A Picture Is Worth Thousands:
Optimize Your E-commerce Product Imagery

by Angie Riley, Evry Creative Marketing Director

I like to physically see what I’m buying before I go “all in” and make a purchase. Think I’m behind the times? Think again. According to the 2022 Consumer Trends Report cited in Hubspot, “All generations favor buying products in-person at a store over any other channel.” In the next couple of blog articles we’ll focus on what you can do as an e-commerce retailer to bridge the gap between online and in-person shopping to increase conversions and drive sales.

First up, product imagery. Great product imagery is crucial to your e-commerce sales conversions. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers- what imagery would help you seal the deal and click the “buy now” button? Here are a few tips to optimize your images.

Picture This

It all starts with high quality, clear and concise product imagery. More isn’t always more when it comes to showcasing your product. Let your product be the star. Keep your product images simple and clean to highlight your product and cut through the menagerie of online digital clutter.

Product Imagery Tips:

• Let your product be the star
• Use white, neutral and solid backgrounds to showcase your product
• Good lighting and high quality images are key
• Be a perfectionist: make sure your product image represents the absolute best your product has to offer. Cleanup any imperfections on the packaging and product.

Living the Life

With so many choices online, developing and showcasing your “point of view” (aka brand) can help potential customers become customers. Lifestyle imagery helps paint a more robust image of your project and lets customers see themselves owning and using your product.

Lifestyle Imagery Tips:

• Let your product be the star, not an afterthought
• Keep it simple- leave clutter and other branded products out
• Models should represent your full customer base

Call It Out

Branded infographics are a great way to engage customers while informing them about your product. Infographics can be used to highlight key product features, add more detailed product information and call out special accreditations and uses. Infographics should be clear, concise and consistent with your established brand style.

Infographic Tips:

• Use consistent fonts, colors, icons and illustrations to boost your brand
• Stay on point: have one primary focus for each infographic
• Keep it simple: skip the cluttered and over-photoshopped graphics. Use straightforward, high-quality images and clear text.

Level Up With Video

Video, from highly produced segments to DIY reels, makes a big impact. For brands just starting out, self produced unboxing videos are some of the easiest to develop and pack a punch when it comes to helping customers “buy now”.

DIY Video Tips:

• Know your angles: use 1-2 angles, wide and/or close-up
• Keep it clean: use a clean space, free of clutter
• Lighting: use 3-point lighting (key, fill & backlight)
• Make your product the star of the screen
• Talent (customers, influencers, models) should represent your customer base and brand values

360˚ For the Most In-person Feel

360˚ imagery creates an interactive product viewing experience and bridges the gap between online and in-person shopping. Many e-commerce platforms support 360˚ imagery plugins. Specialized e-commerce plug-ins create real-to-life 360˚ composite images.

Sounds overwhelming? An easy solution to get you started and/or if your platform isn’t suited for 360˚ viewing plugins is to create a video from multiple still images like this :15 second video from Swedish retailer Thule. This stop motion style of video shows customers multiple views of your product in a fun, low cost way.

Spring (Summer, Fall and Winter) Cleaning

We recommend evaluating and rotating your product images quarterly to keep things fresh and incorporate seasonal lifestyle imagery and product updates.

At Evry Creative, we offer accessible e-commerce graphic design services to make updating your product listing images, infographics and web graphics a breeze.

We are here to help, contact us today!

Check back soon for more articles geared towards e-commerce creative.