And while photo editing can turn an average photo into an amazing one, it’s not magic. You can’t throw a poorly composed smartphone image into Photoshop and expect to turn it into a professional-worthy photo with some retouching and clipping paths.

Edits are meant to enhance the photo, not recreate it. So it’s important to get it right during the shoot so you can minimize post-processing edits and maximize results. 

1. Show all angles

Use multiple angles to show more than just the front of your item. People want to know what it looks like on the sides, from the back, from above, etc. Showing all angles is incredibly helpful in giving more context.

Showing all angles can help reduce returns because shoppers have a better idea of what a product will actually look like when they have it. In 2020, SalesCycle found about 64% of returns were because the item didn’t match the description online. 

This is especially important if you sell clothing, which has the highest return rate compared to other products. According to Nielsen Norman Group, the most effective product photos are “large, consistent, specific, dynamic, and inclusive.” 

Athleisure brand Girlfriend Collective shows multiple angles of its clothing to help potential customers make an informed decision about their purchase. 

One tip is to shoot from below the product, so the product looks bigger and like a “superhero” shot. Here’s an example where the product photo makes the Logan Graphic dual driver larger than life: 

Implementing 360-degree photography can also be a great choice, especially if you’re selling apparel.

Again, don’t overthink it. Generally speaking, the more context you can show in your product photos the better, but don’t spend too much time over optimizing.

2. Highlight important product details

You put a lot of hard work into creating amazing products. Your product photos should highlight all that effort, including details like ingredients, materials, stitching, and any other stand-out features.

See how apparel brand Baro highlights the quality of its parka called The Brockton by focusing on the zipper. In another photo it shows the inner stitching of the parka to further demonstrate the quality of the item. 

Health wearable company Oura also uses its product photos to give a close-up look at the technology that powers the ring. Not many rings have hundreds of sensors on them to track your sleep and heart rate, so highlighting the tech goes a long way in helping show how the Oura ring can track important health and fitness metrics. 

3. Consider your page layout

Product images don’t exist in isolation. They’re usually part of a larger digital experience on your website, social media, Amazon, or wherever you’re selling. Your product images should match stylistically with the rest of your brand visuals.

Create a style guide with product photo standards to help keep your entire storefront consistent and cohesive. By setting a standard for hero images (for example, always use a white background for a hero image) you can be a little more creative when it comes to secondary shots. 

KOOSHOO sells its sustainable hair accessories using a uniform white background photo for main images, creating an easy browsing experience on its website. 

When users click through to a product page, they can see more variety with product images. Contextual lifestyle shots are buried as secondary images. The best of both worlds. 

If you have a huge product line, consider breaking out style standards into multiple categories. Kettle & Fire does an excellent job of using a product page layout that works visually. Clear, crisp, and easy to navigate, customers can quickly learn more about their favorite bone broth flavors. Regardless of the flavor you view, the style is similar across the board. 

4. Use photos in navigation

One underrated way to use your product photos effectively is by including them in your website navigation. Essentially, this means having each product photo clickable underneath so that your users can quickly browse various products in an intuitive and easy way.

Customer satisfaction platform FigPii found that adding your product photos to your navigation can improve conversions, highlighting Baboon to the Moon as an example. 

By simply adding images above the item category, the brand increased its conversation rate by 4.4%, compared to a text-only approach.

Product photography is the cornerstone of ecommerce success

Product photography is almost like your digital inventory. Without photos, you’ve got nothing to sell. With these quick product photography tips in mind, you can create images that inspire buyer confidence, reduce editing time, and drive sales.

The post 4 Product Photography Tips: Get the Perfect Shot—Minimal Edits Needed appeared first on Path Edits.

In this article we’re going to give you ideas on how to edit your product shots so they’re optimized to produce the most sales.

1. Get rid of distractions and imperfections

Effective product photos make it quick and easy for shoppers to see what you’re selling. Too many distractions take away from the product itself.

Distractions can take many forms: maybe you have too many props, there might be background noise on a lifestyle shoot, the light might have created a glare, or you could have the unavoidable speck of dust or odd stain.

