When it comes to your website’s performance there are a number of factors that you must consider. It’s all very well investing time and money into your online marketing campaign, but if you are failing to convert ‘clicks into customers’, when they arrive, then it can be terribly frustrating.
In this article, we’re going to pay particular attention to product photography, and the impact that it can have on your conversion rates. Again, there are other factors that may influence whether or not visitors are purchasing your products or services, but product photography is particularly important. But why?
- The fact is, only 0.52% of e-commerce customers are satisfied with a single product photo. 33% prefer multiple photos, whereas 60% expect to have a 360º view of the products. Thus, product photography is incredibly valuable.
- In addition to that, approximately 22% of product returns are due to the “product looking different than it did in the photos”.
- Oh, and if you’d like to go the extra mile, know that shoppers are 85% more like to purchase a product that has a video.
So, from those statistics we can deduce that the more visual information that you can provide a potential buyer, the more likely they will be to go ahead and purchase. It all comes down to trust, and photography and videography are effective tools for establishing that.
Now, without further a due let’s look at a number of tactics that you can implement to improve the product photography on your website:
1 – Photograph all viewing angles
The most successful e-commerce websites will offer the customer the opportunity to view each product from all angles. Similarly, it’s helpful to include an image that indicates the scale of the product as well. If you can get the visitor to envision themselves using or holding the product, then they will be much more likely to convert into business.
2 – Showcase every colour, style or variation of the product
You’ll find that most e-commerce websites will offer one picture of a specific colour and then write in the product description: available in red, blue, and green. If you wish to get the best results, then it is worth showing all of these colours or variations with imagery. This is particularly important for demonstrating what type of blue or green the product might be. Some people like a chalky, pastel green, whereas others prefer a deep, rich forest green. By offering more imagery you will invariably convert more business.
3 – Include zoom functionality
This is especially important with high-quality photographs. Allow your customers the ability to look at a product from various angles, and to zoom in close to study all aspects of the product. After all, if the quality is on point then you’ll have nothing to hide. If they can see that a given product has everything that they’re after, then they will almost certainly make a purchase over a competitor website with one or two poor quality images.
pixabay.com/photos/watch-gold-blue-stone-product-4449152/
4 – Be consistent with your photography
Rather than adopt this thorough photographical approach with new products that you add, we would highly advise that you do away with the old photos and start from scratch. It’s important that all of your imagery is consistent and branded. So, ensure that you use the same or similar backgrounds (which can vary depending on product type), and that you supply the same angles and variations. Consistency provides customers with a safe and “reliable” feeling.
5 – Endeavour to hire a professional photographer
The difference between a photograph taken by an amateur with their mobile phone, compared to a professional photographer with state-of-the-art equipment is irrefutable. If you wish for your products to look their best, then you should hire someone who is fit for the job. This will make a huge difference in the long run.
6 – Use social media content to your advantage
Keep an eye on social media and see who is using your products and whether they are sharing images of themselves using said products. Let’s say for example that you sell mountain bikes or hiking equipment: look for quality imagery shared by your followers and customers and ask if they would be happy for you to use those images on your product pages. That way, potential buyers will be able to see the prospective products in action.
7 – Pay close attention to file sizing and the effects that it has on site performance
Refrain from posting unnecessarily large images on your website. This is where hiring a professional photographer can come in particularly handy as they will be able to provide you with high-quality imagery at conveniently low sizes. Otherwise, you may find that your website and page loading times begin to struggle as you put more and more imagery on to the site. The same applies to videos as well. If you’re going for it, make sure that your hosting agreement can handle it.
8 – Brush up on imagery SEO
Don’t simply bung a photo up onto the website without studying image SEO (adding any meta data or text to let Google know precisely what it is). This is also valuable for the visually impaired who may not be able to make out the various details of a photo very clearly and will rely on meta text. The same applies to adding captions to your photos, you must consider carefully.
9 – Always ensure that you have the rights to a photo
If you haven’t taken the photograph yourself, be certain that you have the rights to use them. Too often do people go ahead and use an image without ensuring that it is indeed free to use commercially. A lot of the time you can get away with it, but on the off chance, it may end up costing you more than you bargained for.
10 – Seriously consider 360º viewing options
As mentioned at the beginning, 60% of online shoppers want to see 360º viewing options. Thus, you should seriously consider investing in premium photography services to get high-resolution imagery for your visitors to explore in-depth.
Conclusion
Of course, imagery photography is just one aspect of what might influence your website’s overall performance. Other things to explore are page loading time, the content in your product descriptions and something as seemingly insignificant as the size and placement of the “add to cart” buttons.
If you’re struggling with conversions and want to ascertain why your website is not performing as well as your competitors, then please do not hesitate to contact us today. As a full-service digital marketing agency, we are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways of bolstering brand awareness and converting more clicks into customers.