Product photography for e-commerce
In e-commerce, the customer buys not the product, but the photo of the product. They choose not between different products (since they cannot actually touch, smell or taste them), but between the pictures of these products (which they can see).
Limitations of e-commerce
In e-commerce, the customers are faced with certain limitations - they don't have the opportunity to hold the product in their hand, feel the quality of the materials and packaging or its ergonomics, touch the texture, feel the aroma or even its taste. In short, they are deprived of the ability to use most of their senses. Therefore, in product photography, the goal is to replace the missing information from the other sensory channels with information received visually. Here, the different types of product photography (commercial photography and advertising photography) complement each other very successfully. It is best practice to use a combination of the different types of images:
- Pack shots on a white background – aimed to show the product packaging in its best light, on a neutral background, without distracting elements. They help the customer to get a basic idea of the product or to recognize an already familiar product. They are used for online stores and catalogs.
- Product photos with props and styling - they aim to draw the customer's attention to a familiar or unfamiliar product - usually with appropriate props to demonstrate product ingredients, scent, texture, etc.; to create a certain mood and evoke an emotional response in the potential customer. They are most often used for posts and advertising in social media and for advertising in printed publications.
- Lifestyle photos – product photos showing the product in use. They help the user gain insight into:
- the way the product is used;
- the dimensions of the product in relation to the other objects in the frame;
- the style of the product, matching the interior of the home or the personal style and lifestyle of the individual who owns and uses it (sporty, elegant, luxury, minimalist, vintage, etc.).
These photos help the customer envision themselves using the product and are suitable for advertising and posts on social media, as well as for websites and online stores.
Advantages of e-commerce
Despite the limitations of e-commerce that we mentioned above, it has some main advantages over conventional commerce:
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It is readily accessible - right now, at this very moment, regardless of where we are and what else we are doing. It is literally at our fingertips and enables impulse purchases when the customer is attracted to a product.
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In e-commerce, the product advertising (in the form of images, video and text) can accompany the product in the online store, which increases the likelihood of a purchase. On the other hand, in traditional commerce, the advertisement to which the customer is exposed, is separated in time from the customer's visit to a physical store.
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Online stores make it possible not only to show the customer the product (as it is in a physical store), but also to evoke a certain feeling in the customer by using photos, video and text. For example, we can make them dream of the warm summer sunrays and the touch of hot sea sand, desire the freshness of water from a cool mountain spring, whet his appetite for juicy barbecue or make him feel wanted with the new perfume scent.
Product photography is meant to showcase the product and make the consumer want to buy the product.