How to optimize listing images?

It can be frustrating to see that your product is not performing well on Amazon, and you may even start to question your product. But it is very likely that there is nothing wrong with your product at all, but it may be due to problems with the copy, pictures, or reviews. Analyzing conversion rates can help you optimize your listings. This series of articles will provide ways to increase Amazon conversion rates. But before we dive in, you need to understand why you should pay more attention to conversion rates?

Higher conversion rates can:

1. Bring in more sales

More conversions = more sales. No matter how much money you spend on PPC, it won’t bring results unless your conversion rate is high. With PPC ads, you can drive traffic to your listings, but if the customer isn’t ready to buy, the money spent on traffic is wasted. Before running ads, you need to prepare your products for traffic because conversion rate is what determines your sales.

2. Improve your natural ranking

Despite the growing dominance of sponsored ads, organic rankings are integral to revenue growth. But just like Google’s algorithm, no one really knows how the A9 algorithm works. However, Amazon does offer some insights: “Factors such as text match, price, inventory, and sales history help determine your product’s position in customer search results.” Sales history is an important element in various metrics such as order defect rate. An advantage in rankings is directly related to sales history, especially conversion rate, because increased conversion rate = increased sales.

3. Increase product exposure

This is an often overlooked benefit of increased conversion rates. On product pages, there are multiple sections to highlight competitor products. For example, the “Best sellers,” “Customers Also Viewed” section, and the “Compare with Similar Items” section. These are ideal placements and change frequently. Imagine if your product gets one of these placements, you will get a lot of exposure and exposure.

4. Gain an advantage in sponsorship bidding

Higher conversion rates equal lower customer acquisition costs, and therefore also provide a competitive advantage in sponsored ad auctions. Amazon will favor ads with multiple product ads for one keyword that have a higher historical conversion rate, even if the CPC bid is lower than that of competitors. Because customer satisfaction is above all else. The money saved can be reinvested to expand the campaign or used for other marketing activities. What is a good conversion rate? According to one study, the average conversion rate for non-Prime is about 13%, while the average conversion rate for Prime is as high as 74%. Amazon sellers have a competitive advantage over other sellers because customers already have the intention to shop, so the conversion rate is naturally much higher. Studies have shown that the conversion rate of shoppers on other online sales sites is only 3.32%. The question is, what is the ideal conversion rate for the Amazon platform? Although a "good" conversion rate varies depending on the product, category, and price, if your product has a conversion rate of 20% or more, that would be an ideal number. So how can you improve the conversion rate of Amazon listings?

Your conversion rate is directly related to the customer experience you provide. PPC advertising and ranking are about using the right keywords and satisfying the requirements of the A9 algorithm, while conversion rate is about satisfying customer needs.

Customers will be happy when:

(a) answered all his questions;

(b) He believes your brand is trustworthy;

(c) he has obtained all the information necessary to make the purchase;

(d) he does not consider it necessary to inspect the product in person;

Let's say you are the owner of a physical store. When a customer enters your store, he will have several questions; if all his questions are answered and he is convinced that your product is the best option he can buy, then he will make the purchase, otherwise he will not. So, if you don't have a physical store, how will you prove that your product is the best?

This is what happens when you sell on Amazon. You can’t convince your customers face to face, so customers will have to rely on other factors to make a decision. These other factors are what build trust and confidence in the customer’s mind and influence conversion rates. When shopping online, you look at the images first, then scroll down to read the reviews, you also look at the A+ pages, and then read the copy to get important product information. Therefore, one of the main factors that influence conversion rates on the listing page is the image: Image optimization Images are one of the important factors to increase conversion rates. Images make it easier to view and digest complex information. In addition, if the listing images are good enough, customers will feel that you are a professional and trustworthy brand. Shoppers may not bother to read the copy, but they will definitely check out every image you upload. Therefore, it goes without saying that image optimization should be your top priority. Here are some elements that every seller’s listing images need to have.

8 image elements that increase conversion rates:

1. A picture of the product’s appearance that looks great (main picture)

To create a great main image, you need to not only cut out the background, you also need to eliminate the photography flaws. Even if you shoot your product in a studio, imperfections are bound to appear. Flashes, wrinkles, shadows, color, and lighting differences are common and unavoidable. So, to avoid this, you should edit the photo and remove any element that makes it look unprofessional. This image will become your main image. If your main image looks perfect, your click-through rate will also increase. Here are some common things to look out for in your main image:

Should be at least 1500 x 1500 pixels;

· It should be clear and of high quality;

It should take up as much image space as possible.

A pure white background should be used;

2. Optimize lifestyle images

Use extra space in your lifestyle images to make them look more impactful. Adding relevant slogans to your lifestyle images is a great way to add value to that image. Imagine a picture of a person carrying hiking poles on a mountain peak with a slogan saying “Reach great heights”. Lifestyle images alone obviously won’t be enough to create that feeling. Sentences that connect with your customers and explain the benefits it brings to shoppers can add a lot of value to your images.

3. Images containing comments

Shoppers will 100% check reviews, but they only skim through them. Most shoppers only look at the star rating and read one or two popular reviews. Wouldn’t it be great if you could highlight one or two reviews in the image itself? Simply reading the reviews in the image can make them feel more confident about their purchase and also make them less likely to be influenced by negative reviews. If you don’t have any reviews on Amazon yet, you can highlight some of the reviews you have on other sites.

4. Pictures containing promises

Many online shoppers have had bad purchasing experiences, and as a seller, you can alleviate such doubts for your customers by showing an image of your satisfaction guarantee or warranty. Again, you can’t add a customer satisfaction statement to your A+ content, so this image must make it into the image grid. Just make sure to highlight the after-sales support and how you deliver on your promises when this happens.

5. Pictures that illustrate the product’s benefits

Every other seller is selling something similar to yours, so shoppers are going to compare your item to ten others. You can do this by creating a comparison chart that clearly demonstrates why your product is the right choice for them. Think of the important metrics that shoppers use to make comparisons, then emphasize that your product has all of them, while your competitors only have some of them (or none at all). Creating a comparison chart boosts customer confidence and highlights all of your product’s features in one place.

6. Images that illustrate the benefits of your product

Let your customers know what convenience your product can bring to their lives. Most of the time, customers are not interested in technical specifications but rather in the more easily understood benefits of your product. Using this image, you can showcase all the benefits your customers will receive after purchasing your product.

7. Pictures to illustrate quality assurance

Shoppers care about "quality" when buying products online. In a physical store, they can feel and touch the product themselves and assess the quality, but when buying online, they do not have this ability. Quality-assured images are what increase their sense of trust, and showing such images to customers allows them to make an informed and confident purchasing decision.

8. Images that highlight the main selling points

Every product has its unique selling point. Identify your selling point and display it in your image. Highlighting your USP makes you look different from your competitors and it answers a common question from your customers: why should we choose you? Every product has its unique selling point. Creating a “selling point image” is a great way to highlight that uniqueness.