How To Improve Your Ecommerce Sales By Improving Your Product Photos

You know the saying “a photo is worth a thousand words“?

When it comes to ecommerce, we could modify this old saying to “a photo is worth a thousand conversions“!

Okay. So maybe not a thousand conversions per se, but I can tell you – having awesome product photos on your ecommerce website will definitely improve your conversions and your sales.

Let’s take a look at what you can need to do to improve your product photos in order to improve your sales…

The Importance of Quality Product Photos

Product photos are the first thing a customer sees when they land on your store’s website. The difference between professional-looking photos and photos that are just “okay” can make a huge difference in whether a visitor stays on your website and makes the decision to buy.

• Product photos must grab the attention of your customers at first glance. They need to be appealing to your customers.
• The photos need to convey information about the details of your products – the size, color, and other important details that make your product special.
• Since online shoppers can’t touch or feel the products in your store, the photos themselves have to persuade a customer to buy. For this reason, having photos from all angles and sides of your product is important.
• High quality photos instill trust from your customers and they improve the overall image of your business and of your store.
• Customers like sharing attractive photos on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. The better your product photos, the more likely they are to be shared on social media, and when they are shared, they attract even more customers to your store.

Tips and Suggestions for Attractive Product Photos

Quality is Key

Your product photos must be high-quality. Photos that are clear and show the details of your products are necessary for generating sales. Images that are blurry, or too light or too dark don’t look professional, and they won’t make someone what to buy the product.

Show Multiple Views

Photos that show all sides of a product and are taken at various angles will help your customer understand the details of your product.

Show Product Being Used

You might want to include photos in your product listing that show the product being used. This can help a customer imagine the product in their home, or being worn, etc.

If you sell jewelry, you could have a photo that shows the jewelry being worn by a model. If you sell home decor items, you could have a photo that shows your product being used in the home. If you sell clothing, you could have photos that show your garment being worn on a model. You get the idea.

Consider the Background

Photos on a simple and neutral background allow the product to stand out on it’s own without competing with the background.

For example, product photos on a white background force the attention to the product. If your product is sitting on a complex background such as a piece of patterned fabric, it will be much more difficult for your customers to see the product at first glance.

Be Consistent

To keep a consistent, branded look to your store, make sure to use only one or two background options. For example, a white or light colored background for most products and a black or dark colored background for light colored objects. With a consistent background, when a customer looks at a collection page that includes a variety of products, that overall page will be attractive. If you have dozens of random backgrounds for your products, your collection pages will look chaotic and less professional.

Also be consistent with the lighting and style of your photos. For example, if you show shadows in your photos, make sure all photos have consistent shadows. If you don’t show shadows in your photos, make sure none of your photos have shadows.

To maintain consistent photos, take all your photos in the same location, with the same lighting, with the same background. Photos that look like they were taken by several people with different styles will not look as consistent or as professional.

Make sure the first photo (featured photo) of each of your product listings is cropped to a square. By doing this, the products on collection pages will all be the same consistent size and will make your collection pages look more professional. Here’s an article on How to Use the Photo Editor Within Shopify.

Remove the Clutter

Remember that the focus of your photos is on the product. If your product photos include added elements such as text, borders, frames, or stickers – those elements are distracting to customers and should be removed. Product photos with no clutter are also shared more often on social media, so that’s another reason to remove the clutter.

While it’s okay to have one or two product photos that show the product being used in a natural setting, make sure you also have photos of that product of the product by itself. For example, if you’re selling a vintage bookend, you could stage one photo that shows the bookend holding books, on a shelf, with a plant, and other knick-knacks. But if every photo of that bookend included all those extra props, it would be difficult for a customer to know exactly what it is you’re selling.

Product Photography Guides and Resources

There are many resources on the internet where you can learn how to improve the quality of the photos you take. Here are just a few to get you started:

“The Ultimate DIY Guide to Beautiful Product Photography” – this tutorial has been specifically crafted for business owners on a budget. It’s designed to be simple while producing excellent, high-quality results for most product types.

“The Complete Guide to DIY Product Photography” – this guide includes 14-chapters that will help you showcase your products and strengthen your brand with powerful product photography that makes an impact.

“The Beginner’s Guide to Product Photography” – this start-to-finish guide covers the ‘4 Ps’ of product photography: planning, photographing, post production, and publishing.

“A 6-Step Guide to Natural Lighting for DIY Product Photography” – this article teaches you how to master DIY natural lighting and create beautiful photos using either a smartphone or professional-grade camera.

“10 Common Jewelry Product Photography Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)” – this article covers ten common mistakes to avoid when photographing jewelry.

“7 Steps to Beautiful DIY Apparel Product Photography” – this article gives you information on how to take high-quality photos of apparel.

• Product Photos and Descriptions – When you combine high-quality product photos with carefully crafted product descriptions, your conversion rates will improve. The photos attract the attention of a customer and then the content of your product description helps fill in the details of your product, leading a customer to make an informed decision to purchase.
• White Background – If you’re going to be listing your products with Google Shopping or other similar sites, white backgrounds with no shadows are a must.
• Learn By Example – If you’re not sure exactly how you’d like your product photos to look, take a look at websites you admire to see what style they are using for their photos. You can learn a lot, and get a lot of ideas, just by looking for examples around you. Ask yourself – which photos on social media appeal to you most, and why? Then duplicate that style. Take this a step further and create a Pinterest board of product photos you like, then use that board as inspiration when you are planning a photo shoot for your products.

Do you have any tips or suggestions to add? Share in a comment below!