From eye candy to buy candy! The importance of product photography in ecommerce.

Of course, we would say that. We are a photography studio that works with businesses to convert shoppers into buyers via ecommerce. But why is it actually important?  

 

When a customer is shopping online, they do not have the benefit of being able to touch, feel, smell or even taste the product before them – but photos help fill the void by visually bringing the product to life and making the item both tangible and desirable.   

The benefits of product photography are in many ways a no-brainer. But let’s point the detail out. 

• They provide your customers with a clear image of what they will expect to receive. So the more detail in the image the better. 
• A high-quality image implies that your product is high quality; it creates a good first impression of your brand. 
• You inspire trust in your customers to buy from your eCommerce store with confidence. 
• Photographic images are way more appealing than written copy. But product details, features and benefits are great support to the visual eye candy. 
• Photographs are an excellent way to establish your brand identity. 

• Photography plays a key role in the decision-making process – it will increase your conversion rate. 
• Product photos can be used as a marketing assets across all of your marketing channels. 
• Images are more accessible to mobile audiences. 

But let’s let the stats do the talking for us 

From Shopify to Amazon, Salesforce to Hubspot there are measurable results to prove the case and here are some solid statistics to support the significance of product photography for your eCommerce store. 

• 65% of the population are visual learners. This means that visual information i.e. photographs will influence their minds more than written words. 

• 90% of online buyers say that photo quality is the most important factor in an online sale. Without product photography, your business will suffer. 

• Good product photography can increase your conversion rate by 30%. 

• 75% of online shoppers rely on a product photo to make a decision. This is a significant amount of customers who rely on product photos – without product photos, imagine the three-quarters of customers you are losing out on.  

• 22% of returns occur because the product looks different in person. Returns cost money, reduces customer confidence and are a pain to deal with when managing stock process. Eliminating part of that through excellent photos is an investment worth making. 

• Good product photography is 40% more likely to be shared from your social media accounts. Not only does product photography increase your conversion rate, but it provides you with increased brand exposure. According to HubSpot, photographic content is the most popular method of consumer engagement. 

• 70% of companies invest in content marketing which could include product photography. All of the big players are investing in content marketing and you would be wise to do so as well. Product photography for your eCommerce store can be recycled into visual content to market your brand at no extra cost. 

The importance of product photography in content and advertising 

Product photography is not only essential for your sales but your advertising. As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words; a photograph has the wonderful ability to evoke feelings from its viewer without communicating them verbally. This is critical for your marketing. Images are a quick way to get a message across – it does not take a lot of time for an image to make an impact on your customer.  

In an increasingly visual world, the importance of visual content in marketing has never been greater. Product photography can be used across all marketing channels such as paid advertisements and social media accounts.   

The reality is that photography on your website helps elevate the chance of conversion and the ability for the customer to lean into a product that looks desirable and something they are happy to buy with confidence.  

Exceptional consistent product photography will elevate your product and move it from eye candy to buy candy. Contact POP to find our more ways we can help your business with consistent, cost effective images to take your sales and brand to the next level.