Here are some ways that your product imagery can harm your sales, with some potential solutions. However, bear in mind that creating quality product photography is an artform, and it may be best to enroll the premier experts like Blend.
Related reading: Professional Product Photographers And Why You Need Them.
The images aren’t consistent
If you feature a range of images per product (and you should), it’s important to maintain consistency between them so they appear cohesive. We often shoot against a subdued single color background, usually white or gray, which will help you achieve this more easily. Inconsistent imagery creates a bad impression and a less seamless experience when scrolling. Another way to ensure consistency is to use the same focal length and crop for each image. When you have multiple images next to one another, varying the size, orientation, and aspect ratio can be netted. Keep the overall presentation neat and tidy by opting for uniformity.
They’re not truly representative
It seems obvious, but product photos should quite clearly look like the product itself – otherwise, your customers will feel misled when it arrives and isn’t what they expected. If you make any updates to the product you’re selling, always schedule a reshoot. If you don’t, you may find you start to get some angsty comments in your customer reviews.
The other mistake that can mislead customers is uploading images that aren’t true to the real color of the product. It’s an easy mistake to make – some bad lighting here, some over-editing there. Certain customers might not mind, but if you’re selling a red sweater that looks pink in real life and your customer hates pink, they’re not going to be very happy when it arrives. This is particularly important if you’re selling items like clothing or furniture.
Size matters. Sorry
Most good e-commerce stores offer a zoom feature on product photos that enable you to see them up close and inspect the smaller details. But this will only work effectively if your images are large enough to zoom in on clearly. Photography needs to be light and bright. Using a white/light gray background will help, and will also ensure that more light hits the product from all angles. Without good lighting, you’ll get shadows and colors that don’t accurately portray the product. Likewise, if you go far the other way, the photos will appear washed out and you’ll lose a lot of detail, which is just as bad. Our photographers ensure that this won’t happen.
There’s too much going on
A few years ago, ecommerce sellers went through a phase of using cluttered product photos – but that phase is well and truly over. The best way to maximize the impact of your product photos is through the use of negative space. Backgrounds are at best distracting, and at worst off-putting. Ultimately, they simply steal focus from the item you’re hoping to sell. Sometimes there’s a good reason not to have a plain white or light gray background – if you feature lifestyle imagery, for example. This is fine, but it’s still important that the background is uncluttered and brand appropriate. Remember, the most prominent thing on the page should be your call to action.
The quality is poor
Poor quality product photos say a lot about your business – and none of that is good. Sharpness and clarity is an absolute must. That’s why professionals such as ourselves have all the necessary equipment to ensure the high standards our customers expect. Not only is it necessary to have the right equipment at your disposal, you also need to know how to use it. Having no understanding of how to get the best out of camera and lighting equipment can leave you with terrible photos that make your product appear flat and unappealing. Blend has over 20 years’ photographic experience and a keen visual eye to ensure your photos are as striking as possible. We can all take a few simple steps to improve our photography by using professionals. Given the highly competitive nature of e-commerce, those who invest in standout, beautiful imagery will be rewarded with the highest conversion rates.
Avoid these simple and easy-to-miss mistakes and contact us for a quote, and you’ll quickly find that your online sales improve. get in touch.
Patrick Foster is a writer and ecommerce expert from Ecommerce Tips — an industry-leading ecommerce blog that shares the latest insights from the sector, spanning everything from business growth hacks, to product development. Check out the latest posts on Twitter @myecommercetips.
