We’ve blogged about product photos or images for online stores before.
But as techniques advance, I thought it worthwhile to revisit the topic with new tips and recommendations to increase performance of your store.
You see, product images play an essential role in eCommerce. Where the customer doesn’t have physical access to the product before buying itthe images they see do half the work of selling. – help you increase your conversion rate and determine how well your merchandise sells.
And among the elements that contribute to the persuasiveness of a product image, appearance and size are the most important.
These are the details I’d like to talk about today, with tips and ideas that will help you make the right decisions for your online business.
Contents Product images in your online store
Types of product images for eCommerce
We can classify different types of product images according to their appearance:
- How many objects are in the photo: individual product or group of products.
- Size and dimensions: Normal size, large product, detailed/macro image, large scale.
- Image purpose: Packaging presentation, 360 degrees.
- Depending on the decor: product by itself, on mannequin, on model.
- Depending on the information in the picture: infographic, promotional image.
- Usage: Product on white background, product while in use.
You’ve already got an idea of where you get your product images: from the manufacturer/supplier, do a photo shoot with a professional photographer, or take them yourself (if you have the skills and know how).
Besides that, it’s important to figure out how your product images will fit with your website design.
For these to have the desired impact, they should complement the overall feel that the theme and design of the site gives.
That’s why we should take a little look at their dimensions.
Recommended sizes for product images
By dimensions, I mean pixel dimensions (width and height, in pixels) or image file size (KB or MB).
The size in pixels determines how large or small the image appears on the site.
The file size of the image is something I can tell you precisely, as it works in unosoft.
In a product page up to 10 images can be uploaded simultaneously.
The maximum size of an image is 4MB, and the total size of images is 20MB maximum.
Why only this much? Because the size of the images can affect the loading speed of your site. The smaller the size, the faster your site will load.
On the other hand, there is no 100% workable recipe for what pixel size your product images should be. It depends on what your site looks like and how big the places dedicated to pictures are.
Let’s take them one at a time:
1. Small sizes: thumbnails
Small images are generally 100 x 200 or 200 x 200 and appear on category pages or pages returned in internal searches. They are the main product images used to convey basic information to users: shape, colours, design.
In unosoft, thumbnail images are automatically taken and resized from the main image loaded on the product page.
After clicking on the thumbnail, people are directed to product pages where they can see larger/detailed images or additional images.
2. Medium size: product pages
Every product, no matter how technical or small, needs clear, high-quality product images. These product page images should be able to show the customer different perspectives on the product: front, back, details, etc.
They are generally 800 x 800 or 640 x 640, but even larger.
3. Large sizes: detailed view / zoom
Depending on the product category, zooming is one of the customer’s expectations to be able to see the details that interest them: specific patterns, texture, colours, material used, etc. In fashion or jewellery niche, it is essential.
These are the standard images for an online shop or for photos used in social media and are 1000 x 1000 or at least 2000 px in length.
Helps customers set the right expectations for the product being viewed and thus increase the conversion rate of the store.
Very important!
Another aspect that your customers expect from your site is to see consistency. Use exactly the same dimensions for all product images in your store.
Same aspect ratio for your product images (ratio between width and height of the image).
Same height and width for each image.
If you don’t do this, the pages will look disorganized. It’s like you don’t care about your store or the customer experience on the site. Therefore, you’re affecting your conversion rate without even realizing it.
In addition, if you want to make an image gallery or display a list of products in a landing page, it will have to have the same aspect ratio to look good.
Keep it consistent and give customers an organized and visually aesthetic site.
Read also: How to prepare product photos for your online store
The right look for product images that sell
Speaking of consistency, another thing to pay attention to is the proportion of the product in the image.
For each product image, you should try to display the product at the same alignment in the photo and at the same size as the other products on the site.
If one product is brought to the front, another is small in the background, another is in the corner of the image, and so on, the feeling of disorganization is the same as using different sizes.
Keep the same proportion in each main product image. If you have more than 1 image for a product, it’s ok to display the rest in different frames or backgrounds.
But the first image – which will be retrieved in thumbnails in the category pages or elsewhere (via a product feed, these will also be displayed in Google Shopping or on affiliate sites), should be consistent with the rest of the product images in your store.
Ideas and tricks for product images in your store
- Shadows in product images can make your product stand out or, conversely, make a photo look ugly. When you have products on a white background, you can use subtle shadows to add depth and dimension to the product.
- Try to use the same background / context in all product images (whether white or otherwise). It gives consistency and professionalism to your site.
- Use 6-8 images for a product if you can. This number allows you to display the product from multiple anglesso that the customer can see what they are buying: front, back, diagonal, top, bottom, inside, important details to see, neutral background, while in use, etc.
- The decoration used in product images should not clutter the image or distract from the product you are selling. Decoration is important to give context to the product (how it can be used, worn or what results it can give the customer). But it should not be the main focus of the images.
- Change the name of product images with keywords related to the product name. It will make them easier to index in Google Images and easier to find by your customers.
- In unosoft, the Alt-text tag is automatically filled in based on the image name, so you don’t have to search for it and modify it.
Read if: Icons, Images and Illustrations – 30 Free Resources for Your Store
Product images may seem like just another routine thing to add to your website. But they have a powerful impact on the buying decision.
Make sure you add them to your site right from the start. Pay attention to the size, both of the file and in pixels, and the appearance of the images used.
Sell with an organized, professional-looking site that has maximum potential to get repeat customers.
And if you’re not selling with unosoft (yet), now’s the time to get your open a free demo.
You have 15 days to try the platform head-to-tail and get familiar with the hundreds of modules and features we offer.
Good luck with sales!
Passionate about entrepreneurship and eCommerce, I started my online activity in 2000.
Together with my team I have helped over 2,200 companies grow their business on the unosoft platform.