You can remove these distractions with photo retouching in Adobe Photoshop or a similar photo-editing software. You can find out how to remove unwanted objects with this tutorial, for example, or outsource it to a virtual photo editing studio that can handle it for you.

2. Crop to fill the frame

Your product should fill a majority of the frame. This is an Amazon requirement as well as an ecommerce best practice.

Filling the frame allows shoppers to have a better view of the product without having to zoom, squint, or click through—regardless of the device they’re using.

Oral care brand Keeko uses white background main images that zoom in on the product so it fills the frame. While the toothpaste product on the far left is larger in actual size than the floss on the far right, shoppers don’t necessarily need to see scale at this stage in the journey—they’ll get that through the secondary images on the actual product page.

3. Cull the appropriate number of product photos to edit

Not enough product photos won’t give shoppers enough information. But too many may cause information overwhelm. The key is to get it just right.

According to our analysis of 25 top brands, three to five product images is the sweet spot. For most brands and products, you’ll want at least three images:

1. Front of the product
2. Back of the product
3. A detail shot

Remember, best practices are guidelines, so it’s all about what works for your product and customers. You can also do a quick search on a popular ecommerce marketplace such as Amazon to see how many product images best-selling items have.

If you’re selling makeup, type “best makeup brands” on Amazon. Find one or two best sellers, click on the item, and take note of how many types of product photos that brand has.

You can also look on brands’ websites instead of just their Amazon listings, especially if you plan to sell direct to consumers via your own online store. Deodorant and wellness brand Native uses five product photos for its facial cleanser, for example—several of just the product on its own, as well as a few that include models.

4. Use white backgrounds

White backgrounds should be the standard for your main product photos, even if you can’t create a white background on set for whatever reason. They make it easy for shoppers to see products, compare items, and click through to the ones they’re interested in.

Generally, you’ll want to default to white backgrounds for online hero and main images.

Hero Cosmetics uses simple product-focused photos with a white background that really highlight its products and makes it easy to understand what options are right for you.

You don’t have to use stark white for your own website. Instead, you can opt for a hue or shade of white. Hylo Athletics, for example, uses an off-white background to showcase its vegan shoe line.

If you can’t create a white background for your photoshoot, you can always remove the background later. Once you remove the background, you can change the color to white or create a transparent background for more universal digital use.

5. Change the background color

While white backgrounds should be the standard for your main product photos, that doesn’t mean you should shy away from getting creative—especially for your own website or social media. You can change the background color using Photoshop or a similar tool.

Experiment with various colored backgrounds to see what resonates most with your audience. Be sure to follow these tips on how to choose the best color.

See how Nguyen Coffee Supply makes its coffee products stand out further using a blue background. Working to find one or two additional colors for your backgrounds can really help spice up your entire product page with very little additional effort.

6. Create lifestyle composites

Lifestyle photography typically involves more work—set design, props, styling, assistants, possibly even models. But it’s important to include both white background and lifestyle photography to appeal to a wider range of customers.

Essentially, you want to incorporate your products in as many “real-world” use cases as you can to give more context to the prospective buyers. If you don’t have the extra budget for models, props, photographer, and locations for your lifestyle shoot, you can outsource it.

You can send your white background images and chosen stock photos to a studio to create for you. Or, you can hire a professional photography studio like Products On White Photography to shoot and edit the composites for you.

7. Fix lighting errors

Proper and effective lighting always starts at the photo shoot. It’s always best, but not always possible, to get the lighting right during the shoot. But sometimes you’ll need to fix it afterwards—maybe the weather wasn’t working, there was a glare, or you had unwanted reflections.

So if you’re unable to get the lighting right for your shoot, you can use a few simple lighting effects in post processing.

Here’s an example shared by Mandi Johnson, a fashion photographer and blogger. As you can clearly see, just a small change in lighting can dramatically change the look and feel of the same photo. Depending on your specific brand identity and positioning you can use lighting tweaks to really hone in on the exact feel your audience resonates with.

8. Use shadows

Just as it’s important to pay attention to lighting during your shoot, you’ll also want to keep an eye on the shadows in your product photos. Shadows give dimension to lifeless, flat white background photos. They’re challenging but can make a dramatic difference.

