With dropshipping becoming an ever-popular business model, one of the most effective ways to increase sales for your online store is through product photography.
As dropshipping products are products you don’t physically hold in your hands, the only way customers can experience your products is through your photos. Well-crafted product images serve as the face of your store and give customers their first impression of your business and your products.
Without high-quality images, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to attract new customers and increase sales. But how do you get awesome product pictures that convert?
In this article, we will look at tips to boost your sales with dropshipping product photos.
How to Get High-Quality Product Images
Finding the right photos for your product listings can be a daunting and time-consuming task. However, the right dropshipping product photos can make or break your eCommerce success. Here are some tips on how to get high-quality products images:
1. Get images from your dropshipping suppliers
One of the best ways to find product images is to ask your supplier for photos of the actual products they’re sending you.
If you know where and how your products will be photographed (e.g., studio, outdoors), it can also help to provide specific shooting instructions so that the photographer knows what photographs you need.
In many cases, manufacturers have official product photos or images saved on their websites that you can use for reference.
2. Collect pictures from customer reviews
Another great way to find great product images is to look for pictures of your product on social media or on third-party websites.
This is especially useful if you’re having trouble finding the right type of photos from your supplier because you can just search for customer reviews of your products on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Many customers have great camera equipment and take beautiful product photos that will enhance your store’s credibility. Plus, you can gain a customer review along the way – which is a great bonus for everyone involved.
3. Ask your influencers to snap some photos
Similar to working with customers, you can ask your influencers to take photos of your dropshipping products.
Many influencers who work in the affiliate marketing industry have great camera equipment, and know exactly what pictures are eye stoppers. You’d be surprised to learn that many would love to take some pictures of your products in exchange for a free sample or an affiliate commission.
By working with your influencers to take some product shots, you are also building your influencer’s brand as an expert photographer who can help grow their audience for future opportunities.
4. Ask suppliers for unique images of your products
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your dropshipping suppliers and ask for product images of your products in specific situations.
For example, if you’re selling a running shoe, ask your supplier to send you an image of the shoe being worn by a runner on a trail. Or if you’re selling a recliner chair, ask for an image with the chair reclined and someone sitting in it.
In many cases, suppliers will have images of their products being used which they can share with you – but make sure to ask them explicitly for these types of photos.
5. Hire a professional photography agency
If you’re struggling to find good product images that meet your requirements, you can always hire a professional photography agency to take the shots for you.
You can also request specific types of photos (e.g., outside, on white background) that you want for your product listings – just be sure to ask for the dimensions of the photos so they’ll fit your requirements.
Tips to Improve Your Product Images for More Orders
Did you know that different photo styles can affect your e-commerce sales in different ways?
For example, if you’re selling apparel, anything that shows how the product fits or hangs can increase conversions. Or if you’re selling shoes, it’s best to use images that show the shoe on someone’s foot.
Here are some of our favorite tips for improving your product images for more orders.
1. Use different angles
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your product images.
For example, if you’re selling a white ceramic mug, ask your supplier or photographer to capture different angles so customers can see how it looks from the front, back and sides.
By showing off all of the features of the mug, you’ll improve customer experience and boost conversions too.
2. Show the product features
When you’re taking or requesting product images, make sure to include some solid images that show the features of your products.
For example, if you are selling a t-shirt with kangaroo pockets – ask your photographer to take an image of someone’s hands inside the pocket, so customers know how functional it is.
Or, if you’re selling a kitchen knife, take a shot of the blade or handle to show off some of its unique features.
3. Use a white background for your products
One way to give your product images a professional touch is to use a white background for each image.
By using the same background color, you will be able to space out your images on your store – and it will look like they were all taken in the same studio. You can also use this tactic with other colors such as blue or grey.
4. Add zoom effect to your photos
Another way to make your product images more attractive is to add a zoom effect.
Zoom effects are great for increasing the perceived value of your products because they give customers an idea of how close they can get to the product.
You can add a zoom effect by using Photoshop, but be sure to use this trick judicially because it can also make images look pixelated or distorted if you’re not careful.
You may want to play around with this technique in Photoshop first or just hire a professional photographer to take your images for you too.
5. Name image files and edit alt texts for SEO
Did you know that a simple way to increase the SEO value of your product images is by naming each file contextually?
For example, let’s say you’re selling men’s dress shirts. You can name your image files something like black-men_s-dress-shirt.jpg, white-men_s-dress-shirt.jpg, and so on.
By carefully naming your image files, you can boost your SEO and help customers understand what each image is about.
Another way to improve the SEO of your product images is by editing alt texts for each file because this text shows up on Google search results pages.
You can write alt tags targeted at keywords you want to rank for, so try to incorporate important keywords into this part of your listing.
Where to Find Loyalty-Free Images for Store Design
Are you looking to improve your e-commerce store design? You can source free images from several websites:
Each website offers thousands of different high-quality images for anything from e-commerce store design to blog posts – all at no cost.
All you need to do is search for what you’re looking for, pick the best images that suit your needs, and download them onto your computer.
The combination of different images can help you build a visually compelling store and improve your sales.
Conclusion
We all know that authentic images significantly improve the product experience for customers, which is why it’s so important to take high-quality images in the first place.
But when you’re stuck with poor-quality images or don’t have any at all – there are plenty of free sites out there that will help you source unique shots quickly and easily.
To learn more dropshipping tips, check out HyperSKU online today. As the leading dropshipping solution for dropshipping professionals, we can help you build and implement a full-scale eCommerce store and supply chain in just a few days.
HyperSKU provides professional photography service for dropshippers. Visit HyperSKU online today to learn more!