The Right Way to Showcase Your Merchandise

Presentation is everything in eCommerce, given that the way customers browse your products is through the Internet, whether through text, images or even interactive features. Having bad photos of your merchandise, side-stepping essential features like the ability to zoom in, and not investing the right amount of time and energy in the important details will foil your business. Here are a few essential details you should pay specific attention in determining priorities for your eCommerce website.

ecommerce website

Photography

Whether you’re selling artwork or furniture, photographs are how your products are represented to customers. They can’t see, touch or physically examine what they’re interested in purchasing, so it’s up to you to give them the best presentation possible. Make sure your merchandise images are clear and sharp. They should always be large so that customers can zoom in to look at details and materials.

That just scratches the surface though, and it’s worth investing in a professional photographer, especially if you’re selling merchandise that isn’t one-of-a-kind or large ticket items. If you’re selling a couch, for example, and you have five of them in your inventory you’re trying to unload, it’s worth investing the money to hire a professional photographer to present the item in the best light possible. The same goes for more expensive items, like unique decor or works of art. Fine art is especially difficult to capture the right way by yourself, and there are photographers that specialize in creating images of art that are a true reflection of the original, taking into account minute color differences and textures.

Choosing the Right Template

Choosing the right template for your eCommerce website is also important, because every type of industry is different. What works for an online store selling electronics is not going to be right. Using interior design web templates to showcase furniture or decor, for example, will highlight those items in the best possible light, emphasizing the ability for customers to look at pictures and details from different angles. A template catering to the electronics industry, on the other hand, will be heavy on the ability to seamlessly peruse information and features of several cameras that probably all look the same in the product images. After you finish designing or revamping your eCommerce store, the best test is to have someone unbiased peruse the website and give you their feedback.

Encourage Customer Photos

The trend of featuring customer photos has caught on with both eCommerce websites as well as companies that do business both on and off the Internet. In short, as a business, you’re presenting a professional, glossy version of the product you’re selling. It’s like looking at a couch in a catalogue situated in a designer living room. The beauty of customer photos is that potential buyers can see what the product looks like in real life, and chances are, if the customer cares enough to upload their own photo, they either loved or hated the product. If they hated it, it’s time to reassess your merchandise. If they loved it, it only reaffirms and strengthens the faith of customers that you offer high quality merchandise.