eCommerce Photography Best Practices for High Conversions

Having the right product photography can significantly impact your bottom line. Research shows that 93% of customers are more likely to convert when presented with high-quality product images. But what should your photos look like, and how can you ensure they are optimized for maximum conversions?

To help you boost your e-commerce sales, we have compiled a guide of tried and tested eCommerce photography best practices.

What Types of eCommerce Photography Are There?

Several types of eCommerce product photography can help your online store stand out. Here are three of the major ones you should know about:

Product-only Image

Product only-images are the most popular type of e-commerce photography widely used on online stores such as Amazon, Aliexpress, Walmart, and more. They are simple images that feature the product from all angles, usually with a white background. This type of photography is ideal for customers to get a clear view of the product from all angles.

Lifestyle Images

Lifestyle images show customers how the product is used in a real-world context. This type of photography often includes models using the product, allowing customers to get an idea of what the product or service looks like when used in everyday situations.

Flat-Lay Images

The flat-lay style of eCommerce photography is quickly becoming popular with online stores. It involves taking a photo of the product from above, strategically arranged on a surface that’s been decorated to match the product. This type of photography is great for highlighting the details and features of a product, as well as creating an aesthetically pleasing image that catches the eye of potential customers.

Why Should You Bother To Take Good Photos?

Imagine going into a retail outlet without an authentic representation of the product you want to buy. Online shopping is much harder for customers to rely on since they can not physically feel the product.

Here are several reasons why you should take good product photos:

Quality photos can help your customers better understand the product and purchase. This can lead to more sales for your e-commerce store.
Good quality photos give your online store a professional look, which can help establish trust with potential customers.
Taking quality photos of your products helps maintain consistency across all the images on your website, which improves customer experience and engagement.
High-quality product images also provide insight into how you care about your brand and value its reputation, making them more likely to purchase from you in the future.
Professional-looking product images are also more likely to be shared on social media, helping to increase brand awareness and attract more customers.
Quality photos also help your ranking on search engines, as they are indexed by search algorithms and can help your page rank higher for relevant queries.
Quality product images help create a memorable online shopping experience for your customers, which can help increase customer loyalty. This can lead to repeat sales and more success for your e-commerce store.

What Equipment Do You Need?

The tools you may need for product photography can vary from product to product, but here are the common ones every photographer requires:

Camera: A basic e-commerce product photography setup begins with a camera. A digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) is ideal for product photography, but you can also use a smartphone or a point-and-shoot camera.
Tripod: A tripod will help keep the camera steady and ensure the image won't be blurry.
Lighting: For lighting, you can use natural light from a window, but it's only sometimes ideal since it tends to change throughout the day. Investing in at least one external light source, such as studio lights or LED panels, is recommended for consistent lighting on your product.
Backdrop: You'll also need a backdrop for the images. You can use a simple white or black sheet of paper, a background board, or even a seamless paper roll.
Light Tent: A light tent is an excellent tool for capturing even lighting on your product images. It's usually a fabric cube with several layers of diffusion material that filters the light and softens shadows, helping to bring out any details in the item.
Table: You'll also need a table or flat surface to place the product on. This should be free from clutter and other items that could detract from the image.
Editing tools: Editing tools are essential to touch up your images. Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom are excellent options for product photography post-processing. You can also use photo editing apps to avoid investing in desktop software.

How To Win At eCommerce Photography

You need high-quality images representing your products to maximize your sales potential. Here are some tips on how to win at eCommerce photography.

Create A Studio Space

Creating a studio space for your eCommerce photography is essential to ensure consistent lighting, product positioning, and background. Here are some tips on creating your own studio space:

Look for a space with plenty of natural light.
Invest in a background for your product shots. This can be a white wall or a non-reflective fabric.
Set up a tripod to keep your camera steady and ensure all shots are taken from the same angle.
Use matte or non-reflective surfaces in your photography space. This will reduce the chance that any reflections will appear in the photos and distract from the product.
Invest in a light tent to help you achieve consistent lighting across all of your images.

Dress Your Set And Style Your Shots

Once you have sorted the basics of your photography space, it’s time to dress the set and style your shots. You want these images to be as attractive as possible to help persuade customers to buy. Here are some tips:

Consider the type of product you’re shooting when styling the shot.
Think about how you want to present your product, for example, on a flat surface or hanging from a rack.
Pay attention to details such as the shot's background, props, and styling.

Check out these amazing product photoshoot ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.

Test Different Lighting Styles

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of eCommerce photography. Different lighting styles can significantly impact how the product looks in the images. Different lighting styles include:

Natural lighting
Studio lighting (Butterly light, Ambient light, Backlight, Spotlight, Rim Light, Broad light, Short light, etc.).

Take More Than One Angle

It’s important to capture photos from different angles and perspectives. Taking several shots of the product from different angles can help customers better understand the product. This is especially important for products with intricate details or features that can’t be seen from one angle.

Remember To Photograph Labels Too

It’s important to remember to include the product’s labels in the images. Labels are essential for customers searching for a specific product or size. Including labels in the images can also help customers to understand more about the product, such as its composition and materials.

Take A Mixture Of Lifestyle Shots vs. Product Shots

Taking a mixture of product and lifestyle shots is a good idea. Lifestyle shots are images of the product used in a real-life setting and can help customers imagine themselves using it. Product shots are more focused on the product itself and should be used to highlight any special features or details.

Creating high-quality eCommerce photography is an important part of selling products online. By following these tips, you can ensure that your product shots look professional and attractive, helping to increase sales and conversions.

But high-quality photos alone can not drive your e-commerce sales. Your production descriptions should also complement the photos to persuade the customers to complete the checkout. Check these product description templates to write compelling descriptions.

Using Pixelcut To Edit

Pixelcut is a powerful yet easy-to-use photo editor that allows eCommerce professionals to quickly and accurately edit photos for their online store. With its intuitive user interface, Pixelcut makes it simple to upscale images without losing resolution, color-correct photos, and remove backgrounds, so they look their best on your website.

Here are three must-use tools on Pixelcut every photographer should use to produce high-quality photos for e-commerce.

Image Upscaler

Pixelcut’s Image Upscaler tool allows you to enlarge images without compromising quality. This is especially useful if you want to create higher-resolution images for your eCommerce website, as it can reduce graininess and artifacts.

Background Remover

Improper backgrounds can be disturbing and take the product's impact away. Pixelcut's Background Remover makes removing unwanted elements from photos easy while keeping the product focused. This tool is handy for creating clean and sleek product images for your eCommerce site.

Key Takeaways

Creating high-quality eCommerce photography is an essential part of selling products online. With the right tools and techniques, you can capture stunning images that draw customers to your website. By leveraging these tips on taking better product shots, you can create beautiful visuals that help drive sales conversions for your eCommerce store.

Remember to:

Create a proper studio space to take professional photos
Test different lighting styles to make sure your product photos look their best
Remember to take multiple angles of the product and include labels in images
Capture a mix of lifestyle shots and product shots to give customers an idea of how the product looks in real life
Use Pixelcut’s Image Upscaler, Background Remover, and other tools to edit photos for eCommerce.

If you want to take your eCommerce photography to the next level, try Pixelcut today and see how its powerful image editing tools can make your product photos look their best. Sign up now and start creating stunning photos for your e-commerce store.