Is it possible to make the perfect product listing? While it sounds like a pipe dream even to the most experienced entrepreneurs, it’s highly attainable. After adding an appealing product name and an alluring description, what else would complete the ultimate product listing set-up?
Product images are like the missing puzzle pieces to any ecommerce store. They serve as the ‘faces’ your products wear to attract potential customers. They provide the first impression visitors make, not only to a particular product but to your entire website as well.
An effective e-commerce image can enthuse web visitors to buy, thus converting them into customers. Product images can be your fast ticket to increase revenue, improving your conversion rates, and making your brand more credible and known in the online space.
However, while it may all sound simple and straightforward, that’s not always the case. Product photography is an elaborate art that could put your online business at risk when done poorly.
If you don’t want your business’ reputation going downhill due to poorly-taken product images, we have a suite of solutions here for you. We’ll provide you with useful tips to take attention-grabbing e-commerce images. And as a bonus, we’ll also teach you how to upload your images to a store builder that can guarantee entrepreneurial success in the long run.
Tips to Take Product Images
Image taken from Strikingly user website
Curious about how to make your e-commerce images stand out? Here are the best tips you can use to take product images and dominate the ecommerce market like a pro:
1. Invest in the Right Camera
Even a talented artist needs the right materials to produce a masterpiece. The right camera can make an ecommerce product image pop up and stand out. Fantastic product images are the results of great photography equipment and tools. It’s necessary not to dismiss how a camera can transform any e-commerce image.
Fortunately, due to advancements added to most flagship smartphones today, you can even use your phone to take product images. No need to invest in a top-of-the-line professional camera, especially if you’re only starting out. However, if your business tends to change product line-up many times, it’s best to invest in a high-quality camera. You can add a tripod, great camera lenses, and a green screen if you have extra cash to spend. After all, you’re investing in the quality of your product images.
2. Find the Best Source of Light
To take an e-commerce image, you have to major sources of light: natural light and studio or artificial light. Each lighting works best on certain products, but you can experiment on various lighting modes to find the best results.
For example, it’s more recommend to use natural light for food products. The streak of light is stronger and makes food more appetizing and real. On the other hand, if you’re selling small items like accessories on your clothes website, studio lights are better. This is because it’s better to shoot small items indoors, and natural light explodes when enclosed in a tight space.
3. Concentrate on Small Yet Crucial Details
Small details make the biggest difference. In taking product images, you need to find certain parts to focus on, especially when they’re integral to the product’s aesthetic or function.
To illustrate, if you’re running an electronics store, focus on the sleek design by emphasizing the thin bezels or the glass screen. Use another phone as a size comparison if necessary. Some products like rings also rely on well-detailed ecommerce images.
4. Set an Appropriate Background
The background provides the contrast to make your product images shine. You must choose wisely to avoid using a background that takes the attention away from the main product.
The background must always complement the primary product. For example, if you’re selling or renting cars, most car photography techniques recommend choosing a background that turns the vehicle into a star. You don’t want to capture unnecessary details in the background. It has to be clean and good enough to provide context of the setting.
5. Use the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds allows better composition for your product images. This is a basic technique in product photography that you can apply across a wide range of products. Just make sure to get a camera that has a ‘View Grid’ selection to use this photography rule.
6. Take Shots of the Product in Use
Taking e-commerce images while they’re in use is a great way to demonstrate its function. It also provides the customer with an idea of how to use the product and its dimension.
If you’re selling decorative pieces, take picture of them arranged in a living room or any home space. If you’re selling clothes, hire a model to wear them. If you’re selling vacuum cleaners, find a spot where the product can be seen in action.
7. Refrain from Manipulating the Product Size
It’s true the product photography is one thin line away from creating an illusion. But if there’s one thing you must avoid, it’s using deceiving photographs. You may have encountered product images that make it look as if the product is bigger than expected. This is where things can become complicated. What you want is an e-commerce image that highlights the products accurate size, color, and dimensions.
8. Use Additional Props
You can make your product images even more appealing by adding certain props to make the product stand out. And if your products can stand out, more people will buy what you offer, leading to a good profit margin and brand awareness.
Props add more fun to your product images. Every single ecommerce product image you take must look unique and excellent. Using props can add that distinction and appeal to an image.
9. Keep Multiple Shot at Various Angles
When you create a product listing, you don’t just add one image; you add multiple product images. And all these images must not be the same.
You can take shots of the product at various angles so the customers can see a full view of the product. For example, if you’re selling bags, you can take shots of the bag exterior, its handles, and metal hardware if any. You can also take pictures of the inside pockets and the threads used to keep the back together.
10. Edit Product Images
The final step in taking product images is collecting them for editing. Adding a few photo effects can give each image a lift. You can edit the contrast, adjust saturation, or change the image's temperature. Just make sure that you'll edit each image based on your business's branding style.
Uploading Product Images to Your Ecommerce Website
Strikingly is a free website builder that allows you to make websites in just under a couple of minutes. You can also use this amazing website builder to make an ecommerce website and start selling online. Take a look at the steps below to upload product images:
• Adding a Simple Store
Image taken from Strikingly product
Once you’ve created your free account, go to your dashboard and create a new site. This will allow you to choose a template that you want to use.
After that, you can go to your editor, which would look like the image posted above. Then select “ Add New Section”, and choose “Simple Store”. This online store would serve as the main channel where you’ll sell your products. It’s also where your patrons can see your product images, Take some time to edit the style and structure of your store.
• Adding Products to Your Store
Image taken from Strikingly product
Before you can add e-commerce images, you must first add your products. You can import products from CSV or add each product manually. As you can see in the image above, you must add the product’s name, description, type, category, price, and stock number. Make sure that each field is duly completed.
After that, hover your mouse over the “Upload Image” enclosed in the gray square with icon images. This is where you can start uploading product images.
• Uploading Product Images
Image taken from Strikingly product
Once you click “Upload Image”, you’ll see the prompt as displayed in the image above. You have four options to add product images. You can upload a file from your computer, use the Strikingly library, or choose a picture from your upload images.
Strikingly’s drag and drop feature allows you to seamlessly add products to your ecommerce website. If you want, you can also add videos showing demonstrations of how to use each product. Before uploading product images, you can also use a couple of photoshop tips and tricks to make each image more attractive.
Product images are essential to an ecommerce website. An e-commerce website can help establish trust and appeal among your target audience. As long as you use the proper techniques in taking product images, you can be successful in product photography. With Strikingly, uploading product images is easy. Make sure to create your Strikingly account and create an ecommerce shop that boasts stunning product images.
