E-Commerce Photography – Numbers can’t lie…

Not investing in professional product photography is like buying a Bugatti and putting a Vauxhall engine inside… I don’t claim to know a lot about cars but even I know that’s a bad idea!

Before launching any online marketing campaign, you MUST hire a professional photographer to take your E-Commerce imagery, whether it’s jewellery, fashion, or product, the outcome is the same, if you have hired a good, professional photographer your conversion rates (The number of viewers that press the “buy now” button) will soar.

Here’s just a few stats to prove I’m not just reeling off a sales pitch!

65% of the population are visual learners, this means that photos have a far greater impact than words. And studies suggest that all individuals can recall 80% of what they see, vs 20% of what the read. Huge!

75% of online consumers rely on a photo to help them decide on their purchase… do you think your own photography skills will stand out in the crowd, or against your competitor who has spent some their budget on photography? If yes, great, good for you! And carry on, but it does seem too high a number to simply “wing it”.

In all honesty, I’m surprised that that figure isn’t higher… who buys something based on the description? If you are not instore touching, feeling the product – the next best thing is a picture – showing multiple angles…and if there is a video too? Winning!

With 22% of all online purchases are returned, heavily for the reason “They don’t look like the picture on your website” Having good quality professional photographs will help to eliminate this reason for return – and drive that stat down.

Not only should your website contain quality images, but your social media channels should follow suit. Good quality images are 40 times more likely to be re-shared on social media than other content…meaning there’s a possibility of going viral- for the right reasons!

What’s more, is that images containing humans, evoke an emotional response within consumers, leading them to use less logic and more emotion in purchasing. A high emotional response can be achieved using lifestyle images- seeing someone using the product/wearing the product/showing you how you can feel! Tapping into that emotional connection is key.

Numbers… clever eh?

Casey Donne
Marketing & Production Manager
Flat Frog Studios