POSTED ON 10/14/2021 IN Blog BY Jamie Bourn
The Importance of High-Quality Imagery
The Future of Shopping
As our homes have become even more important to us over the last 18 months, it may come as no surprise to read that many homeware and furniture retailers have seen a surge in demand for their products, particularly those that have a strong online presence and a slick e-commerce platform. A recent survey from Made.com revealed that last year during lockdown, 40 per cent of consumers decided to invest in their homes with new homeware. By February 2021, 75% of people said they were shopping more online since the pandemic in the UK (Statista.com) and some furniture retailers have reported sales increases of 55% in the last year.
In the modern world of omnichannel shopping experiences, consumers now expect multiple ways to be able to view and purchase a product, including large items such as sofas and beds. Having spoken to several of our retail partners that have experienced success online, they believe the key is great product photography, especially with high value ticket items.
Why are high-quality product images so important?
With high quality visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, it’s easy to see why consumers today have high expectations when it comes to online shopping. According to Ergonode.com, as many as 87% of respondents considered the product image as the key element of the shopping experience.
Savvy consumers are likely to scroll straight past a lower quality product image, so it’s important to make a good first impression. This is why high-quality images are so important, it’s the initial hook that draws shoppers to your product. Without it, you are less likely to get that all important ‘click’. High quality images from multiple angles helps to fill the gaps left by the lack of physical contact an in-store experience provides, helping to build trust in the products and the retailer. Multiple high-quality images combined with clear, descriptive product copy are also likely to lead to fewer returns in the long run.
How to maximise the benefits of high-quality photography
As many consumers will now research on social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, these are great places to share high quality images of your products to generate initial interest. These communities love to share, so they are a good way of getting your products seen by larger audiences than traditional methods alone.
Its also a good idea to add an Alt tag (a description of the image that helps search engines understand what the image displays) to the images. This will help bring your images further to the top of any searches a consumer makes via a search engine online such as Google.
How are Whitemeadow supporting its customers?
Here at Whitemeadow we understand the importance of high quality, inspirational product photography. Following feedback from our customers, and the increased use of e-commerce over the last 18 months, 2021 has seen us heavily invest in CGI photography of our top ranges and new season launches. This includes for the first time ever professional cut out images of each piece in the ranges from several angles and multiple modular configurations, plus amazing lifestyle imagery to inspire your customers. And we aren’t stopping there, we already have plans for further photography in 2021 and 2022, so keep your eyes on our Trade Portal for all our latest photography!