Impressing your ecommerce site visitors is one thing. But making them stay, enjoy the experience of online shopping on your site, and actually buy something is another thing altogether. And the latter is what matters a whole lot more.
Yes, many ecommerce sites are able to display high resolution, professional-looking images of their products. But even the big companies commit common mistakes that they do not realize are costing them thousands of dollars in sales.
Stand out amongst the competition. Be different by allowing your images to communicate your message well and to improve the user experience of potential consumers significantly.
Take note of these 5 costly mistakes when it comes to using product images:
- Not Having One In-Scale Image
One big challenge of online selling is that you cannot show the actual size of the product, which makes it difficult for customers to gauge if it’s suitable for them or their needs.
However, this can be resolved by using in-scale images through creative ways. For instance, if you are selling a jacket, it would be good to show it worn by a human model. If it features a hood, have an image that focuses on the head wherein the model is wearing the hood. If the jacket has pockets, have the model put his/her hands inside. Such images can help a prospective buyer determine the length, size, and proportions of the product.
Make sure that your in-scale images are appropriate for what you are trying to promote or point out. For example, if you’re selling boots, you should have one full body shot and a close-up shot of the model wearing the boots. You can even include the model standing up and sitting down while wearing the boots.
When it comes other types of products, you can always show it alongside other items to help shoppers determine the size. For example, it would be best to show a bed set up in an actual room beside other furniture rather than just show the bed by itself against a white background. You can even throw in a model lying down on the bed.
- Not Showing the Value of the Product
Another important thing that many online retail stores forget to do is to actually show the value proposition of a product through the image.
What exactly is the product for? What benefit will it give to the consumer? These are two essential questions that you need to answer through your product image.
If you’re selling floaters for kids, then show the product being word by a kid having fun in a swimming pool. If the floaters are recommended for kids aged 5 to 10, you can include two models of varying ages with both of them wearing the floaters.
Another question for you to consider is this— What is the competitive advantage of your product? What makes it unique or different from other brands?
Let’s say your laptop has a detachable keyboard. Then you’ll need to show it in one of the photos on the product page. Apart from an image of the detached keyboard beside the monitor, you can have another image that shows the monitor being used for a table presentation, without the presence of the keyboard.
When you have this kind of images, you’re able to show the use and benefits as well as emphasize the competitive advantages while also showing the scale.
- Not Using Images on Category Pages and Site Search Results
A lot of ecommerce sites only use text on their category pages and site search results. This is okay, but will not be as powerful as incorporating thumbnail images.
If you’re an online fashion store, for instance, and a visitor clicks on the category “scarves”, you ought to show the actual images with the titles and short descriptions. This must be the same for when someone types search phrases on the search box. Instead of just showing a list of products with the keywords used by the searcher, it would be great to include images too.
On your tabs, you can also use images for categories and different parent pages. That would certainly be more appealing.
- Not Arranging Images and Descriptions Efficiently
Depending on the type of product, sometimes you ought to make the photos bigger and the descriptions smaller. There are also times when you need to interchange the emphasis.
Furthermore, on category pages, the descriptions may not be included. But what if you’re selling LED TVs and computers which sort of all look the same? Sure, the appearance also matters, but not as much as when you’re selling clothes or home décor items.
When it comes to TVs and computers, consumers will likely be more concerned with the specifications. Therefore, it would be good to include the basic specs on the category page in order to improve the user experience. This way, the shoppers will not have to click on each one to review the important specs and thus be able to compare products.
- Not Having a Zoom In Feature for Details
Most online stores now already utilize the zoom in feature. This is when site visitors can click on one part of the product image in order to zoom in for a closer look. They can even move around to the different areas to check the little details.
According to studies, however, there are still some ecommerce sites that do not have this feature. If you are one of them, you ought to change it now. You are losing a lot of potential buyers because of this mistake. Your visitors are bound to jump over to competitors if they cannot view the details on your product.
Remember that a good user experience also means allowing customers to feel like they get the satisfaction of shopping in actual physical shops even if they are just browsing online. Since they cannot inspect the item with their hands and hold the item up close to their eyes, then you need to just enable the zoom in feature.
If you can find a way for your product image to be swiveled around with the movement of the mouse, then all the more that you’ll boost the user experience and the likelihood of actual sales. Most e-stores don’t have this, but some do include videos to compensate.
Images Really Matter
In the world of ecommerce, images certainly matter a lot. But it doesn’t stop with high quality images. There are other factors to consider to make your site more attractive and also to greatly enhance the user experience for visitors and customers.
When you avoid the mistakes above and apply the tips given, you’ll surely increase the chances of visitors staying longer on your site and really purchasing items. Your conversion rate will no doubt shoot up.