-
Product Photography on Amazon: 6 Mistakes You Probably Are Making
By MarketHustl |August 3, 2018| Photography on AmazonAmazon Promotional ToolsAmazon Terms of ServiceVideos and TestimonialsAmazon Brand RegistryPolicy Changes For SellersKeywords and OptimizationsRanking On AmazonEnhanced Brand ContentAmazon Product Launch StrategiesSelling on AmazonAmazon NewsAmazon Listing OptimizationALLSo, You Are Thinking About Doing Your Own Product Photography On Amazon…
Whether you are in the early stages of launching a product or you are a seasoned seller, it’s easy to fall into the trap of cutting corners when it comes to product photography on Amazon. Why? Because you’ve probably allocated so much funding already toward things like design, creation, packaging, and manufacturing, that something like images on Amazon is low on your list of things to invest in. Heck, anyone with a camera and a filtering/editing app can create decent images, right?
The problem with this rationale is that rarely do self-produced images look as good as professional ones. We are a culture driven by advanced technology that inundates us with information at alarming rates. As such, we rely heavily on visualization – not sales copy – to make informed, purchasing decisions. So, those photos you shot and uploaded yourself may pass as decent to the untrained eye, but small mistakes could have huge repercussions on your brand’s success.
Here are the top 6 mistakes you are probably making with product photography on Amazon and how to correct them.
You’re Not Utilizing The Allotted Space Properly
Amazon sets parameters for sizing images, both on regular listings and on EBC. A novice photographer may take a series of pictures that look great on camera. However, once they have been sized according to Amazon’s standards, the final effect could be vastly different than what they originally looked like. A trained photographer knows how to optimize space and positioning in order to showcase the product so that it translates well once uploaded onto Amazon. This also ensures the images won’t appear pixelated or too small upon resizing. Amazon’s guidelines encourage first page shots of products to fill at least 85% of the space, which many sellers don’t follow.
There Is Too Much “Visual Noise”Non-professional cameras, untrained photographers, and improper lighting conditions are, collectively, a recipe for disaster when it comes to showing off your product. This is particularly obvious when a potential buyer uses the zoom option on an image. With a professionally-shot image, a customer on Amazon can zoom in on that image and it will properly reflect the tiny details such as fibers, texture, stitching, and coloring of the product. If a non-professional takes the photo, often these close-up details look distorted due to“visual noise.” This is – in part – due to a relatively high ISO. The ISO refers to a camera’s ability to deliver clean images based on how much light is captured during the process. A high ISO can cause too much light to filter and absorb which makes the granules of the photo look distorted. This end result is what professional photographers refer to as “visual noise.” With proper lighting and execution, the textures and tiny details of your product will look clean and accurate.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the close-up image of a door. On the left, is what happens when a photograph is taken with too high of an ISO and thus, has excessive visual noise.
Using Cheesy or Off-Putting Graphics
Graphics, typography, fonts, and colors are often overlooked. Sellers make the mistake of thinking these small details aren’t important in the buying experience and that is an inaccurate (and potentially costly) conclusion. Poor graphics, cheesy fonts, obnoxious colors, and misplacement of graphics will distract from the actual product. Worse, it may unintentionally make your product and brand seem “untrustworthy.” It’s similar to going to a used car dealership and being bombarded with balloons, neon signs, and insincere salesman in cheap suits. The car you’re looking to buy may be a great purchase, but if you are distracted by amateur sales tactics and visuals, it will devalue the car. The same is true with graphics in product photography. Not paying attention to how the graphics make a person “feel” is a huge oversight.
The Amazon listing below is an example of cheesy fonts combined with an overwhelming use of text boxes, colors, numbers, and arrows. A baby monitor is an expensive and important purchase, so the graphics used for such a product should reflect clean professionalism.
Not Styling Correctly
Preparation and styling for a photo shoot are just as important as the actual shoot. It can be a bit tedious, but it’s also really important to get right. Styling is the ability to convey a story by getting the appropriate models, backdrop, and props to showcase and add value to your product. Often, sellers make the mistake of choosing the wrong model or environment that juxtaposes the purpose of the item. Sellers largely want young, good-looking, in-shape people to show off their product. But that may not make sense for what you are selling. For example, if you sell life alert buttons for senior citizens, it makes zero sense to use a young model. Remember: when a customer is deciding whether or not to buy something, they usually need to relate to the images. A such, it’s imperative you use people and props that captivate and reflect your target audience.
