In a world where “window shopping” occurs more often in browser windows than on main streets, high-quality product photography is no longer just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. The importance of product photography for online businesses is directly tied to their success because websites, social media accounts, and digital advertisements are all driven by visual-first content meant to catch the eyes of scrollers and screen readers. So, how do we stop a scroll, capture attention, and open wallets with product photography? In this article, we’ll cover:
- The power of product photography
- Working with talent to elevate your visual storytelling
- Utilizing AI to enhance your product photos
- Virtual try-on and augmented reality
- Enhanced search and discovery
- Product photography for Amazon listings
- Investing in professional product photography
- How Nogin can take your brand’s photography to the next level
Show, Don’t Tell: The Power of Visual Storytelling
Consider this: a potential customer lands on your website, searching for a pair of sleek, minimalist sneakers. The product descriptions may provide the necessary details, but it is the product images that truly showcase the essence of those sneakers. Visual storytelling is at the heart of selling products online. Anecdotally, most of us understand this concept. But there are also staggering statistics that back the importance of product photography, and in order for any brand to succeed, it must grasp the prevalence of these numbers.
- 75% of online shoppers rely on product photos to make purchasing decisions.
- High-quality product photos have a 94% higher conversion rate than low-quality photos.
- 22% of returns are due to the product looking different in person (source).
Beyond showcasing your products, engaging product photography is crucial for customer journey optimization, as it establishes a connection with your customers. High-quality visuals create an emotional appeal that encourages customers to perceive and interact with your brand, guiding them smoothly through the purchasing process.
Working with talent to elevate your visual storytelling
Beyond static product shots, incorporating talent into your ecommerce photography can breathe life into your brand narrative. Whether it’s models showcasing apparel or influencers embodying the lifestyle associated with your products, collaborating with talent adds a human touch that can make the difference between a purchase and a passive encounter. Here are a few tips if you’re considering hiring talent to coordinate a photoshoot for your brand:
- Choose models whose appearance and style resonate with your target audience. When you do this, you’ll automatically create a connection between the product you’re selling and the message you’re sending to shoppers.
- Collaboration with a stylist can add an extra layer of creativity and professionality to your product photography. Stylists can enhance the overall visual appeal by arranging products in an aesthetically pleasing manner, selecting complementary props, and ensuring that the imagery aligns with current design trends.
- After the photoshoot, work closely with the talent to select the best images. Provide constructive feedback and make necessary adjustments to ensure that the final product aligns with your brand’s image and messaging. (For more on this, read: How to prepare for a photo shoot).
By strategically collaborating with talented individuals, you can create visually stunning product photography that sets your e-commerce store apart. Investing in professional photography with talent enhances your brand’s credibility, engages customers, and ultimately contributes to increased sales and customer loyalty. At the same time, it’s also important to increase transparency and credibility by showcasing your products in the “real world” through sponsors and social media influencers.
You can read more on celebrity collaborations in this article.
Utilizing AI to enhance your product photos
As technology advances, AI is becoming a surprisingly prevalent and powerful force for optimizing and enhancing a brand’s visual storytelling. In fact, AI has already created the same number of images as photographers have taken in 150 years. One of the most significant contributions of AI to product photography is its ability to automate image editing and enhancement. AI-powered tools can analyze product images and automatically adjust factors such as brightness, contrast, and color balance to create visually appealing and consistent photographs. This not only saves time for photographers but also ensures a cohesive and professional look across an e-commerce platform.
Automated enhancement goes beyond basic adjustments; AI algorithms can recognize and remove imperfections, shadows, or unwanted background elements, resulting in clean and polished product images. This level of automation allows businesses to maintain a high standard of visual content without the need for extensive manual editing. Furthermore, focusing on e-commerce image optimization can enhance the loading speed and overall performance of your product images, improving user experience and search rankings.
Virtual try-on and augmented reality
AI is also making waves in the realm of virtual try-on experiences and augmented reality. By leveraging AI algorithms, e-commerce platforms can offer customers the ability to virtually try on products such as clothing, accessories, or even furniture. This not only enhances the online shopping experience but also reduces the likelihood of returns by allowing customers to visualize how a product will look in their real-world environment.
