Do you shop online? What do you look for in an online vendor? One thing I look for is professionalism. I want to know that if I buy something online that it is not a scam and that I really get what I order. Besides price, the first thing I look at when shopping online is photos. If the photos look bad, then a list of questions start running through my head like “Is it real?” or “Are trying to hide something from me?”, or “Is it a scam?” Let's put on our seller’s hat now. If you are an online seller how do you get professionalism?
The customer reviews are probably the most important aspect when choosing a professional seller, but that happens naturally. As a seller you have limited control of that other than always providing great customer service. One area of professionalism that is controllable though is the photography.
Most products already have some sort of images that exist on the web somewhere. Buyers beware of a seller if all their images are the same as everyone else’s or low resolution images stolen from the web. If I see unique photos, I usually notice them first. As a professional online retailer do you want to be lumped in with everyone else or be different and noticeable?
When a seller uses a different product image, that might be just what gets my attention and my sale. Professional photos make the seller stand out from the rest and make a impression that you are professional - “Buy here!” Is it really that simple that professional photography equals more sells? Not in all cases, but it will definitely increase your professionalism.
Just look at all the amazon sellers with professional images - they usually can charge more and get more sales. In order to make money, you do have to spend money, and most of the time that happens at the beginning. It is best to think about photography as a cost of selling online and over time it will pay for itself. Not only can these images be used to sell online, professional images on white can be used for all sorts of marketing and branding, that will to boost your online sales from the start.
Usually when one thinks of professional photography, one thinks expensive up-front costs. In recent years, product photography has changed a bit and now there are cheaper online options. One option that we use for all our product photography is Thrive Product Studio and you can order right from their website at www.thriveproductstudio.com. Photography can be ordered online with a per-image pricing structure and the final digital images are delivered to my email. All you need to do is ship the product to them and in about a week you'll receive the images professionally photographed, and isolated on a white background, all in digital format. They always look great and meet all the Amazon image requirement needs.
Thrive Product Studio has it figured out and has been great for all our photography needs. They are also very affordable and won't break your budget. The quick turnaround time also allows you to be selling a product and making money before you know it. In a little over a week you can boost your sales quickly if you are already selling online. They are other solutions online too though so you can do your own research to make the best decision.
When I am selling online I think about what I look for in buying from an online store: professionalism. Good photography is the easiest and quickest way I have found to stand out from the crowd.