Why yes, she IS a very attractive woman, but how many young people do you know who would wear cat-shaped reading glasses? Our guess is not many.
Not Retouching Your Images
A significant chunk of a photographer’s time is spent retouching and editing images, post-production. Seemingly insignificant details like wrinkles in a shirt, dust particles on a cabinet, or a reflection in a wine glass are edited out to make the product look as pristine and clear as possible. Even if sellers overlook these details, that doesn’t mean their customers will. These things distract from the viewer’s overall shopping experience and that’s not a risk you want to take.
By doing a few simple retouches, the glasses in the after picture look much more pristine, clear, and of higher quality than the same set in the before picture.
Not Conveying A Brand Story
Ultimately, a transaction is usually driven by emotion more than a necessity, even if the buyer isn’t consciously aware of it. When your product is competing on a forum with hundreds – if not thousands – of similar items, a customer will pick your product over another because they can connect to it. A customer is always picturing themselves using that item and they can rarely do that if they are seeing the same style photos, over and over again. Peruse the whiskey glass section on Amazon and you’ll see thousands of images of glassware, photographed at different angles with the same, white and black backdrops. While these images may give the viewer a clear indication of what the glass looks like, such imagery provokes no emotional attachment. A good listing will have a variety of images including hero shots, white background shots, shots with graphics, and customized/action shots. In doing so, this assortment of images is walking the viewer through a story and creating a connection.
The screenshot below is a listing on Amazon. While the structure of the glass is unique and enticing, the photographs lend no help in picturing oneself drinking from it or entertaining guests with it.
Ultimately, it is not necessary to outsource your product photography on Amazon if you are meticulous about avoiding the aforementioned mistakes. With access to photoshop, a great camera, and a great eye for photography, you certainly can create your own, stunning images. However, there is a reason professional photographers spent years studying their craft to get to where they are now. It’s certainly not an easy art form. And with the hyperfocus of imagery in advertising, using your own shots may be a gamble not worth taking.
For more information regarding outsourcing professional photography, click here.
Coupon Marketing Agreement
(“Agreement”) by and between iLoveToReview.com, LLC dba MarketHustl.com, a Nevada limited liability company, (the “Company”) and the undersigned client (the “Client”), effective as of the date set forth above (the “Effective Date”) and covers all promotional campaigns for MarketHustl.
-
Amazon TOS Compliance
- We are not a review company. We will never ask any member to review a product.
- We have no way of tracking any information related to Amazon reviews
- Providing products in exchange for a review is against Amazon TOS.
- All campaigns are for strategic promotional purposes only
-
Coupons
- The term “Coupon Codes” means Amazon.com coupon or promotion codes provided by Client for distribution by the Company. All Coupon Codes provided by Client to the Company shall reflect a Significant discount on the price of the product(s) described above (the “Product(s)”), but need not discount Clients’ ordinary shipping and handling costs.
- Client understands a Campaign Date will not be set until Company receives Coupon Codes for distribution as set forth below.
-
Redemption Target.
- The term “Redemption Target” means the numbers of people who use the Coupon Codes to claim a Product(s) from the Client’s Amazon account. Client agrees to provide Company with an accurate report showing such redemptions within three (3) business days of Company requesting it.
- The Company will use reasonable efforts to distribute the Coupon Codes by email, SMS messages or website visitors until Redemption Target has been reached, however, there is no guarantee the redemption target will be reached. The Company will be responsible for the timing, nature, and means of distributing the Coupon Codes; provided, that the Company and Client shall mutually agree in advance to any product description, marketing materials, or the like used by the Company in connection with distributing the Coupon Codes. The Coupon Codes may be distributed in conjunction with coupon codes for other products and/or services, including those of other clients.
-
Client Obligations
- Campaign Fees: Client shall pay the Company the Single Promo or Standard, Basic, Business or Corporate subscription fees which are due immediately upon execution of this Agreement. The Company shall have no obligation to distribute any Coupon Codes until payment in full is received.
- Campaigns: Campaigns are defined as a coupon code promotion for a single ASIN. Single Promotions are limited to a 1 time promotion for up to 200 coupons. All subscriptions can run unlimited promotions per ASIN per month with no coupon limits.
- Client shall be responsible for timely fulfilling all orders for the Product(s) utilizing the Coupon Codes, consistent with its ordinary fulfillment policies, at its own cost. The Company will not pay for any part of the costs or retail price of the Products, and will not provide shipping, logistics, or fulfillment services. Client shall not charge shipping and handling greater than it charges paying customers for like goods.
