Tips

Why Product Photography Is Important For Your Website, Amazon, & More

On-White images; the Holy Grail of Amazon product photography. White background photography makes the entire world of online shopping go ‘round. No matter the business, on-white photography is the core of online shopping. Amazon businesses, eCommerce brands, online consumer goods companies, on-white photos are some of the most basic, important parts of selling.

However, a quick iPhone picture taken in an office doesn’t cut it anymore- and more often than not, makes a business look unprofessional or amateur. The types of photos, the quantity of shots, and the quality all affect the success of your business, in more ways than someone might think. However, going about the design aspects and photography of your products can be overwhelming. That’s why we are here to help! Whether a brand looking to find some creative ideas for their website, a company trying to figure out the basics, or a business searching for a professional photography studio, just start scrolling already!

Quantity

When creating a shot list, or deciding what type of images you may need for your page’s photography, there are a few pretty basic shots to include. Beginning the selling process by getting these types of images of your products will immediately increase selling potential, but choosing how many images or what types of photos are needed for a product can be stressful.

The list below breaks down the basics of on-white photography that you could use in an upcoming product launch or collection. These types of images are versatile and can provide a range of your eCommerce images. The wider variety of shots and angles displayed on Amazon ultimately expands the possibility for a customer to learn more about the product and helps to make up for the lack of senses that are involved in the online shopping experience. The more that your target market can consume and understand your product or brand, the better chance you have of making a sale.

Front Shot

The foundation of product photography is what is called a front shot. These can include the front of the packaging, the product itself, the packaging with the product out of the box, etc. These images are often used as the first image in most product links. Front shot images allow a customer to subconsciously gather the most basic ideas about a product that will influence their interest in a matter of seconds…so these seconds matter. The quick nature of a consumer’s buying habits already demonstrates the necessity for quality photography- no matter how basic.

Group Shot

A group shot is just like a front shot but includes multiple products. These can enable a brand to show off a group of products in a kit or varieties of a product being sold. These shots are great for new collection launches, showing off different SKUs, or showing what will be included in a set they may purchase. If a customer doesn’t not like a certain color of a shirt or is uninterested in a feature on a phone case, they may automatically go look elsewhere for what they are looking to buy. However, when all colors are shown off at once, or your audience can see all of their options altogether, it could increase the chance that they might keep clicking through.

The greater the effort that a customer puts in, having to browse products online, the more time they have to double think their purchase also tends to increase. While some brands might use this opportunity to have a customer stay on their sites for longer, grouping all of the SKUs together can ensure that a customer can find what they are looking for and enables them to see all of their options all at once.

Back Shot

Back shots are helpful when trying to show an online Amazon shopper more detail. The more that a consumer sees ur product or brand, or understands about the product, can increase the chance that they make a purchase. Reducing any mystery behind a sale will create a better experience for both the company and the consumer.

When someone is shopping in person, it is rare that they go to buy something without turning it over or flipping it around to see all sides, before making a decision. For instance, food and beverage industries may use backshots to show off ingredients, shapes, labels, or any other packaging details that might be missed in a front shot. When it comes to fashion or beauty brands, it is always helpful for a customer to see the back of the article of clothing, accessory, or jewelry. In order for a customer to feel confident in a purchase-whether, they know it or not- want to know as much as they can about something before making the decision to hand over their money. So no matter the industry, these angles are important for audiences to fully grasp the idea, concept, or look of a product.

Close-Up Shots

Depending on the product and the industry, other add-on photos can be useful to add to a shot list. These types of close-up, bonus on-white images could include swatch shots, texture shots, close-up images, or a flat lay of ingredients. These shots have a wide array of possibilities such as more accurate color swatches for specific SKUs or detailed images displaying the different SKU options altogether. Abstract or realistic, these creatively styled images are fun and creative, and have a wide range of possibilities; they can be treated as filler shots for customers to see more of a product or as fully detailed, coordinated images that bring the entire photography project together.

These close-up images are a great way to bring the customer’s senses back into the online shopping experience. For instance, fragrance industries can demonstrate the scent and vibe of the product, by displaying all of the ingredients or elements of the brand. Makeup brands can easily display a crushed palette of colors or detailed textures of the products, while a skincare line may use swatch shots to give the customer a closer look into the product they are selling. So while these images are creative and intriguing for audiences, they do so much in making up for a consumer’s senses lost in the online shopping experience.

Quality

Many product photography studios use a “churn-and-burn” process when it comes to shooting on-white images. While any professional photographer might be able to shoot any basic variety of the white background images listed above, it is important to find a studio that will cater to their process exclusively for your brand.

Steer away from studios that advertise as “simplified photography” or have presets to place, shoot, and send over bland images of a product. While on-white images are a great foundation for a brand and are considered the “basics,” it doesn’t mean that they should be overlooked and easy to create; a foundation is important for any structure to stand, so if product photography is the foundation of online selling, it should be detailed oriented, carefully constructed, and crafted specifically to each brand.

Many eCommerce brands out there are not personally started by photographers, so it can be difficult to understand all that goes into the process and why the quality of professionals is significant. The photography itself requires a set, professional equipment, the perfect lighting color balancing, styling, props, and experience. Relying on lines, set, depth of field, lighting, shadows, and their retouching expertise, are required to create one image of a product. An experienced photographer, who understands the importance of their work, can ensure that a brand’s on-white images help craft a brand unique to its brand identity and its selling goals.

On the surface, quality matters for visual appeal and brand identity, however, return rates are greatly affected by the photographer and studio behind the work. Poor photo quality is one of the most frequent critiques of Etsy shops, Amazon companies, or eCommerce brands. Issues such as inconsistency of images, incorrect product colors, or underwhelming quality can lead to skepticism and disinterest from a potential customer.

70% of online shoppers surveyed in 2020, said that the quality and aesthetic of a product image greatly impact their buying decision (mdga Advertising, 2020)., and that number has been steadily increasing. With the rise of online shopping and technological advancements in the photo world, consumers rely on product photos and brand identity more than ever before. First impressions last, and knowing how significantly images grab attention, the photography that a company uses to sell their products is one of the largest influences in making a sale.

Studies across decades have shown that a customer is going to take in about 80% of what they see, compared to the 20% of what they read. So while companies may take an exuberant amount of time writing taglines, copy, or puns, photography will most likely be the most influential, deciding factor; with the increase of online-only boutiques and eCommerce brands, quality product photography catered to Amazon sellers will only continue to rise in importance.

When it comes to online selling, understanding the need for product photography can be extremely overwhelming. While there are many ways to go about a DIY photo project, a professional can take away much of that concern and effort. Allowing a professional photographer or studio to automatically create photo consistency, quantity, or variation, can help elevate a brand’s image, without bringing all of that time and pressure into a company.