We have all heard the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well that couldn’t ring more true than on the web when you are selling a drop ship product. I have seen many online stores sell the same exact product and yet only a select few are making all the money, why?
Because these online store owners took the time to find ways to be more creative in grabbing the attention of this "would be buyer." They pay attention to the details and make sure to get a good quality product picture.
Let’s face it, sometimes on the Web, the only thing that separates a product from selling or not is the picture. You maybe asking, “What makes a good product picture?” Good question. A good product picture depicts the item in a proper background setting. Let’s say you sell coffee tables online. A proper background setting for a coffee table would be a cozy living room, or sitting room setting. I have seen many online retailers try to sell a high end item like a coffee table with a plain white background and seem perplexed as to why it isn’t selling. White background pictures look nice and clean, but they are less effective. White background pictures are less effective for a few reasons:
1. It will not give the buyer an indication of size relative to other things. Sure, there might be a product description that says and item is 23 inches in height, but how tall is 23 inches. Some folks know how much 23 inches can be physically. Others don't have a clue and wonder if it taller than a couch, a chair, or a foot stool? Remember, these folks are customers too. Do you want their business? A picture of the item in a natural setting such as a living room can be a tremendous help to these customers.
2. A white background picture does not help a person visualize how the item would look in a setting. Seeing the item in a setting helps them visualize it better for their situation.
3. Finally, the lighting in a white background picture can do the item little justice. The best pictures use real natural lighting as this allows the natural colors of the item to come across. Most white background pictures have been taken with hundreds of watts of light beaming at the object. Unless you live in a high intensity plant phototron, the item will never look the same as it does in the picture.
Another problem I have seen, in regards to pictures, is the picture is too small or fuzzy and a customer cannot make out any of the details. If you want to make the sale, it is vitally important that your customer is able to make out the details in a product picture. This is especially important with higher end items. There is no room for error on the Web. With the right quality of photo, you can definitely improve your chances of getting the sale.
Most online store owners are unaware of the vast power a great product picture could have on their sales. It is important to remember that you only have one chance to make that sale. You need to be creative and really stand out above the masses of online stores. If you really want to get ahead online…get the picture! Below are some top secret methods for getting a premium picture for your online store, the methods below are used by the most successful online stores today.
1) Always, always, always get a catalog style picture for the product you are selling. If the manufacturer or importer only offers white background photos or worse yet, out of focus product pictures we suggest moving on. Because the chances of selling an item with a bad picture is highly unlikely.
2) Get a high resolution image of the product picture for better product clarity. Usually 300 dpi works best.
3) If a high quality image is not currently available on a particular item but you would still like to sell the product, I would recommend ordering a sample of the product and having a professional photographer take some new pictures of it in a styled setting. Yes, this will cost you a little money…but think about how much money you could make once you have the high quality product picture on your site.
4) Learn how to use photo editing software. This is the key secret most online store owners are currently using. We know many online retailers who use photo editing software when all they have to work with is a product on a white background. We have seen garden item pictures on a white background be super imposed onto a beautiful garden setting, and the sales for that same garden item go through the roof. Photo editing is easier than you think, and you can learn all about it by getting a book out of the library, or taking a class on the subject at your local community college.
These are some of the top secrets that successful internet retailers hope you don’t find out about! Armed with this knowledge, you are in a better position to make a lot more money online and have a "stickier" site than your competition. Get in the game and do everything in your power to get or create a better picture of your product and watch your sales take off!
