Provide A Better Experience With Your E-commerce Product Imagery

I spotted this Tweet the other day and it made me chuckle a lot.

Whether real or for comedy value, it got me thinking about the product images Ecommerce websites use, and how important the choice of product photography can be for:

• User experience
• Increasing sales
• Reducing returns
• Reducing visits without transaction
• Improving reviews

The Issues With Inadequate Images

I’ve lost count of the number of times a friend (definitely not me…) has bought something, and when it has arrived it has differed wildly from expectation. Usually resulting in a return or a negative review.

Now in many of these cases issues could have been avoided if product descriptions had been read properly. But sometimes these are also lacking (a rant for another occasion). In most cases, people simply skim product descriptions, making their decisions based primarily on photos. If those photos are dishonest, misleading, or lacking useful contextual information, this can lead to the issues mentioned above.

Added to this, there are all the potential transactions lost to inadequate imagery (and again, descriptions). I cannot tell you how many times I’ve left a website without purchasing something I was interested in, as photos haven’t given me enough information. Yet good imagery can portray a lot of information which a product description can’t.

What Images Can Provide

It goes without saying that it depends on the product. A dress displayed in a living room set up is about as useful as a sofa wedged on top of a clothes mannequin. 

What is important (and doesn’t preclude you from also having nice arty product shots) is contextual information.

Lets looks at some things good images can do more effectively than a simple product description:

• Lifestyle – Show your products in settings that shows them off at their best, making them eye catching and desirable. For example, if you’re selling a tv unit, picture it in a fashionably dressed living room setting. Think of fashion magazine spreads.

• In situ – Show your products in an appropriate setting. A sofa in a living room, a framed print on a wall, a pair of shoes on a person and styled with clothing. It helps users picture that product in their own setting, or in the shoe example, whether they would look right with a particular outfit.

• Texture – Show the textures of the product clearly. It can be hard to describe texture effectively, and without good quality close up images, texture or a subtle pattern might not show. This could lead to disappointment on delivery of the product and lead to a return or a negative review.

• Fit – Show a garment on an actual human body, not hangers or mannequins. This will give users an idea of how a garment actually sits or falls. Whether the fabric clings or is sheer. What sort of length they can expect. If it will look too short when seated. If possible, show items on a range of body types, or share the models size and height for context.

• Size & proportion – Measurements should always be provided in the description, but they can also be combined with imagery. Simple length, height and depth indicators can be applied where useful. If an item is chunky, tall, long, or very slim, this can also be demonstrated by picturing it with other items for context.

• Compatibility – If your item has plugs, cables, inputs, consumables etc, show these in your images to give useful information in an easily digested format. A user can easily determine if it is compatible with their needs, without trawling through long specifications.

• Usage – Show an item in use, so a potential buyer can get a feel for whether it will work for them. User generated content can be great for this, giving real world examples. This type of image can be very persuasive. Also, don’t forget videos. They can convey a great deal of information in just a short clip.

What Do Good Product Images Look Like?

Now let’s take a look at some great examples from various websites, which present products in really effective ways.

ASOS

ASOS get used in a lot of examples of getting things right online. They really understand UX, and are constantly improving the experience for their users. They are great at not only providing photos of clothing on models of different shapes and sizes, but they also frequently provide short videos. These provide users can with a better idea of fit and how the garment hangs on a real body in motion.

Killstar

Alternative clothing brand Killstar are another company good at showing clothing on models of differing sizes and body types. They also show what size the model is wearing in their images, and frequently include customer photos from Instragram.

MADE

MADE are very good at presenting their furniture in multiple ways. Most items have a standard white background image, a 360 degree video, and a lifestyle photo of the furniture in context. Like this sofa pictured in a living room setup.

Ikea

Ikea always offer a good range of photos from various angels and with differing backgrounds. They are also great at including lifestyle photos in attractively styled rooms, and customer photos of their items in situ, from Instagram.

Ebuyer

Ebuyer do a very good job at showing compatibility with their imagery. Really important when it comes to tech, peripherals and components. This PSU for example, clearly shows the cables you receive, and the various inputs on all sides of the power supply unit.

Lulu Bags

Lulu Bags provide a great selection of informational images covering: size, weight limitations, capacity, special features, airline suitability, fabric type and loads more. These provide you with all the information you could possibly need. This is something I’ve found lacking on most other luggage sites.

Zooplus

Zooplus are another great example of a company who provide lots of information through photos. Not only do they include a large number of product photos with close ups for texture, the product in use, colour variations, etc. For a long time, they have also been great at encouraging and sharing customer photos too. These by far have been the most effective in making a decision when I have shopped with them.

What About Bad Images?

Now I’m not going to share bad examples in this post, as I don’t want to drag companies through the mud. We’ve all come across them though. Weird photoshopped images, blurry images, images that give no clue about size or proportions. Photos with no contextual information, or so much going on that you can’t see the product well.

But as you can see from the good examples above, there are numerous ways to do more with you product imagery. This is in the best interests of your customers, and your business. Just remember that with any imagery, make sure you optimise it for speed, for search and for accessibility.

If you’re planning a website redesign (whether e-commerce or not) don’t forget to factor in imagery. Quality photography can have an enormous impact, and should never be an afterthought. Don’t be left scrambling through cheesy stock photos of people laughing at salad.