A Complete Guide to E-commerce Photography that Converts: Part 1

They say beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, in the product world however, there’s a common consensus as to what is beautiful based on packaging and imagery. No guesswork there, subjectivity, though cannot be negated, is often left to the side lines. That is why this article is important for business owners, especially those who sell products. Through this article, we will share with you a comprehensive guide to e-commerce photography for your business. It will empower you to get the right imagery so as to get your products noticed.

Before we continue, however, we are really pleased to share that this is the first article in a series of 3 articles that we will be sharing. For the next two articles, we shall be sharing interviews after sitting down with 2 e-commerce entrepreneurs from Carpockets and Tidy. They will be sharing their approach to capturing good e-commerce photos that have helped them in their businesses. This plus any other tips they may have for other e commerce entrepreneurs. So keep following our social media pages to see when we next share the next articles. You can also share any questions you may want us to ask these entrepreneurs in the comments below.

If you are a manufacturer, or entrepreneur who sells products then you have probably encountered the need for good e-commerce photography for your marketing. Good photography for E commerce cannot be overlooked. It may mean the decision to buy or not. Have you ever made an impulse purchase just because the packaging and presentation of the product looks good? Well we have done it, just trying to experience whether the product is as good as it looks.

You may also like: How to Get the Right Photographer For Food or Product Photos

The fast evolution of E-commerce

During the pandemic, growth of e commerce has taken a big leap. People are buying more than ever from online stores. Plus it’s not just ordering food but consumers are buying literally everything online, sorry to say, the list includes cars!

Now apart from e- commerce websites, entrepreneurs have the option of Instagram & Facebook shops. It’s a rapidly evolving world & if you’re not already selling online, you are already late. Should you be rousing from slumber, worry not, you haven’t been locked out and that’s the beauty of e commerce. Nairobi is literally exploding with online shops selling out of Instagram and delivering to their client’s doorstep. Not forgetting the behemoth Jumia and other competing business like Jiji, Sky Garden etc. We definitely can’t list them all.

Now that e commerce is growing, so is the number of ways that products are presented to customers. Content for e commerce now also includes formats like 360photography, video, 3D & even augmented reality. Let’ start from the basics though, how to get that e-commerce image that will make potential clients notice your product and not just scroll by.

Crisp clean images for your shop

A good e commerce image should be sharp & visible. Meaning the name should be well seen and the product as the client will receive it should be clear. It’s important to make sure the packaging is up to date and any important features are noticeable in the image.

Get multiple angles

It’s important to get different angles of the product especially if it has many features. So that customers can get as much information as possible regarding the product. Get images of the side and back of the product where necessary. Have you tried to shop on Jumia or Amazon and they show you multiple images of the same product? Now you know why it’s important for you as a customer.

You can also read our previous blog: Behind the Scenes; Product Photography for Kenyan Chocolate Brand, Sweet Art Creations.

Ensure there are no distractions or competing subjects

Ideally, e -commerce images will be shot on a plain white background. This while having no props or very minimal props as well as shooting one product at a time. You can definitely do a group shot if you wish to but it’s rather critical to get individual shots as well. So that when an image is uploaded to an online shop, it’s very clear to the customer which product is on sale, the correct price etc.

Detail shots

Make sure the nitty gritty is captured. Maybe you are selling a bag, it’s good to get a close up shot of the zipper, the interior of the bag and any additional pockets. These details help the customer decide when they are making the purchase decision. This especially when they are also comparing between different products.

The Future is 360⁰ photography

How about a 360⁰ rotation of your product to fully showcase how it looks like? This video produced from a series of photographs shows all angles of your product as it rotates on an x axis. The good thing about 360⁰ photography is that its attention grabbing and very interactive. Video has also grown on all social media platforms so you are more likely to get more reach and customer retention.

Different formats for different platforms

If you are on Whats app for business , Instagram shop and probably a website. Try a combination of photos and videos for the different platforms and see what works best. Start small and grow. Also, optimize the images and videos for the different platforms, for instance, for Instagram will 1080*1080 work best or 1080*1350?

We will be having a part 2 and part 3 to this article where we will interview successful e-commerce entrepreneurs from Carpockets & Tidy. Do you have any questions that you would like us to ask them? Share away in the comments below and we will include them in the next articles.