Add a drop shadow

If your shadows weren’t working at the time of the shoot, you can add a realistic drop shadow in Photoshop afterwards.

Here’s a great example of shadows that complement the product with Farmacy. The usage of shadows here make the product feel more life-like as opposed to a standard boring stock photo.

Add a reflection shadow

While natural shadows are often manipulated during the shoot, reflection shadows are typically added during post production. It’s a great way to add drama to your product images.

Luxury products, jewelry, perfume, and cosmetics often get reflection shadows. That’s because these items are often sold in department store environments with bright fluorescent lighting and reflective glass cases—so the shadow mimics that in-person experience.

Revision Skincare uses reflection shadows effectively for its product line. In this specific case, the shadow is what’s known as a reflection shadow, helping the image feel more three dimensional.

9. Fix colors to appear realistic and lifelike

Product photos need to accurately represent what you’re selling. It’s one thing to make your photos look good, but it’s another to over-edit or exaggerate your product to the point of being unrealistic.

From a color perspective, this means no filters or saturation. It’s important the colors in your images appear the same as they do in real life.

Be especially mindful when selling clothing, given it has the highest return rates. While the wrong size and fit are often the biggest reasons for returns, differences between a color on your site and how it looks in real life can impact returns significantly.

10. Use color change edits instead of reshooting

Using color change edits can maximize your investment. Instead of taking multiple photos of the same product just with a different color, you can use color change edits. Simply take one photo and create the rest through post processing.

Many top ecommerce brands, for example, use color variants to quickly show what the product would look like with a different color without taking a new photo entirely. Same models, style, look, just an edit to change the color in post production. For example, True Classic shows off its product bundle of nine of the same t-shirt, just different colors.

Instead of taking photos of nine individual shirts, it could take a photo of just one shirt and then change the color through editing. This can not only save time, it helps keep your product photos consistent as well.

11. Remove wrinkles from clothing

Wrinkles on apparel products look sloppy and unprofessional, plus it may make shoppers question the quality of not only your products but your service.

While you may iron and steam thoroughly before (and during) shooting, wrinkles are often inevitable. Removing wrinkles from your product photos helps show you care about the details and fortunately doesn’t take too much additional time on your part.

Here’s an example from Motif Concept Store:

12. Repurpose photos into videos and animated GIFs

Product photos don’t have to be limited to stills. In fact, many of the most successful ecommerce brands use other media types, including animated GIFs and product videos to provide a more dynamic shopping experience with context, ultimately driving more sales.

Fortunately you can often repurpose and reuse your photos, videos, and GIFs on a variety of channels and make your efforts go all that much farther.

For example, video is the top media format marketers use, with many taking advantage of short-form videos (videos that last less than a minute) due to how well-suited they are for social media engagement.

Incorporating video, even at a small scale, can help your products stand out, especially as consumers continue to consume more short-form content, and that content continues to drive return on investment (ROI).

Here’s how Graza uses video and GIFs for its olive oil products. It incorporates both stills and video to showcase its olive oil in action.

With editing tools such as Adobe Premiere and Apple Final Cut Pro, you can create videos in just a few minutes. For animated GIFs, try EZGIF or Make A GIF.

13. Reduce image file size

Image file size impacts page load time—bigger files take longer to load. A slow-loading website or page leads to a poor user experience (reducing conversion rates) while also hurting your SEO (reducing traffic). That’s why it’s important to reduce the file size of your photos before uploading them to your site.

Luckily, there are many ways to do so without affecting the quality of your product photos. And you can use tons of free tools like TinyPNG and Kraken.io.

14. Add alt text to increase visibility in search 

Optimizing product photos for SEO is also incredibly important. Over one-third of ecommerce traffic comes directly from search, and this figure continues to grow.

One way to optimize for SEO is to include alt text for all of your product photos. Not just for SEO, alt text is also essential to help those who may be visually impaired navigate your site. Alt text is a hidden data field you can add in Photoshop, on your computer, or when you upload the photos to your website or marketplace channel.

