned above, product photography serves a purpose; it enables your customers to visualize the actual product. Providing various angles of the same product enables them to examine it from every possible angle.
Make it easy for them to shop your products using multiple angles and different scenes or layouts.
5) Consider Your Backdrop
The backdrop is essential when shooting product photography for e-commerce. It must showcase your product and its features above all else.
Don’t forget to think about your branding when styling photos and choosing a backdrop. It's important to balance selecting an aesthetically pleasing backdrop and ensuring it does not take the attention away from the product.
6) Be Consistent with Sizing Between Photos
There are different sizing options available for various product photos to suit their intended purpose. Ensure you stay consistent with the optimal sizing suggestions for each type of photo to ensure maximum visibility when used on your e-commerce site.
Sizing your images serves a practical purpose. It is important to get the right product image sizes to fit into your e-commerce website design and to ensure that it won’t slow down the loading speed of the pages.
For image file size, a best practice is to keep it under 100 KB (ideally around 70 KB). However, this can be difficult at times. Using the WebP format can greatly decrease an image's file size and result in quicker load speeds, which is better for SEO purposes.
7) Edit Your Photos
Last but not least, you should always take the time to edit your photos. Editing adds a professional touch to your photos that simply can’t be attained when you capture raw images. Photo editing is also one way to ensure that your images are consistent with your brand aesthetics.
Takeaway
Creating quality product photography for e-commerce is not rocket science. However, you need to plan to make sure that you get consistent results as part of your e-commerce marketing strategy. With an estimated 24 million e-commerce websites globally, using product photography and visual marketing to your advantage could be the edge you need. Viral Solution’s free 50-point marketing audit is available for new and existing e-commerce businesses. If you feel like you are stuck in a rut and want to take your e-commerce business to the next level, we can help. Request an audit today!
At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.
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