Although not always worth a thousand words, the picture is an indispensable part of successful online trading. Product photography has developed and specialized significantly in recent years - here is a small guide for online retailers to customer-oriented product photos.
Although a product photo has to be a straightforward, emotionless representation of the item, there are various ways to consciously and subconsciously lead the customer to your product and to positively influence the purchase decision. A multitude of specialized display variants allows you to present your articles in the online shop in a meaningful way. First a brief overview of the most common display methods:
The article is photographed in the packaging (hence the name) or unpacked without any additional accessories or decoration against a white background. The customer sees the article from the best / most sensible side - but other views are hidden from a single image. Further views or detailed images of an article deepen the insight, the customer ideally recognizes all the possibilities of the product.
The most common representation for single items. There's no doubt that boring product photos can often be made more interesting with image effects such as mirroring, casting shadows, or rotating.
In contrast to panoramic photography (a 360-degree panorama is created around the rotating camera), in 360 Product photography, a 360-degree representation is a product that can be rotated around, but only in one plane of view. The customer can rotate the article around this level and get a detailed impression. An HTML5 animation is generated from 24, 36, or 72 individual images, which is larger and a little more complex to implement in the shop than individual photos. More suitable for high-priced items.
Extension of the 360-degree display. The all-round views are photographed on several levels, ideally, the customer can turn and display the product from ALL sides (front-back, top-bottom). Even more complex and costly than 360 degrees, not suitable for all articles.
The special term for fashion. The goods (jackets, pants, etc.) are laid flat and photographed from above. Textiles can be displayed quickly and attractively through draping and laying-out.
Likewise, fashion acts as an invisible person. The garment has a very spatial effect thanks to special dolls and/or several subsequently assembled recordings. The customer is not distracted by a model or doll, the “invisible” effect generates subconscious attention. Elaborate, but effective spatial representation.
Choosing the right display depends on the product in question, the online shop (requirements and design) and the photo budget. While packshots and laid goods are inexpensive to produce, the other variants are more complex and expensive. The higher quality (and more expensive) your articles are, the more sensible it is to invest in the photo budget. But even with hundreds of low-priced items, a specialized photo studio can offer an efficient workflow at low prices in order to depict all items equally well and still cost-effectively.
Do not confuse pure product photos for the presentation of articles with mood images that are used for header and banner images or category photos. Mood pictures (image pictures) should convey a feeling (high quality, quality, material value) for the brand. Category images for easy navigation in the online shop should be planned and produced separately and represent an item category in a way that is easy to understand.
Image pictures border more on classic advertising photography and require complex productions. Emotions or ambiance should be conveyed, this requires coordinated surroundings and suitable decorative elements, the price range is significantly higher than for pure product images.
Product photography is becoming more and more perfect, efficient, and impressive. With a few tricks, you can show the customer meaningful product images, captivate the subconscious with eye-catchers, and at the same time comply with all specifications of the online platforms or the features of the in-house online shop.
A consistently planned, efficiently implemented photo concept should form the basis for this. Perfect SEO optimization, precise product descriptions, and the best pricing can be destroyed by bad images. If, however, you optimize your visual language as well as the other areas, you will lead your customers to the conclusion of a purchase and outperform the competition!