Provide as much context as you can while describing the image in a neutral and non-subjective way. Here’s a great example by Semrush:

Use targeted and descriptive keywords relevant to your products. Do basic keyword research around your products to see which terms are being searched around your specific products. 

15. Test your way to optimized product photos

We’ve covered a lot of ground on how to optimize your product photos so far, and while implementing the suggestions above will put you ahead of the competition, it’s very important you take a “testing” mindset into the process of improving your product photos.

You won’t know what works best for your business or brand simply by reading about what should work, you need to test things out for yourself. Of course, knowing the latest research on how consumers behave is a good place to start.

Ecommerce consumer research tool PickFu surveyed 100 consumers and found that roughly 50% of consumers look at price first and half of them would then look at the photos. Product titles and descriptions, while still important, weren’t as critical to those who were surveyed.

They recommend using tools such as Google Optimize and AB Tasty to A/B test your product photography.

When it comes to testing your product photos to see what works best, you’ll first want to have a baseline. Use a baseline when testing different product photo variations.

Below is an example. On the left, is the standard baseline. On the right is where different categories and product offerings are introduced.

Here are some ideas to test for your own product photos:

• Big vs. small product photos: Once you have your baseline, experiment with different sized images on your product pages. An easy test to run is smaller photos vs larger photos. While testing different sized images, it’s important to always make sure the images look good on mobile and tablet devices, otherwise your test will be wasted.
• Number of images: Try listing only a few products per page, or add your entire collection. Consider running each test for a few days and take note of any significant change of purchases, add to carts etc. Choose a few parameters to test, and stick with it for a few weeks before making any additional changes or running more experiments.
• Lifestyle vs. white background photos: Experiment with different backgrounds and contexts with your product photos across social, product collection pages, ads through post-production and editing. Measure Click Through Rate to establish a baseline. Social media is great for getting a “gut reaction” to any test you might run. Experiment with “quick view” to help keep potential customers on the same product without having to open a new page

Invest in high-quality photos and edits in the first place

Ultimately, there’s no shortage of tactics and strategies to improve your product photos and in the process improve your conversions. But investing in high-quality photos and editing is one of the most effective ways to take your product photos to the next level and drive more sales.

The post 15 Ways to Edit Product Photos to Boost Sales appeared first on Path Edits.

Outsourcing doesn’t need to be some forbidden word. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs outsource to help them focus on what they do best.

In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about how to outsource your ecommerce business tasks and which areas are best to hand off to a qualified third-party professional.

What is ecommerce outsourcing?

Ecommerce outsourcing is when an ecommerce business pays a third-party vendor to manage various aspects of the business. Many ecommerce businesses outsource tasks to increase bandwidth, move more quickly, or get expertise in an area they lack resources. As many businesses look to be more efficient and keep costs low, more are turning to ecommerce outsourcing given the many benefits outsourcing provides.

Deloitte reports global spending on outsourcing could reach upwards of $731 billion in 2023. And a 2022 survey found that over one-third of businesses are actually increasing the amount of work they outsource. Nearly half of businesses were already in the process of outsourcing or looking to improve their outsourcing strategy at the time the survey was taken.

Editor’s note: Outsourcing isn’t to be confused with automation. Automation is when you use tools to automatically fire off specific actions, according to established variables or prerequisites.

Outsourcing is less of a “set it and forget it” deal. Instead, it requires more trust due to a hand-off of certain business functions to an external resource to handle independently. Just like with hiring the right employees, the vendors you choose will have a direct impact on what you’re able to accomplish.

Of course, outsourcing isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy, there are different types of outsourcing each of which may be best suited for your specific needs.

Types of ecommerce outsourcing

Here are the types of outsourcing you’ll need to be aware of to make the best decision for your business.

Local ecommerce outsourcing

Local outsourcing is when you work with vendors at a local level. For example, you could hire an advertising agency in your town to help drive traffic to your ecommerce business, an especially strategic move if you’re targeting people who live in the area. You could also hire a local social media firm to help assist in getting the word out about your products.

Benefits of local outsourcing

• Close proximity to your vendor: While businesses have benefited massively from a global economy, being able to meet with your vendors in person can bring peace of mind and create more rapport.
• Localized expertise: Your vendor will deeply understand the challenges and pain points of your local market. They can even advise you with insights about your target audience.

