Product Photography: How to Boost Online Sales

While local shops and warehouses reap the benefits of live, face-to-face sales interaction, the new world of online commerce has all but taken over the retail industry, making the sale of goods faster and easier than ever before – without all the traffic or hustle and bustle. Online shopping is not a new concept – businesses have been selling products and services via Internet for several years. However, the methods by which these businesses are increasing sales and brand recognition are always changing, and a very simple concept is often overlooked when it comes to improving online marketing campaigns.

Today’s world wide web is becoming more and more visual and, quite simply, if you don’t have a great photograph of your product, you aren’t going to sell anything on the Internet. If your product has a bad photograph or thumbnail image, it’s not likely to attract any shoppers or receive any curious clicks. A good image can make or break a sale on the Internet. Here are a few easy tips to make sure your product photography is top-notch, and you aren’t losing sales due to poor photos.

1. You don’t have to use the flash.
If you’re using natural light, turn off the flash feature on your camera. Glare on your product is almost always caused by flash, and will make your photograph look unprofessional, and give your product a low-quality look. Your customers will likely lose confidence in you as a professional vendor, and you’ll lose the sale – just like that. Take your photos in the daytime to take advantage of natural light, and turn out all other harsh lights in the room. Take your product photos in soft, diffused light, by a window or doorway.

2. Remove anything that might distract your customer’s eyes away from the product.
Make sure there are no distracting elements in the shot. Remove anything from the photograph that doesn’t contribute to the overall concept or tone of the image as a whole. Clean up any mess or clutter, and make sure your background isn’t too busy. Don’t add “creative” elements just for the sake of creativity. The cleaner the shot, the more professional it will look. Make your customer focus on the product, not its surroundings.

3. Set the stage for your product.
Remember to utilize simple staging when photographing your product; place your product on a sheet of plain fabric or paper for the simplest look. Add a small, complimentary pattern to give your shot some color without making it too busy. You don’t want to distract from your product, but you want the image to stand out among other images on the web.

4. Remember to utilize depth of field to highlight product detail.
A lower aperture creates a shallow depth of field, which can highlight the best details of your product and make it seem really special. The tiniest details can make a world of difference when it comes to product photography – especially on the web. Your customers aren’t able to touch or handle your product, so you should give them as much physical detail as possible.

These photography tips can help make your product photos stand out from the crowd and help your business generate more sales online. If you have questions about product photography, or would like a professional photographer to capture the best high-quality images of your product, contact the experts at In Focus Studios.