Important points while doing Amazon Product Photography
This article talks about the 8 common mistakes that needs to be avoided while selling on Amazon. It is the responsibility of both the seller and the product photographer to get the best Amazon listing images that can convey the correct idea of use to consumers.
Grey Background– Do not use grey or whitish backgrounds. Amazon needs all white. As per Amazon specifications, the images need to be on white background. So make sure the background is white and not whitish or greyish.
Main Image with text- Amazon requires white background image of the products as the Main photo. This photograph cannot have any text on it. No Logos, No taglines nothing. A very crisp, great contrast high resolution image of the product along with the packaging and any bonus item offered should be showcased in this Main picture of the listing.
Dimensions- A special shot called the Dimensions shot is very helpful in giving the necessary and required information about the product’s length, width and height. Do not try to mention very minute dimension details in this shot. Diameters are crucial to understand the size of rounded or cylindrical products. However caution needs to be exercised as to how precise the dimensions need to be. For eg- If the product measures 5.586 inches in length, it is best to add 5.5” or 5 ½ inches on the photographs. The dimensions digits need to be quickly registered in to the minds of the listing viewers.
Information Overload– Do not overload all the images with text or information about the product. This makes the image looks very complicated and dis-interesting. Instead select 1 -2 images on which you would add this product information on. Keep the remaining 5-6 images clean and clear with seamless white background.
Undue comparisons with competitor products– While it is a good point to credit your product with its enhanced size or quality, it is recommended that the photos do not make undue comparisons. For eg- Length of your product is 6.5” while that of the competitor is 6.25”- Do not highlight the point that your product is 0.25 “longer than the competitor (unless it is a highly valuable metal like gold or diamond sizing) . This undue comparison of product leads to a low level of product esteem because a good product will always do well. Make a comparison chart of at best 2-3 points.
Extending the product use to unrelated demographics– Be very careful with product use demographics. Sometimes sellers try to target a larger demographics in order to get more sales. But this is not true. For eg- A pink shoelace- You can target kids, women, girls, but targeting men for this particular product is being over-ambitious. Not that men don’t wear pink, but a general trend is that ‘Men don’t prefer pink’.
Another example is a Anti-snoring chin strap sellers on Amazon- Over ambitious sellers have shown kids wearing chin straps while sleeping at night. While the chin strap can be used by anyone, it is highly unlikely that kids will use them. So targeting kid’s demographics for such product is something people view as ‘weird’. So don’t be weird, and do the right thing by choosing the right population.
Shortening the product use to a niche- This mistake is exactly opposite the ‘Extending Demographics’. Many sellers target only a certain kind of people or age. This can harm the targeting by reducing the overall population willing to use the product. For eg- Magnetic Gun Mount Holder. A client research indicated that the gun mount photos need to be done on a RAM truck. The reasoning given was that due to the prevalence of guns in the country side, it will be mostly used by country folks. This is called cutting off the demographics. While it is highly likely that country folks would prefer a magnetic gun mount, it is not necessary that a person living in the suburbs would not possess a gun for which he may need the product.
This is a failure of the product research in which the product is not placed in the proper demographics.
Conveying wrong Ideas- A product photographed in such a way that it conveys the wrong idea of its use can be very detrimental to the product life. This mistake commonly happens during the Lifestyle shots done. For eg- Stainless steel insert pans which are good for steaming or cooking food can be used in a home setting. However such products cannot be shown on a bachelor or bachelorette parties set up. They are best shown in a household environment where a family is eating together. Hence select the best lifestyle idea to showcase the correct product placement and use in your Amazon listings.
Herd Mentality– While this sounds real harsh, but somewhere we all have started to follow the top listings image patterns. We tend to copy the listing photos that are doing well with a copy to the ‘C’. This tends to make our product look just like the other –which we commonly term as ‘generic’. Avoid doing this and get original. Stop following the herd and make your own way to victory which will last longer!!
While the seller is responsible for the kind of photos he /she requests for his/her products, it is the responsibility of a product photographer to make them aware of the above points while offering product photography services. An idea consultation should always be done before the shoot. Discuss and finalize the project. We at EtherArts Photography do a mandatory idea consultation where we discuss the pros and cons about the kind of photos the client requires. All our suggestions are based on decades of experience in product photography and also Amazon photography.