“A picture is worth a thousand words” – or in the case of e-tailing, a thousand sales.

Back in the mid-90s, plenty of people were ready to write off Amazon and other online retailers on the basis that people simply wouldn’t buy without touching the merchandise first. Almost 20 years on, with global B2C ecommerce sales expected to increase 5.7% year over year, reaching $885.70 billion in 2015, we can safely say that consumers can live without examining the merchandise in person!

One of the major factors that help potential buyers to make that leap of faith is the product image. Below are a few crucial tips to ensure your product images convert better. For more information on how to plan, build and execute your entire marketplace seller strategy, download the Marketplace Sellers Guide.

Quality

Your main image must be super sharp. You may think that you don’t have too much room to shine as Amazon, for example, are pretty strict in their style guidelines – pure white background and the products filling 85%+ of the frame. You want your images to be rich and clear so that the buyer feels that they know the product intimately. There’s no greater turn-off for an interested buyer than a grainy product image. Amazon recommends that your images be 500×500 pixels. Make sure that you adhere to the photo guidelines created by the marketplace that you are selling on.

Size

Don’t get carried away by uploading huge images. A famous study by Amazon found that every 100ms delay in page load time led to a 1% loss in sales. Intuit similarly found that each 1 second improvement in page load times yielded a 3% increase in conversion. Online shoppers lack patience so don’t keep them waiting! If your images are too large, do a quick Google search for image resize tools and optimize your images accordingly.

Video

Among your “other view” images, consider introducing a video. There is no better way to showcase a product than displaying it from all angles and in actual use. The Oxo brand is a great example of how to bring products to life with engaging video.

Graphics

On Amazon, you have freedom to do cool stuff with your “other view” images. Most etailers let this opportunity pass by not taking advantage of the flexibility. Text and demonstrative graphics are allowed, so use them! Spigen’s iPhone 6 cases do this brilliantly, empowering their images to engage buyers with their key features and messages.

Backgrounds

If you take your own photos, you must have a decent camera and a tripod so you can shoot steady. In many cases you must have a white background but with Amazon your “other view” images can have any background so consider alternatives.

Multiple Angles

Most products have more than one dimension so make use of your other images to show the product from all angles. If your product is one that people typically hold or wear, include images of it in action. With multiple variations, make sure that every child item also has an image such as this Nike Polo Shirt and that they are identical in style.

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