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They say - 'A picture is worth a thousand words'. Well, you might have heard this hackneyed adage a zillion times in your life. But it always stands true. Undoubtedly, images are captivating and hold utmost importance, especially in the world of the eCommerce industry. A high-quality product image is truly a secret sauce to the success of an online shopping store or a brand.
Let's understand it profoundly. What does a customer do if they want to buy something from your site? Naturally, they will check out the images of the products you are offering. After liking the product's image, they will read the description and purchase according to their preference, utility, and requirements. It is just like creating an initial impression on the buyers by making the item appear extra appealing to the eyes.
When a customer checks the product image by zooming in and from all the angles, he wants to know about the color, size, pattern, material, or design most accurately to make a wise purchase decision. If the online shopping stores do not upload a good-quality image, they may lose the customers as a product image serves to convince the buyers. Therefore, attractively showcasing the product using the right photography skills, techniques, and tools is all you need to entice your customers to purchase goods from your online store.
If you want to sell your products online, there is no way you can do it without product photography, as you need compelling images for your customers to look at. One cannot even imagine selling anything with no photos available or blurry ones as it creates a cloud of suspicion in the customers' minds, or they might think that the brand is evil or fake.
The buyers may question the quality and condition of the product if its picture isn't clear or sharp. On the other hand, if the seller knows in-depth about the importance of product photography, there are high chances of conversions and a significant boost in sales. In a nutshell, product images play with consumer psychology and give power to your online business. And, that's how the buyers get familiar with the item before they add it to their cart and proceed to buy.
The image is the first thing that your customer is going to come across. Besides knowing about the quality of the product, images help buyers find the store genuine and trusted. To increase engagement, drive sales, and improve conversion rates, photography plays a major role. With high-quality photos of goods on your site, buyers will stick around and be interested in knowing about the items in detail.
In addition, don't forget that we are living in a world of social media, as phones are taking over retail. Your shoppers will certainly share the images of your products with their friends and acquaintances or may even talk about the authenticity of your brand on social media platforms in the form of reviews, thereby providing more exposure to your brand. The cherry on the cake is that it seems like free advertising of your products.
Unless you're living under the rock, you'd probably know that our brain understands visuals better, and thus photos give a striking impact on the customers' minds. Moreover, the quality of your photos displayed on the site says a lot about your brand image and value. If you present polished images of your product from all angles, the buyer will certainly get a sense of relief that there is nothing you're hiding from them and won't find anything fishy.
For instance, Sleepy Cat offers a premium sleep range to its customers, and the images they display on their website make their brand look even more presentable and reliable. Let's take a look:
They show natural, good-quality images which make their products look authentic. Visuals truly speak to the target audience and help you differentiate your brand from your competitors.
To show your products completely, you will be required to take close-ups of details, features, and designs from different angles. And for that, you need a DSLR camera that professionals often use to take the finest pictures. You can check out the options in brands like Nikon or Canon as per your budget and requirements.
Suppose you are not willing to splurge money on a high-end professional camera. In that case, you can even click quality pictures from your smartphone with great camera quality like we generally get to see in iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel, etc. Besides, it would help if you had a tripod to hold the camera and focus on the product meticulously, or you can use a pile of cardboard or books to stabilize your camera. Lastly, it would help if you had a white backdrop or a light tent to reflect light onto your product to click a better photo.
After setting up the artificial light equipment, you can choose natural light and opt for product photography outdoors or even in a studio. If your budget allows, buy a lightbox, or else you can even create one. Whatever type of lighting you choose, ensure that it enhances the item's characteristics and defines its quality
Arrange a shooting table and keep it near a window that allows good light to enter. If you think it's too harsh and may affect the quality of the image, then diffuse it using white paper or cloth; this will soften the light. Skilled product photographers never shoot directly under the sun as it creates harsh shadows. Thus, it's better to maintain the balance from the beginning.
Even though you click nice pictures, it's essential to give the images a final touch using spectacular editing tools like Lightroom, Canva, PicMonkey, Snappa, Piktochart, Pixlr, and Snapseed. Augment the beauty of your product images, and trust me, every effort will count.
Turn your online store visitors into long-term customers by displaying top-notch photos of your products on the site. It's time to showcase your incredible products in such a way that they become the talk of the town, which will, of course, lead to more sales. To turn this up a notch, you can bring in influencers to help propel your product to a bigger audience - you can read about influencer marketing strategies here.
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