The role of a good product image

Product texts are important for visibility in search engines; they provide visitors to your website with facts and reasons to buy. But what images are needed to convince a potential buyer of a product and persuade them to place an order?

Online shops cannot put the products in your customers' hands so that they can try them out for themselves, view them from all sides, disassemble them if necessary and get as comprehensive an impression as possible. They are dependent on informative texts and images. No product benefits should be forgotten, but no false hopes should be raised either.

"Symbol photo"? Better not!

Under certain circumstances, you can do without a product photo if you are selling an item whose quality and delivery status is already fully evident from the product name and text. For example, if you want to sell a well-known branded item that is only available in exactly one variant and you only offer new goods in their original packaging. Shops with a rapidly changing product range can also sometimes dispense with a separate product photo for smaller batches if the text contains all the information relevant to the purchase. Nevertheless, the impulse to buy is naturally increased if your customer can view the item of choice in all its splendour and detail.

Under no circumstances, however, should you use images that leave any doubt about the scope of the product or its possible uses or that deviate in any way from the item actually on offer. Experience has shown that labelling with the alibi word "symbol photo" does not compensate for any discrepancy from the customer's point of view, which may be explained in detail in the product text, and can also cause you legal problems, as numerous relevant judgements have shown: Some customers may only skim the long text and be so disappointed with the item actually delivered that they never buy from you again and then express their displeasure on various social media, rating platforms or directly on your review page or even contact a lawyer.

From duty to freestyle

If the manufacturer provides you with good, high-resolution product images, you've already made a good start. But you should never rest on your laurels. After all, you may then find yourself in a competition that is solely based on price. This is because your competitors may also have these photos and can draw from the manufacturer's text pool. As with an informative and convincing text, you can put your technical expertise to good use and increase your customers' loyalty by taking the trouble to use additional photos, illustrations with application examples, videos or similar. These are also ideal for accompanying measures and interacting with your customers on image-focussed social media such as Pinterest and Instagram.

If you don't have any photos available yet, you should skip the compulsory part (manufacturer photos) and get straight to the optional part (your own and customer photos).
Depending on the industry, there are various options available to you. The following applies when hiring a professional for the basic stock of your own photos: Product images should not only emphasise the items thematically, but should also be well-lit and in focus. You can illustrate the different areas of use, variations and additional benefits to your visitors by showing articles in action (ideally with an expert known in the specific product niche), depicting them in extreme environmental or weather conditions and, in any case, highlighting all available colour versions and product details. In case of doubt, this is also possible with image editing, but real "photos" are of course better.

Video or 3D? Gladly both!

3D views are also becoming increasingly widespread and no longer cost the earth. In the case of photo and video products, sample images and films that answer many questions for visitors to your online shop in advance are of course ideal.

In the case of fashion items, photos on an atmospheric background have established themselves alongside model images, distracting shoppers from the idea that this particular item only looks good on professional mannequins. you might also consider consciously focussing on models "like you and me" to increase your authenticity.

If you have any further questions about increasing sales in online shops, we will of course be happy to help!

In the next blog post, entitled "Understanding and living retail holistically", we will address the question of how you can resolve the (only supposed) contradictions between online and offline retail through a holistic focus on customer benefit. With this "meta" approach, you no longer have to direct the customer to the channels that correspond to your previous business model, but are always on hand when the customer has a concern, a purchase intention or a question. You no longer act like a rabbit rushing back and forth between the various points of sale; as a hedgehog, you can prepare for the customer's arrival and win them over as a loyal customer and brand ambassador with the services they need.