Enhanced Search and Discovery
AI-powered image recognition is transforming the way customers search for products online. Visual search capabilities enable users to upload an image or use a photo to find similar products within a catalog. AI algorithms analyze visual features, such as shapes, colors, and patterns, to deliver accurate search results.
In the context of product photography, this means that businesses can optimize their images for better discoverability. By ensuring that product images are easily recognizable and searchable, companies can leverage AI-driven search functionalities to enhance the visibility of their products and streamline the customer’s journey from discovery to purchase.
Product photography for Amazon listings
It’s no surprise that Amazon recognizes the significance of compelling visuals and even has specific image requirements to ensure a consistent and positive shopping experience for customers. If you have, or are considering getting, listings on Amazon, product photography is a bit more nuanced. Here are the factors you need to consider:
Meeting Amazon’s image guidelines
When creating product images for your Amazon listings, it’s essential to adhere to the platform’s guidelines. These guidelines include specifications for image size, background color, and the number of images required. (For example, they recommend six product photos and one video).
Leveraging enhanced brand content
For brand-registered sellers, Amazon offers the option of Enhanced Brand Content (EBC). This feature allows businesses to showcase their products using enhanced visuals, including custom images, text placements, and multimedia elements (source). EBC provides an opportunity to tell a compelling brand story, engage customers visually, and differentiate your products from competitors.
A/B Testing for Visual Optimization
A/B testing, or split testing, can be a powerful tool to assess the effectiveness of different visual elements. Amazon’s “Manage Your Experiments” allows brands to run split testing on product images, which can be a huge advantage for anyone who is unsure of which images to display.
Investing in professional product photography
Professional product photography with talent is a significant investment that, when done right, will pay off. While DIY photography offers a cost-effective solution, it’s essential to evaluate whether certain products or situations may benefit from professional expertise. Most of the time, DIY-ing your product photos can actually cost more than the investment of professionally-done product photography.
Here are a few key reasons why:
- Quality Matters: Professional photographers have the expertise, equipment, and skills to capture high-quality images. DIY photos may lack the professional touch, resulting in lower-quality images that can deter potential customers.
- Time is Money: DIY photography can be time-consuming, especially if you’re not experienced. Time spent on DIY photography could be used more effectively to focus on other aspects of your business, ultimately costing you in terms of lost productivity.
- Equipment Costs: Investing in the right photography equipment, such as cameras, lighting, and backgrounds, can be expensive. Professionals already have access to the necessary equipment, saving you the upfront costs.
- Image Editing: Editing and retouching are crucial for creating polished product images. Photo editing professionals, like the ones at Nogin, are skilled in post-processing, ensuring your photos look their best. DIY editing software and learning curves can add additional expenses.
- Consistency: Maintaining a consistent look across all product photos is essential for branding. Professionals can ensure consistency in style, lighting, and composition, while DIY attempts may result in inconsistencies that harm your brand’s image.
- Re-Shoots: If DIY photos don’t meet your standards, you may need to reshoot, which means investing more time and effort. Professionals (especially the ones here at Nogin Studio) aim for perfection from the start, reducing the need for costly reshoots.
- Lost Sales: Poor-quality or out-of-touch photos can lead to lost sales. Customers make purchasing decisions largely based on product images, so investing in professional photography can help you secure more sales.
Consider outsourcing photography for key product launches, high-ticket items, or situations where specialized skills are required.
Elevate your brand’s product photography approach with Nogin
Nogin understands that the collaboration between talent and brand is an art form. From casting and production to creative photography and videography, our team draws from cumulative decades of experience to help you surpass brand goals. We’ll pinpoint your needs and produce first-rate content, with minimal stress and maximum impact. To see our work in action, you can view Nogin’s lifestyle photography and flat lay photography here.
To view our photography services and see how we can help your brand succeed in 2024 with cutting-edge photography, visit our studio page.
