8 Types of E-Commerce Product Images Every Shop Owner Should Know About
In the virtual world of ecommerce, photography is of key importance. Your online store is heavily reliant on product images to make those sales. Without it, your online store, ads, and social media pages would mean next to nothing.
This is why investing in good-quality product images is more than a great idea for anyone running an online store. After all, quality pictures will work hard to do much of the selling for you.
If you are running an online store, it is vital that you note that a photograph has the power to communicate and convey information, traits, and the real-life function of your product to your consumers. Your photographs are what captures the eye and attention of customers and it plays a big part in turning them into your buyers, so it’s important that you maximize their potential.
You may be using your manufacturer’s photos or you may be investing in your own product pictures. Regardless of where you are getting your product photos, being familiar with the different types of images commonly used will assist you in the development of your online store, branding, and in most other aspects of your marketing campaign.
Having the knowledge of the different types of photography that you can use will help you showcase your products in more ways than one, which could help you boost your conversation rates by showing your prospective customers the very best images, angles, and traits of your products.
In this article, you will learn about the different types of images that you can use as a tool to promote your products and your online store. Without further ado, let’s get into it and discuss the 8 types of product images that every online shop owner needs to know about:
1. Product Only Image
You could never go wrong with keeping it clean and simple when it comes to product photography. Product only images are typically the most common type of photo found across various product display pages.
Direct to the point, this type of photo features the product alone, usually against a simple and plain background, with great lighting. These types of product pictures are usually captured in a controlled environment, like a studio. However, there are very affordable ways to set up a small home studio for taking product only images. Doing this yourself, even if you have no prior experience in photography, should be fairly straight forward.
This type of ecommerce photography is popular for use in product pages as it helps your customers consider the color, design, and detail of your products before they decide to complete a purchase.
Simple as the product only image can be, it provides your consumer with much of the visual information they need to make a purchase decision.
2. The Group Shot
The group shot allows for a lot more creativity. You can do a flat lay, have your products lined up all together, or experiment with more inventive and unique product group shots.
This type of photography is great for use in social media and on your store’s website. Group shots are a way for you to display a wider array of products you have and to encourage additional purchase by showing your potential customers a broader range of products that complement each other.
As we mentioned, the group shot allows for so much more creativity than the product only shot, so use these types of images to highlight a variety of your products by experimenting with style, variety of products, backgrounds, and different angles to get an awesome product group shot.
3. Lifestyle photography
Lifestyle photography or in-context product photography shows off your product in use in natural, real-life situations. You will find the social media pages of influencers teaming with lifestyle product photography, as they portray themselves wearing, using or ingesting products that they endorse.
Lifestyle product photography is perhaps one of the most compelling forms of product photography because it allows people to see the items in authentic-life situations. It also allows people to project themselves into the image and to picture what their lives may be like if they owned your product.
Photographing your products being used in real-life situations also takes thought and creativity. Done right, you’ll find yourself with compelling shots that encourage customer purchases.
4. Creation process shots
This type of product image gives your consumers a closer look at how your products are being crafted and manufactured. This is a special type of photography that documents the work and effort that goes on behind the scenes. Taking photos of your products while they are in the process of being crafted is great for those who are very much hands-on in the making of the products that they sell online.
If you are selling handmade items or manufacturing the products that you sell online, a process shot would be perfect in showing your customers the hard work, skill, and workmanship that went into the making of your products.
This is great because many consumers like to know and are fascinated by how the things they buy are manufactured. Behind the scenes shots of your creation process give your consumers the feeling of transparency between your business and them. Moreover, allowing your consumers to see the work that goes into their purchase increases the perceived value of the final product.
This type of ecommerce product photography can be a way for you to highlight and emphasize the standard and level of skill and artistry that goes into the making of your products.
5. Infographics
A good infographic marries text and image to deliver information quickly and efficiently. A product infographic comprises of 3 to 4 lines that highlight the most important features of your products written against the product photo.
You might be wondering why you would use an infographic to show your customers the product’s specifications, but it’s been found that infographics work remarkably well in delivering product information to people because your product image is what your potential customer sees first and not the product description text.
When it comes to your product infographic, most opt to use a simple product image with a plain background. Many people also make use of arrows to point out the various features and parts of a product, but strategically placed and well-formatted text around the product works just as well.
6. Specification or Size Char
Product specification is a type of image that allows your consumers to know the size and dimensions of your product. This is important because, as an online store, your consumers cannot walk in to handle the product or try it on themselves.
Having a product specification image that details size, weight, and other pertinent details could be of vital importance in helping you convert potential buyers into paying customers.
You can include a product specification chart or size chart to the lineup of your product images on the product page. This way, while your potential buyer is scrolling through your images, he or she can come across the size and dimensions chart of the item that they are browsing.
7. Scale Shot
As we mentioned earlier, when shopping online, your consumers cannot come in to handle your products physically or to try them on for size. A simple product only image will not be much help in allowing your customer to accurately perceive the size of the product and it might come in smaller or larger than expected! Not being able to meet the expectation of your consumers when it comes to the size of your products is potentially problematic. This is where a scale shot can help you and your customers out.
As well as the product specification or size chart, the scale shot can allow your potential buyer gauge visually the sizes your products come in.
For instance, if you were in the business of fashion accessories and jewelry, your customers would like to know what your product looks like when worn and used by a model. This will help them determine the dimensions and size of your products.
8. Detail Shots
Detail shots are essentially zoomed-in shots of your product. This type of product photography is the perfect way for you to highlight the best features and angles of your products for your potential consumer.
Detail shots will work well for any online business, and you can get creative with it too by trying out different angles and focusing on different details. For instance, if you were selling women’s clothing online, a detailed shot will do well to highlight the different textures and the material of an item. Detail shots are a great way to bring attention to quality and to the unique features of the items in your online store.
Back to You
There are so many ways that you can photograph and display your product images. In this article, we have talked about 8 of the most common and effective ways to highlight the best features of your products with the different types of images used to promote ecommerce businesses.
Because your product photographs are critical to your store and in generating sales, you need to make sure that they hold a top place in your list of priorities in marketing your online shop and the products that you sell.
The aspect of developing photographs of your products should also be a fun and creative process, where you can use a combination of the different types and styles of photography mentioned above and beyond this list. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get creative with your product images!
How important do you think images are to the success of your online store? Do you believe that product images can help you improve your online sales? Ecommerce Pro would love to know what you think. If you have any queries or concerns, please feel free to start a conversation with us today. Together we will help you build a better ecommerce website.
Originally published at https://ecommercepro.com on December 1, 2019.
