Regarding marketing and selling products to consumers, product imagery is unquestionably one of the most important selling points. When considering the prevalence and dominance of e-commerce and digital shopping channels, traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores may question where this leaves them.
There is an argument to be made regarding the benefits of seeing physical products up close and testing them in action, which e-commerce does not offer. However, that is not to suggest that online product imagery can be overlooked. The modern customer journey rarely begins at the shop entrance anymore – it invariably starts online, often several days or even weeks before a physical visit happens.
Retail is now immersed within an omnichannel experience for customers, from the initial browsing stage all the way through to the final purchase stage. Research suggests that e-commerce now accounts for over 25% of all retail sales in the UK, and is expected to increase in the coming years (reaching one-third by the end of this year). Furthermore, it’s not uncommon to see in-store shoppers conduct preliminary research online before committing.
The shift from in-store to online browsing and purchasing has presented new challenges and priorities for brick-and-mortar outlets: capturing interest in their products online during the ‘pre-shopping’ or ‘discovery’ phase to encourage foot traffic in their outlets. Professional product imagery has emerged as a pivotal tool for accomplishing this goal and staying competitive in a cutthroat industry like retail.
E-commerce Has Raised Consumer Expectations
The surge in e-commerce in recent years has profoundly altered how consumers discover, shortlist and buy products. Product photography has become essential in helping retail brands promote their items to prospective buyers, with images acting as a crucial reference point of comparison. Online-only businesses like Amazon and ASOS have invested heavily in sophisticated and immersive product imagery, many of which include zoom functions, 360-degree views, and lifestyle photographs showing products in action.
Such elevated standards have created a spillover effect for traditional retailers relying on foot traffic for business. When consumers see superior product visuals online, it’s only fitting that they expect the same quality from every retailer that stocks them – be it online or physical. As a result, brick-and-mortar stores that overlook or neglect the digital representations of their products risk losing valuable custom, potentially appearing outdated or unprofessional by comparison.
Cost-Effective Product Photography
Small, independent retailers have a wealth of challenges to navigate when it comes to staying ahead of the competition. With fewer resources and stringent budgets, product photography can appear as less of a priority. However, developing a library of high-quality product photos doesn’t require a huge upfront investment.
Basic photography equipment and training can enable retail staff to produce consistent, quality images. Companies like MPB offer cost-effective circular solutions for buying and selling used photography equipment. This approach allows access to professional cameras and lenses at lower prices, making in-house photography feasible on a healthy budget.
Many suppliers and manufacturers now provide in-house digital assets for retailers, which makes the process easier. Establishing a process to collect, categorise, and standardise these resources can help retailers build a wide image library with minimal resources and time.
Periodic photography shoots to capture multiple product lines simultaneously create healthy and sustainable economies of scale. Whether conducting shoots in-house or outsourcing to a professional photographer, this can be a productive, efficient and cost-effective alternative.
The Benefits of Product Imagery for Physical Retailers
For brick-and-mortar retailers, quality imagery delivers value that can correlate to improved in-store sales.
- High-quality imagery allows customers to pre-qualify products before setting foot in a store, pushing them further along the buyer journey than if they were simply passing by. As such, conversion rates can be improved.
- Clear, accurate images set appropriate expectations and reduce the likelihood of post-purchase returns.
- Quality images allow retailers restricted on space to showcase their entire inventory through digital channels, which may not be possible in physical stores.
- Google Shopping and local search results display optimised product images, making for an easier online browsing experience before directing them to your location.
Applications of Quality Visuals for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers
Retailers – regardless of the size of their e-commerce ‘arm’ – can utilise product imagery well across a broad range of digital channels and applications to bring value to their physical retail operations.
- Compelling product images draw intrigue on photo-dominant social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Local retailers can build awareness among their communities with targeted local campaigns, driving foot traffic to physical locations in anticipation of new product or collection launches, for example.
- Adding images to Google Business Profile posts and product categories can increase engagement. This isn’t exclusive to product photos, however; shop locations, displays and aisles can provide an immersive experience for those not yet familiar with your store.
- Product imagery in targeted email campaigns can highlight new arrivals or promotions tailored to customers who have bought from you before, or who have come across your site. Including maps, store information, and product images helps shoppers facilitate a clear path to your physical location and their in-store buying experience.
- While product website pages, optimised with quality imagery and professionally written product descriptions, can make the online buying journey easier, they can also encourage in-store foot traffic. For example, calls-to-action (CTAs) on webpages can create urgency for an in-store visit (e.g. “only one in stock, reserve now!”)
What Makes Effective Product Imagery?
For physical retailers preparing for the task of overhauling their product photography collections, several key factors determine their success.
- Consistency: Maintaining the same lighting, style, composition and presentation across all product images creates a professional impression, cultivating a stronger brand identity. This should extend to all channels, from the store’s website to social media campaigns.
- Context: Clean photos with white backgrounds are no doubt vital, but lifestyle images showing products in context helps customers understand features like their size, weight, functions, and applications, helping them answer key questions before visiting the store.
- Angles: Providing multiple views of products minimises uncertainty and confusion about product features, helping customers make more informed decisions about which items warrant an in-person visit.
- Technical elements: Take high-resolution raw shots with appropriate colour specifications and lighting. Poor quality images represent products of a similar standard, even if they are deemed to be top-of-the-range.
Bridging the Gap Between Physical and Digital Excellence
It would be naive to ignore the potential and value of high-quality product imagery for brick-and-mortar retailers. Recognising the impact that images have in facilitating a seamless and positive customer journey will help retailers stand tall in an increasingly competitive retail marketplace.
The key lies in quantifying the return on investment (ROI) that professional product imagery brings. Whether it’s aligning website visits to in-store conversion rates, increases in local search visibility, a reduction in return rates for items viewed online, or a wealth of social engagement metrics, the effectiveness of their efforts will be reflected in the data.
With professional images in tow, retailers can leverage them to drive foot traffic, improve the customer experience, and create seamless connections between digital browsing and in-store purchases.