Nearshore ecommerce outsourcing

Nearshore outsourcing is when you work with a vendor located in your greater surrounding area. For example, if you’re in the United States and work with an outsourcing vendor in Canada, that would fall under the nearshore outsourcing umbrella.

Benefits of nearshore outsourcing

• Similar time zones: When working with a nearshore vendor, you can communicate during your regular business hours. While this can be convenient, it does have the downside in that you don’t get the added benefit of having work done overnight.
• Similar culture and working environments: Working with a vendor who shares similar culture and work environments can help save time on communication and outsourcing processes. That said, as the world has become more globalized, this benefit can often be overstated. Many outsourcing firms from all over the world have capable and talented employees who can work with you on your every need.
• Predictable costs: Working with a nearshore outsourcing firm can be helpful when budgeting because you’re more likely to be familiar with how much a particular service is supposed to cost.

Offshore ecommerce outsourcing

Offshore outsourcing is when you work with a vendor located in a different country, typically overseas—hence the term “offshore.” As business becomes more globally connected, offshore outsourcing is becoming increasingly common. According to data shared by Microsourcing, some of the most common offshore outsourcing tasks include IT, finance, and payroll, with many businesses using offshore outsourcing to assist.

Benefits of offshore outsourcing

• Cost effective: Working with an offshore vendor is one way to keep your costs low. That isn’t to suggest you should take advantage of your vendors to get the absolute lowest quote—you still need quality work, after all. But there can be some pretty significant cost benefits to using offshore outsourcing.
• 24/7 coverage: Having someone work on your tasks overnight can give you a serious advantage. If you need a design request fulfilled overnight for an important presentation in the morning, waking up to it can be a game changer. 

Why should you outsource? 3 major benefits of ecommerce outsourcing

Businesses turn to outsourcing for many reasons. For some, it’s a purely cost decision. For others, being able to outsource an important component of business can help a business scale. As a business owner, knowing certain tasks are completed like clock-work can help keep you focused on your biggest-win opportunities.

Here are some of the major benefits of ecommerce outsourcing.

1. Outsourcing can save you money

According to Deloitte, 88% of businesses said they were able to save money by outsourcing. Outsourcing can help you control costs by allowing you to strategically invest in the services you need, rather than having to spend money on hiring new full-time employees as well as additional equipment, software, and tools.

Many businesses find themselves in the place of needing help, but not quite ready to make an additional in-house hire. Because outsourcing vendors handle all the logistics of the given tasks, you can get quality expertise at a fraction of the cost.

2. Ecommerce outsourcing allows you to focus on your strengths

Instead of spending time on tedious and time-consuming tasks, ecommerce outsourcing allows you to focus on your strengths. For example, if you’re good at marketing, but it takes two hours to create and edit a product image to use on social media, you could use our clipping path photo editing service to take the cut-outs completely off your plate.

You can then use those extra hours to drive awareness to your business, a much better use of your time. Growing a business is difficult, outsourcing can help you stay on track and avoid burnout.

3. Outsourcing helps you scale your business more quickly

Perhaps the biggest and most obvious benefit of ecommerce outsourcing is how it allows you to grow your business quickly. According to a survey conducted by Clutch, over 90% of small businesses have plans to use outsourcing in 2022 to help them grow.

You can focus on the revenue-generating aspects of your business rather than being bogged down by the necessary—but not big picture—needs of your business.

Which tasks to outsource in your ecommerce business

The benefits of outsourcing are clear, but what should you outsource? Let’s take a look at some of the specific tasks you can outsource.

Photo editing

Photo editing is one of those tasks that can be incredibly time-consuming but also essential to virtually any product-based business. The last thing you want is to use low-quality and poorly edited images, which ultimately reflects the quality of your brand.

If your images aren’t high-quality, will your products be?

Editing photos can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour per shot. This time adds up, especially if you’re not a photo editing expert. Photo editing can often take away valuable hours that can be used to focus on the essential—which is why it often makes so much sense to outsource.

