When it comes to eCommerce, the product image is all-powerful. With so much competition online, quality images that educate, inspire, and motivate the consumer can help set your products apart. Read on for five tips to help you create those kind of visuals for your organization.
Styling
When Nasty Gal CEO Sophia Amoruso began her business by selling vintage clothes on eBay, her store exploded, in large part because of the way she styled her products. She knew there was a market for vintage clothes, but modern customers did not always understand how to wear a poodle skirt or muumuu in real life. By showing her customers how to wear the clothes, she allowed them to see how that piece could be integrated into their closet and into their daily lives.
Even if you don’t sell clothes, you can still style your products in a way that highlights their value to the customer. Give them context that helps them see how your product will work for them. Think about all the ways you could style a travel mug:
- As part of a breakfast scene at the kitchen table
- Someone holding it as they walk down the street
- In the dishwasher, to show how easy it is to clean
- In a cup holder, to show how well it fits in any car
You can even use these images to drill down to your target audience. Does the street scene feature a young executive on the way to the office, or a senior couple taking a leisurely stroll?
Cross-selling
So you’ve shown your customer how well your product fits into their life. Now what? Along with styling, cross-selling is a great way to create useful images that enhance sales. Going back to the clothing example, let’s say you are selling a women’s cardigan. While you should provide product images that show only the cardigan, you can also have images of that cardigan layered over a t-shirt, tucked into a skirt, or paired with a dress and belt, all of which you also sell. Under the product description, list the images and direct links for each of those other featured products. With the travel mug example, you could show the mug along with a plastic storage container, lunch box, and water bottle that you also sell.
Details
With ecommerce, photos are the only way to show your customers what they are going to get. This makes the details of your images absolutely crucial. Always provide a zoom feature for each image and show 360 views of the product. Generally, try to post the same number of photos for each type of product to help maintain consistency across your site. If you offer a range of colors or patterns for the same product, make sure you have photos for each one. Videos of your product in action can also be included as long as they are actually useful. If you sell camping tents, you could include a video that shows how quick and easy they are to set up. There should also be a relationship between your product description and the photos you use. If the ski jacket you are selling has eight pockets, make sure your customer can see each one.
Composition
All of those details will not be very useful if the picture itself doesn’t look great. When photographing your products, consider how the entire image will come together. Contrasting a dark-colored product with a light background will help it to stand out. Simple backgrounds are usually best, but depending on your brand, you may be able to use others with more interest. Make sure you are using optimal lighting to ensure color accuracy – no one wants to receive a green dress that looked blue in your photo. Also, if you are taking photos outside, make sure the product is positioned to take advantage of the natural sunlight. If it’s in your budget, consider hiring a professional photographer. They are the experts on these things after all, and know how to make your images look even better.
Image size
Magento recommends three images sizes: 50 x 50 pixels for thumbnails, 470 x 470 pixels for small images and base images, and 1100 x 1100 pixels for zoom on the base image. When taking your photos, use a decent camera and take photos that are as high-res as possible. It is much easier to take a quality image and make it smaller than it is to blow up a tiny, low-res image. You also want to make sure that when your customer uses the zoom feature, the image does not become blurry and fail to show the detail they were looking for. Using these guidelines on the Magento ecommerce platform will keep the sizing consistent across your site and make your images look great.
By following these tips, you are sure to develop images that excite your customers and highlight your awesome products. Contact ParadoxLabs Marketing to learn more about how we can help optimize your site to look great and generate sales.