- The Company shall not be liable for any damage or loss caused by use of the Coupon Codes, including, but not limited to, redemption by persons other than its subscribers, publication of the Coupon Codes, or redemptions of the Coupon Codes in excess of the Redemption Target. If Client believes that the Coupon Codes are being misused it is Client’s responsibility to deactivate the Coupon Codes.
- Upon the Company’s request, Client shall provide to the Company the complete fulfillment report from the time of the campaign.
- Client shall ensure that on the day of the promotion that the product price will be at a price that the Coupon Codes will reduce the item to the agreed upon amount as indicated on the cover of this Agreement. Client further promises that they shall not change the price of the item on Amazon for 5 days after the promotion launch date to ensure that the Coupon Codes will discount the product as promised for 5 days after the promotion date.
-
Term, Extensions
- The Term of this agreement shall be for 30 Days from the day the Coupons are first distributed by the Company for all campaigns and automatically renewed each month upon monthly subscription payment.
- Campaigns are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase and are non-refundable.
-
Indemnification, Insurance, Limitations on Liability.
- Client agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the Company harmless for any liability, damage, loss, claim, cause of action, injury or expense (including reasonable attorney’s fees and costs) arising from or relating to any Client’s product(s) or any product(s) promoted by Client pursuant to this Agreement, Client’s failure to fulfill any order pursuant to the Coupon Codes, any returns, reimbursements or the like, or any claim that any product promoted by Client under this Agreement was in any way defective or deficient, including, but not limited to, claims in the nature of negligence, product liability, breach of warranty (express or implied), breach of contract, or fraud (collectively the “Covered Claims”), whether for injury to person or property, or otherwise. If any Covered Claim is asserted against the Company, the client shall have the right to retain counsel of its choosing, and shall promptly notify Client of such claim.
- WITHOUT LIMITING THE OBLIGATION TO INDEMNIFY THE COMPANY UNDER PARAGRAPH a. ABOVE, NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, AND THE MAXIMUM LIABILITY OF EITHER PARTY HEREUNDER SHALL BE THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY CLIENT PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT.
-
No Warranties.
- THE COMPANY MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, CONCERNING THE CONTENT OF THE REVIEWS PROVIDED BY ITS SUBSCRIBERS OR OTHERS, OR THE CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF ANY FEATURE OR FUNCTION OF THE AMAZON.COM WEBSITE THAT MAY BE NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.
- THE COMPANY HAS NO CONTROL OVER CHANGES TO THE AMAZON.COM SITE, WHICH MAY RENDER THE COMPANY UNABLE TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER. THE SERVICES HEREUNDER ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS.
-
Termination
- Either party may terminate this Agreement, (a) on fourteen (14)-days written notice of the other party’s breach of this Agreement if the other party has failed to cure its breach during such period, or (b) immediately on written notice of the other party’s breach of the terms outlined in this agreement. The provisions of Section 5, 6 and 7 shall survive termination of this Agreement.
-
Miscellaneous
- This Agreement is the entire agreement of the parties on the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior or concurrent discussions, negotiations or agreements concerning the same. This Agreement may only be modified in writing, signed by both parties. No failure or delay of either party in enforcing any right or obligation hereunder shall be deemed a waiver, and no waiver will be effective unless signed with the party to be charged.
- The interpretation, performance, enforcement, and breach of this Agreement shall be governed and construed under the laws of the State of Florida without reference to conflicts of law principles. Any disputes arising from or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought, if at all, in final, binding arbitration pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such arbitration shall be confidential, and shall be conducted in Broward County, Florida. The prevailing party in such arbitration, and any proceedings to enforce or vacate the arbitrator’s decision shall be entitled to recover its attorney’s fees and costs.
- In the event that any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, then that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary to render it valid and enforceable, and the remaining provisions of this Agreement will remain in full force and effect.
- This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the named parties alone, and is not intended to confer any rights on any third parties. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns.
- This Agreement reflects the negotiation and mutual intention of the parties, and will not be strictly construed against either party by reason of the party drafting this Agreement or the provision at issue.
- Any notice required or permitted hereunder shall be given in writing by mail or email at the address for each party specified below and shall be deemed effective upon receipt.
- This Agreement may be executed in counterparts and through electronic means by clicking agree below.
Copyright © 2021 markethustl.com