6 Simple Tips for eCommerce Photography that Converts
Updated Jan 2024
I’ll avoid starting this post with the whole “a picture is worth a thousand words” schtick and just get right down to it: crap photos are killing your shop’s vibe. Images that are dark, blurry, inconsistent or make it difficult for people to see what they’re actually buying are more than just a turn off. Did you know that an estimated 22% of online purchases are returned simply because the item looks different in person than it did online? That’s a huge number but one we can easily improve upon simply by having better photos to begin with. More orders and fewer returns? Yes, please.
ECOMMERCE PHOTO TIP #1
Lighting is everything.
The best thing you can do to make your DIY photos look more professional is pay attention to the lighting. Just like none of us likes how we look when our pics turn out dark and gloomy, your products feel the same way!
Depending on the style you’re going for you could either wait around for some great natural light or invest in a few items to set up your own little photo studio. There are lots of options out there for stands, lights, backdrops and other accessories to make sure your products are shown in the best possible light.
ECOMMERCE PHOTO TIP #2
Go for clean backgrounds, or none at all.
I almost always recommend that each product have at least one image that has either a white/light background or no background at all. Photos with clean backgrounds make your shop look super modern and easy to browse, cutting down on too much visual clutter.
You can add fun photos with colored backgrounds or patterns as additional product images but the main product thumbnail almost always looks best with a very simple background. To achieve this look on your own, you will need to brush up on your Photoshop skills and pay attention to things like shadows to keep things looking professional.
ECOMMERCE PHOTO TIP #3
Keep your style consistent.
Coming up with new photoshoot ideas is great and all but remember that your product photos are all part of the bigger brand story you’re trying to tell. Keeping your style consistent can also help people identify your brand at a glance even if they interact with it on several different platforms i.e. your website, your social media + any other channels you may be selling on such as Etsy or Amazon.
You can create consistency in your photos by using the same backgrounds or scenes or by sticking to a well-defined color palette in your images.
ECOMMERCE PHOTO TIP #4
Use high-res images that are “zoom-able”.
One of the hard things about shopping online is that you miss out on the sense of touch. Without your potential customers being able to feel what they’re buying, give them the next best thing and make sure your images are high resolution and look great even when zoomed way in. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been shopping online and appreciate the ability to zoom in to really see things like fabric details or the texture of a product. So helpful!
To enable product image zoom on Squarespace: from the product details page, click EDIT > click the Pencil icon > select ZOOM from the HOVER ACTION drop down menu.
Image size tip! Even though you can upload images up to 20MB, using images that are 500KB or less will help make sure that your site loads quickly.
ECOMMERCE PHOTO TIP #5
Show the whole product from all angles.
Again, the goal of eCommerce is to give people as much information as they could get if they were shopping with you in person. One way to do this is to make sure that you have images of the front, back and sides of your product. Even better - a 360° video or spinning gif!
It’s also important (and this really should go without saying) that you show your whole product in photos! This isn’t the time to get artsy with weird cropping, either intentionally or unintentionally.
One of the most common questions I get is how to fix product images from getting cut off on Squarespace. For this, you’ll just want to make sure that your finished photos all have the same ratios. They can be square or 2:3 or whatever you want them to be, they all just need to be the same to make sure they always look as intended.
ECOMMERCE PHOTO TIP #6
Have a photo of every product variation.
Lastly, even if you think your product variations are super simple and straightforward - take a picture of each and every one of them! This is obviously important for things like color variations but are also nice for product variations that come in different sizes or flavors. For example:
Color variations - example: you sell sweatshirts available in red, blue and green. Have one main pic that shows all three together + one image for each color variation.
Size variations - example: you sell candles and offer a one pack or a three pack. Have your main image be the single candle and a secondary image that shows three candles together.
Flavor variations - example: you sell CBD gummies that come in four flavor options. Have one main pic that shows all four flavors + one image for each flavor variation.
Bonus Budget eCommerce Photography Tip
If you’re going to invest in photography, I say it’s 100% worth it to spend the money photographing your products first. You can check out this post all about how to integrate free stock images for things like website backgrounds or other non-shop pages of your website. So, if you need to, don’t feel bad about using some carefully curated stock photos to set the mood or tone for your site. Just come in strong with your stellar product photos and things will feel personalized, professional and ready to sell.
My Recommended Source for Easy eCommerce Product Photos
Let’s say your calling in life isn’t to be a photographer. What to do? Meet Soona. Finally, an easy way to get great-looking photos and take the stress out of finding and hiring a photographer you can trust. Soona calls themselves a “self-service content creation platform” and here’s how they work:
You book a virtual shoot (or in-person if you’re near LA, Seattle, Austin, Minneapolis or Denver). You can choose from their different image or video packages or just select what you need ala carte. You can add-on special things like having a hand model, full body model, or even a pet model 😻 depending on your needs.
Mail them your products.
On the day of your shoot, you join in virtually where you can interact with the crew to give real-time feedback so the photos are exactly what you’re looking for.
Once your shoot wraps, you select the photos (or videos!) that you love and the finished, ready-to-upload results are sent to you within 24 hours. Flat-rate pricing ($39 photos & $93 videos) makes it easy to stick to your budget.
Here’s what I love the most about this process: you only pay for what you love and know that you’re actually going to use… versus paying a photographer hourly for a photoshoot where you’re not even sure what the results will be for weeks, sometimes months.
Overwhelmed by choices? Check out the eCommerce Starter Pack!
p.s. All pics in this post are from Soona!