Here are some of the photo editing tasks you can consider outsourcing:

• Clipping paths and image masking for background removal
• Color variants to launch new prints or add more color to your photos instead of holding a whole new photoshoot
• Ghost mannequin to bring your apparel product photos to life
• Photo retouching to remove wrinkles from fabric, smudges on your product, glares, and other imperfections

We handle your tedious and time-consuming edits so you can focus on more important tasks or your advanced edits done in-house.

Product photography

Photo editing isn’t the only photo-related task you should consider outsourcing. Using ecommerce outsourcing for product photography can save you even more time and money.

Product photography is essential to your ecommerce business because your product photos are how your potential customers get to know about your product—product images replace that in-store product experience. In fact, one Weebly survey found that more than three-quarters of people find quality product images to be “very influential” to their purchase decision.

White background product photos are perfect for outsourcing. If you plan on using white backgrounds for your product photos, it’s not as simple as just taking a product photo and removing the background. For the highest quality images, you have to customize the lighting for every shot and angle if you want to get your photos right. Let the product photography experts handle it. 

Silk dress brand VAUGHAN outsources simple photo retouching jobs. It was a no-brainer, as the brand didn’t need to waste money on an in-house graphic designer when a basic knowledge of Photoshop will do the trick. VAUGHAN outsources tasks like background removal and change so it can sell on Amazon.

If you want the highest quality product photos, it almost always makes sense to hire outside professional photographers to help you with your shoot. Here are some places to start your search for expert product photographers:

• Products on White Photography
• Squareshot
• Slack’s professional photographer channel
• Fstoppers, The LawTog, or Ladies Behind The Lens Facebook groups

Marketing and social media

Marketers are feeling more spread thin than ever. According to Semrush, nearly 64% of marketers said they wish they had more time and resources to focus on their core tasks in marketing. Ecommerce outsourcing can not only help support your marketing team, but it can help keep costs low by not having to hire additional full-time employees.

Here are a few of the things you can outsource within marketing:

• Social media: While social media can be an incredibly powerful tool, keeping up to date with the latest trends, best practices, not to mention time spent posting can get time consuming, quickly. Working with an ecommerce outsourcing vendor to tackle social media is one of the easiest ways to free up time. From editing images to the right dimensions for a specific social media platform or even the actual posting itself, there’s no shortage of tasks you can outsource for social media.

Motif Concept Store, an apparel brand for women, uses outsourcing to help with both its product photography and social media marketing.

• Content creation: Not only does posting on social media take time, but so does creating the actual content itself, not to mention your other content marketing tasks. Whether you need help with blog posts optimized for SEO or strategic marketing campaigns that require specific images or assets, outsourcing your content creation can, again, help save you significant amounts of time and money.
• Community management: You can use an ecommerce outsourcing vendor to help you stay on top of questions and inquiries across social media and your standard support channels. Having a team available to answer support-related inquiries around the clock can help you provide a world-class customer experience.

When outsourcing marketing and social media tasks, consider vendors who have experience in multiple social media platforms as well as experience with community management.

Web development and IT

Website maintenance is a never-ending process. Using a vendor specializing in web development can be invaluable in helping keep your site secure, technically optimized, and help take basic web development tasks off your plate.

Here are a few things you can outsource to a web development firm.

• Maintaining your ecommerce store: You can outsource the maintenance of your ecommerce store including, updating plugins, security patches, resolving server downtime and more.
• Running site speed and technical SEO audits: Your site speed is incredibly important when it comes to conversions. A slow site is detrimental to your bottom line. Additionally, having an outsourcing vendor audit your site for SEO improvements can go a long way in ensuring your site ranks well in search.
• Uploading images and product photos: Send over your images and product photos to your outsourced web development and IT team and let them handle the rest.
• Publishing blog content: Creating content is time consuming no matter how you slice it. Use an outsourcing partner to take that final draft and upload it to your website. A 2020 report by the Content Marketing Institute found that 84% of businesses have outsourced at least one aspect of their content marketing efforts.
• Building landing pages for new product launches: Stop wasting time building the perfect landing page and instead outsource the task to a vendor that has marketing chops.
• Setting up new email accounts: Have a systemized process for creating new email accounts and other important software you use to run your business.

