How To Use Images To Sell More Online

In 2021, more businesses than ever have moved their products and services online. As a result, the e-commerce industry grew by an incredible 46% in 2020 – its strongest growth in more than a decade.

This is great news for shoppers, as it means they have far more choice when it comes to buying products remotely. For businesses, however, there are downsides to temper the ups, with an increase in competition being foremost among them.

With new retailers flooding the market daily, it’s now much harder for online businesses to stand out. This can have a negative impact on sales, which is why it’s important to find new and innovative ways to drive them.

One way to differentiate your SME is to focus on your photography – namely, your social media content and the images you’re using to advertise products. We look at a few of the ways you can improve these to boost sales and secure online success for your business.

Show consumers what you’re selling  

One of the reasons consumers are sometimes loathe to make a purchase online is because they feel uncertain about what they’re getting. When buying remotely, there’s always the worry that the product they think they’re purchasing and the one that arrives will be two very different things.

This is why it’s important for you to show your consumers what you’re selling. The best way to do this is to let your product do the talking. Let’s take a look at an iGaming site as an example: VegasSlotsOnline is an online directory site specializing in virtual slot games. With 10,000 of these titles available to play, it primarily “sells” experiences, but it’s hard to describe this to customers who have never gamed online before.

That’s why each of the games advertised has an image attached that provides consumers with an insight into the game, its aesthetic, and its animation style. This way players know exactly what they’re signing up for in advance.

Include captions

An image speaks a thousand words, but that doesn’t make words redundant. That’s why we recommend including captions alongside your pictures. Tell people what it is they’re seeing, as this is not always obvious. Rather than relying solely on either text or photographs, use the two in conjunction to examine the benefits, upsides, and workings of your product or service.

Educate and inform

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— Daily Infographic (@DailyInfographc) June 15, 2018

Following on from our previous paragraph, use your images and the captions that go alongside them to educate your audience. This is as applicable to your blog content as to your product pages. Imagine, for a moment, you want to draw attention to a unique selling point.

Don’t only explain this in your product description or the body of your blog post. Instead, include a series of images, an infographic, or even a video to show this in action and explain the mechanism behind it. This will demonstrate your expertise, position you as an authority, and build trust in your product or service. Combined, this will drive sales and, by extension, profits.

Be honest

True colours.
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Available now through adidas and select retail partners. pic.twitter.com/pEck7C60Gw

— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) March 22, 2021

One of the issues with purchasing online is you never quite know what you’re getting. Often, the images that accompany a product don’t align with its reality. While they might look pretty, they won’t help to build long-lasting relationships with customers and will make returns more frequent.

That’s why we recommend you keep it simple. If you’re selling a product, don’t include additional accessories in your photos without making it clear they’re not included in the purchase. Imagine you have a bikini you’re selling as separates. While it’s fine to show top and bottoms together, there should be more pictures of these apart on their individual listings to make it obvious what the purchaser is buying.

In a similar vein, don’t over filter photographs. This can lead to dramatic changes in the colors shown, leading to dissatisfaction when the customer finds the bikini top they ordered is turquoise rather than mint green or crimson instead of fuchsia. Honesty and transparency are key here. Show a true depiction of what you’re selling and you’ll have happy customers who are likely to buy from you again in the future, driving repeat sales.

Use clear, high-quality images

While we’d encourage you not to filter or edit your images too heavily, these should be nice to look at nonetheless. This doesn’t mean you have to spend on a professional photographer or expensive equipment – while both of these can be good investments, it’s possible to snap high-quality pictures even on your smartphone.

These should be in keeping with your aesthetic and must appear professional. To achieve this, choose your backdrop with care, make sure images are clear and precise, and take lots of photos from different angles. The more of your product you show, the less uncertain your customers will be about whether it’s right for them. This confidence will drive sales and help you to grow your profits.

The takeaway

When it comes to using images in your online content, it’s important to get it right. In doing so, you’ll make your product more attractive, grow your sales, and secure your success in the long term. Isn’t it time you improved your on-site content?