As a cross-border seller, how can you make a living if you don’t take product pictures like this?

As we all know, product images are one of the key factors to attract buyers to buy. Often, no matter how attractive the product description or selling points are, they are not as effective as a product image that can trigger consumers' shopping desire. How to optimize product images to achieve the effect of "a picture is worth a thousand words" is one of the issues that sellers must consider when trying to increase conversion rates. Generally speaking, there are 3 main types of product images:

• Product images on a white background

• Lifestyle product images

•Product usage or display diagram

White background product images are the most basic and cheapest to produce, not only for product pages, but also commonly used in social media and advertising. Lifestyle images basically put the product in a scene, placing the product with objects that match a certain color, style, shape or scene to add a sense of life to the product. Product usage or display images have a larger budget. Their purpose is not only to describe the product, but also to create an emotional bond and are often used in advertising and brand storytelling.

Taking the common white background image as an example, different e-commerce categories have very different highlights, shooting angles, details, etc. of product images. In this regard, this article takes stock of the product images required by the 10 major e-commerce categories under the white background.

1. Luggage and bags product pictures

In this category, products can vary greatly in shape and appearance.

Best angles for product photos:

·Show the front view without straps or with partial straps

· Front view showing all straps

·Show a 3/4 front view without or with partial strapping

·Show the back side without strap or showing part of strap

·Inside of luggage

Close-up of bag details or multiple detail snapshots

Logo or brand name

Recommended number of product images: 7

2. Product images of beauty products and cosmetics

Most of these products are small or medium in size, so regular image processing is sufficient. However, these products lack the shopping experience of offline physical stores. Buyers cannot feel the smell of fragrance products or the absorbency of skin care products, so it is not easy to highlight this experience with still images. In this regard, sellers need to pay special attention to the texture of the product, such as the gloss of lipstick, the delicate texture of powder products, or the glossy surface of creams. This may require additional shooting and post-processing of the product to visually present the desired texture.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view or top view with lid

• Front view, top view without lid or lid resting against the bottle

• 3/4 frontal photo or 3/4 frontal photo without cover

• Front view of the packaging + lid

• Makeup application photos

• Packaging diagram

• Groups of similar products, such as the same product in different colors

Recommended number of product images: 7.

3. Clothing product pictures

Apparel is one of the larger e-commerce categories and is divided into several subcategories:

1) Women's clothing pictures

Women's clothing is usually intricately cut and emphasizes fit, so such images are best displayed using models or mannequins, which can leave a better impression on buyers.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view

• 3/4 front view

• Back view

•Details

Recommended number of product images: 4+

2) Men's clothing pictures

Generally speaking, men's clothing is simple in cut, so it is best to use a flat lay method to shoot, which can well show the characteristics of the clothing. If the men's clothing is complex in cut or emphasizes fit, it is best to show the model picture.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view

• 3/4 front view

• Back view

•Details

Recommended number of product images: 4+

3) Children's clothing pictures

The photo shoot for children's clothing is similar to that for men's or women's clothing. You can shoot them flat or hanging on hangers, and you can also hire some cute child models to shoot.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view

• 3/4 front view

• Back view

•Details

Recommended number of product images: 5+

4. Footwear Product Images

In terms of size, footwear is usually best photographed in flat or vertical mode. Leather footwear requires additional preparation and post-processing to bring out its shine and texture. For sports footwear, the focus is on its high-tech materials and design, so 360-degree shots and detailed shots are needed.

Best angles for product photos:

• Left side front view

• Right side front view

• Back view

• Top 3/4 side view

• Bird's-eye view

•Details

•Shoe sole image

Recommended number of product images: 6+

5. Home Furnishings Product Images

Products in this category also come in many shapes and sizes.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view

• 3/4 front view

• Back view

•Details

• Group pictures of the same product in different colors

Recommended number of product images: 5+

6. Jewelry Product Pictures

Jewelry is also one of the largest e-commerce categories, which is further divided into several subcategories:

1) Pendant or necklace

Best angles for product photos:

•Overall view

• The main element of the decoration and part of the chain form the letter "V"