Be sure to check out review sites like Clutch, GoodFirms, and G2 which each have detailed reviews of hundreds of web development and IT vendors.

Manufacturing

What’s great about outsourcing your manufacturing is you can focus more on brainstorming new product ideas and then letting your vendor take care of the rest. “We put the entire operation on our 3PL partner and now I don’t even think about it. It ended up costing less than paying for everything we need to keep doing self fulfillment,” says Allen Walton, founder of surveillance gear company, SpyGuy.

Outsourcing vendors that specialize in manufacturing have the systems, tools, and resources to help you create your products at scale. Manufacturing and fulfillment vendors can help with:

• Product development: You can hire a partner to help develop your product concept and bring it to life. 
• Holding raw materials: Your outsourced manufacturer can hold all the raw materials needed for production so you don’t have to invest in renting additional space.
• Manufacturing expertise: A strategic vendor can help provide improvements on the overall production process and introduce ways to decrease costs and improve your bottom line.

Virtual assistance

There are some truly incredible virtual assistant companies that operate all over the world that can help take those mundane tasks off your todo list. Using virtual assistants you can have them:

• Manage email: Keep track of important emails and stop being overwhelmed with your inbox.
• Answer and make calls: A dedicated virtual assistant can help screen your calls and answer any incoming calls related to your business.
• Customer service: Use a VA to respond to basic customer service inquiries or requests.
• Data entry: With a virtual assistant vendor you no longer need to spend hours of your time entering basic data into a spreadsheet.
• Slide decks: A VA can also help put together a deck for an important presentation as well.
• Research: Your VA can be a great resource to help you do research on potential product ideas, competitors, and best practices to grow your business.

Pro tip: When choosing a VA vendor, remember to account for timezones, so you know exactly what to expect for your outsourcing workflow.

VAs are often available at an affordable rate. Wise Advise virtual assistants, for example, have VA services available for just $25/hour.

Business operations

As your company grows, don’t let the increase of admin tasks bog you down. Outsourcing some of the operational aspects of your business can help you focus on your core strengths.

Here are some related tasks you can outsource:

• HR documentation: You can outsource everything from standard employee contracts to creating onboarding documentation for new hires as well as standard operating procedures (SOPS) for your company to follow.
• Shipping: Stop wasting your time going to and from the post office. Find a third-party logistics (3PL) vendor to take care of shipping and fulfillment.
• Data analysis: Your vendor can help you with data analysis regarding your business’s performance and more.

Accounting

If finances and accounting isn’t your strong suit, you should definitely consider outsourcing this critical part of your business. Even if you enjoy accounting, it may not be the best use of your time.

Keeping track of your sales, customers, and metrics can get pretty chaotic, pretty quick. An outside vendor can help you with your accounting to ensure you have an accurate and up to date picture of your finances.

Vendors here can be especially helpful in saving you money on taxes and other other accounting best practices.

3 tips for successful ecommerce outsourcing

Now that we’ve covered all the things you can outsource, here are some extra tips to help you get the most from your outsourcing.

1. Get clear on your goals

Know from the start what you’re hoping to accomplish through outsourcing. Having a clear goal in mind will help ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck. If you can’t clearly articulate your outsourcing goals, chances are an outsourcing vendor won’t be able to either.

Are you looking to improve your customer service? Are you wanting to optimize your manufacturing and product development process?

Being able to communicate your challenges and goals clearly with your potential vendor will help set you up for long term success.

2. Communication is everything

Open and strong communication with your vendors is a must. Setting communication guidelines and expectations up front is critical for getting the most out of your working relationship. Get in the habit of over communicating across the board to ensure you and your vendors are on the same page.

You should also negotiate with your vendors before signing anything. Make sure the terms are something both you and the vendor are happy with.

In addition, while working with your vendor (and even before you start) get everything in writing. Not only can this help you legally in a worst case scenario, it can also help keep everyone aligned.

3. Choose a flexible outsourcing partner

Businesses are complex and always evolving. Sometimes you may only want an outsourcing partner for a short time. Other times, it makes sense to find a partner long term.

