Do you know the old saying: “A picture is worth 1000 words”? Well, in the age of ecommerce that adage seems to understate the real value of images. Many studies prove that online stores using images correctly can actually increase revenue! If this sounds good to you, let’s explore it further.
High Quality Images
We all have experienced navigating through online stores where the product images were so poor that it was hard not to assume that that quality of the product was as poor as the images, because that is the message the website is sending.
When you prepare your products for shooting make sure to keep the scenario uncluttered and use appropriate lighting. Always capture the products in high resolution as you can always convert them to smaller resolution later, never the opposite.
Resolution
Which brings us to the next topic,resolution. The rule of thumb for web images used to be 72dpi (or pixels per inch), however with the latest high resolution screen fever publicized by tech companies ranging from TV to smartphones, that number may be considered low for some screens. This is why it is important to tailor your graphics to your audience. By checking your website traffic data (i.e. Google Analytics) you can easily see what kind of device and resolution is popular among your visitors, then you can adapt your content for them.
Alternate views
Nowadays buyers are more interested in experiencing the products. Usually we want to touch and try before we buy. With online stores this can be more difficult (aka very expensive) to provide for your customers. However you can give them different image views of your products. Showing them in different angles, zoom levels and within context. This way users can have a shopping experience that is more close to what they are used to in stores.
Consistency
Last but not least, make sure you keep your product images consistent. This will help users make comparisons between products and it also sends a message to visitors that your store is organized, earning you a few extra points on your branding as well. Win, win!
More resources on this topic:
- http://completeusability.com/product-image-best-practices-part-1/
- http://completeusability.com/product-image-best-practices-part-2/
- http://www.nngroup.com/articles/photos-as-web-content/
- http://usableworld.com.au/2009/03/16/you-look-where-they-look/
- http://thinkeyetracking.com/2009/06/cuing-customers-to-look-at-your-key-messages/
Side note: None of the images above are actual product images, they are just being use to illustrate the point.