• Detailed images of the main elements

• Clasp Diagram

Recommended number of product images: 4

2) Earrings

Best angles for product photos:

• Overall front view

•Group photo (one front-facing photo + one 3/4 front-facing photo)

• Back view

Recommended number of product images: 3

3) Ring

Best angles for product photos:

• Flat or upright front view

• 3/4 flat or upright front view

Recommended number of product images: 2+

7. Hat Product Pictures

Hats are a relatively small market segment, which can be divided into demand-based hats and fashion-based hats. Demand-based hats are usually used to protect against wind, sun or cold, while fashion-based hats are equivalent to an accessory or collocation.

Sales-demand hats may only require a white background and a flat image with detailed information about the material of the hat. For fashion hats, try to use lifestyle product images.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view

• Back view

• Detail photos (fabric texture)

•Detailed photos (logo or embroidery)

Recommended number of product images: 4

8. Belt Product Pictures

Best angles for product photos:

• Belt spiral front view

•Photos (belt head and tail)

• 3/4 front view showing the belt buckle from the inside

• Details, such as the texture of materials

•Logo

Recommended number of product images: 5

9. Product images of glasses and sunglasses

There are two things to avoid when taking photos of eyewear products: reflections and fingerprints. Therefore, you need to polish the glasses and set up the light source before taking photos of such products.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view

• 3/4 top front view

• Side view

• 3/4 top back view

• Eyeglass stand details

•Logo

Recommended number of product images: 6

10. Watch product pictures

Due to the widespread popularity of clock functions in smartphones, wearable watches are no longer a necessity, but high-end watches are still a symbol of status. The situation of watches in the mid- and low-end price range is different from that of watches in the high-end price range. The strategy here only applies to the general price.

Best angles for product photos:

• Front view of the strap fastened

• 3/4 front view of the strap fastened

•Back view of the strap buckled

•Top view of unfastened strap

• Close-up details

• Close-up of the reverse side of the dial and the details of the watch movement

Recommended number of product images: 6

The above is a simple basic classification of product images. The following classification will help sellers understand a more detailed hierarchy. Due to different classification parameters, the same shot may belong to the following categories:

Simple studio product shoot/personal shoot

Basic photography can be done in a simple studio, similar to the white background photography, but with some colored backgrounds.

White background image

White background images are a common type of image on some large e-commerce platforms (Amazon, Shopify, eBay).

Use reference objects to show product size

Especially used for products that are smaller or larger than normal. In this image, the buyer gets an idea of ​​the product's size by comparing it to another object, such as a coin, business card holder, or mannequin.

Product Gallery

Usually used to showcase a series or color scheme of a product, such as nail polish, scarves, bedding sets, etc.

Lifestyle Pictures

Give your product a mood or environment through people, objects, or backgrounds. Any image that provides context for your product is a lifestyle image.

Suspension products

This type of image is most common in clothing, accessories, and jewelry products, and is usually completed with models, dummies, or other objects.

Large products

The shooting of large product images requires some extra work, such as using a larger studio, on-site processing, etc., and the shooting cost may be relatively high.

Detailed image

Product images in the premium and handmade segments must utilize detail images, while clothing and jewelry also often use close-up images.

360-degree product images

In the sneaker industry, 360-degree product images are an absolute must. Almost every brand utilizes this type of product imagery.

Packaging pictures

As the name suggests, it is the original packaging picture of the product.

Infographic

Infographics are widely used in SEO, but in some high-tech products, infographics are also needed to explain the technical details of the product.

How do I choose the right type of product images?

The following factors may directly or indirectly influence the type of image you choose:

• Budget constraints

• Stages of the conversion funnel

• Product size

• Creative photography

• Placement: Product page, social media or website

•Availability of talent and equipment for photographers, models, makeup artists, art directors, and picture editors.

E-commerce is also an industry that relies on appearance. Product images play a vital role in every stage of the conversion funnel (attracting attention, inducing interest, stimulating desire, and promoting purchase). Therefore, in order to stand out from similar products, you must have exquisite product images and continuously optimize them according to customer interests and market trends.