Wouldn’t it be great to share a photo of your product and immediately have consumers racing to add it to their carts? Some of the biggest brands have this luxury. Great photography is important — so important, it can be the difference between closing a sale and losing a customer.

With the proliferation of online shopping, product photography is something that has become especially vital to the buyer’s journey. When shopping online, consumers can’t simply walk into a store, pick up, sit on, sit in or even taste the product they’re interested in. This means product photographs are the final push to convert a prospective buyer into a customer.

Opinions will vary regarding what exactly defines good photography, but the bottom line is that it should showcase your brand and product in the best light. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of photography and how it serves your business.

Personalizes your brand

Photographs help consumers visualize themselves using a product or service. And when you create a sense of urgency with your photography, your consumers see your product as more desirable.

For instance, Beats by Dre added a splash of endorsement to their photography by showing Olympians and football players using their product. By leveraging key players in their niche, they could easily attract their target consumers, allowing them to emulate their idols.

Setting and context also play a vital role in personalizing your product. Which would you rather buy: a jumble of products thrown together in a pile, or products arranged beautifully in line? Whether you take the photos yourself or hire a professional, pay close attention to the composition of your photo. Create an experience, not a commodity.

Influences emotion

Use darker lighting and contrasting colors? You’ll inspire something moody. Shoot in a bright room? You’ll spark happiness.

Despite our efforts to make purchases based on rational analysis, humans are conditioned to make snap judgments. When you use compelling photography and visual elements, you can capitalize on a person’s natural emotional response to appealing visuals.

In addition to inspiring positive emotions, great photography should supplement the five senses a consumer would rely on if they were in the store seeing the product.

Provides quality assurance

Let’s say a customer is faced with two identical products with identical prices, but sold by two separate brands. What are they to do?

When presented with this choice, the higher-quality image will most likely convert into a sale. These two products could serve the same functional purpose, but the more visually appealing photo will make your consumers feel like they are getting more value for their money. Your brand’s photography sends a message about the quality of your business. 

Puts a product in context

Good product photography focuses on the product — not the props, not the background. That being said, there are many unique ways you can showcase your product. 

These are some of the common types of product shots:

• Studio Product Shots

• Using Scale To Show The Size Of The Product

• Product Grouping

• Products In Context Or Action Shots

Solicits action

Remember we talked about emotional responses to photography?

Well, these responses compel your consumers to take action and purchase your product or service. In fact, nearly 70% of e-commerce shoppers say the product image is very important when making their purchasing decision. Your site visitors will almost always be drawn to an image before they read the text on the page, so your photography is your ultimate selling point.

Good imagery also influences your chances of capturing a first-time viewer, so make sure you’re accurately reflecting your brand. 

The age-old question: stock or professional?

From a monetary perspective, stock photos seem like a win off the bat. When you opt to use them, it takes out the outsourced photography you would’ve otherwise built into your budget.

But because stock photos are so readily available, they are not specific to you — your brand, your products, or your employees. You want to pick your photography from the point of view of a busy consumer who is bombarded with photos all day. Stock photos are appropriate in some cases, but outsourcing your photography to a professional can give you a real competitive advantage.

By investing in professional photography, you are investing in valuable ammunition that can help you brand all your online and offline marketing assets. Not only do professional photographs showcase unique features of your brand, but they are also often higher resolution. This comes in handy in the e-commerce world if you choose to add a zoom feature to your website.

Conclusion

You should never underestimate the power of photography. An aesthetically pleasing visual brand will truly set a company up for success, and people are subconsciously attracted to your product or content depending on how well it resonates with them. Strong photography will help translate your mission, values, and business offerings to your consumers.