Choose a vendor that is flexible to your needs, both now in the future. For example, if you’re outsourcing manufacturing, can they handle a 10x increase in volume as you expect in Q4? Can your vendor assist in other areas of your business as well?

At Path we have 300+ designers and has been in business for nearly 15 years so you know we’ll be here for a while. Whatever your photo editing needs, there’s a good chance we can handle it.

Looking to outsource your photo editing?

While there’s no shortage of tasks you can outsource, photo editing is the perfect place to start and it can truly be one of the best investments you ever make.

Your talent and creative energy are best spent doing what you love—not fiddling in Photoshop for hours. With Path, you can have professionally edited photos in under 6 hours.

FAQs about ecommerce outsourcing

What is ecommerce outsourcing?

Ecommerce outsourcing is when you choose to work with outside vendors to take care of a specific set of tasks related to your ecommerce business. You can use ecommerce outsourcing for anything from marketing, to finance, to project management.

What are the benefits of outsourcing in ecommerce?

Keeping costs low as you scale. Freeing up time to focus on more strategic initiatives for your business. Utilizing expertise outside of your domain.

The post Ecommerce Outsourcing: Get Back to What’s Important in Your Business appeared first on Path Edits.

Having the resources and capability required to execute is a challenge for most. As many as 86% of businesses agree it’s one of their biggest challenges.

Fortunately, for even the most resource-strapped businesses, user-generated content can be an effective way to get the content you need to execute your plans—and with minimal cost.

In this article, we’ll look at what user-generated content is and how to use it in your marketing and product pages.

What is user-generated content?

User-generated content, or UGC, is written and/or visual media created by users, customers, or fans. UGC can be a social media post, a YouTube video, or even a product review. Sometimes people share UGC organically, and other times brands proactively encourage or even incentivize customers to create UGC.

Handmade vintage brand Peppy Debs promotes its brand on various social media marketing platforms, including Instagram. On its Instagram page, it has a highlight section called “Customers” which curates all the UGC posts featuring Peppy Debs customers in its products.   

You might also find UGC videos. Here’s how hydration brand LMNT used a video created by one of its customers on its Instagram channel:

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Although UGC is often lower quality than professionally created and edited media, it’s still incredibly impactful as a marketing tool. According to TINT’s State of UGC 2022 report, nearly two-thirds of shoppers find customer reviews more credible than hearing from the brands themselves.

TINT also found 62% of consumers are more likely to click on content like ads, websites, social posts, or emails that feature customer photos rather than an image created by the brand. 

Put simply, customers sharing their experiences online is a great way to build trust and further establish your brand with new customers.

Beyond directly impacting sales, UGC is also a valuable addition to your marketing efforts, helping you save time and resources. According to one survey, as many as 37% of brands don’t have enough funding for content creation or don’t have enough time to properly create content.

UGC can reduce the amount of content you need to generate internally so you don’t have to tap into all those resources. Plus, it can serve as inspiration for future marketing campaigns.

Just remember to get the appropriate permissions for use (more on that later).

Where to get user-generated content

One of the main benefits of using user-generated content in your marketing efforts is there is no shortage of places to both find and use quality-content created by your users.

Customer reviews

Customer reviews and testimonials are powerful. More than three-quarters of people “regularly” or “always” read reviews before making a purchase. And you don’t have to wait for potential customers to find these reviews on their own. You can actually take customer reviews and repurpose them as UGC for other channels and purposes.

We do this on social media, for example. We choose some of the top customer reviews from our Trustpilot page and create images with fun design and branding to post on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here’s an example of one:  

You can do the same for your product-based business—much like the Peppy Debs example we talked about above.

Whether you get an email from one of your customers raving about their purchase or see a review they’ve left on Google, the more reviews you can showcase on your homepage and product pages the better.

Rowan For Dogs delivers cuteness overload on their product pages using UGC.

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Influencer collaborations  

Cassie Pauley, social media and PR manager at Evelyn & Bobbie, frequently works with influencers to create UGC for the brand.

For new product launches, she coordinates with their targeted influencers to send them products to test before they’re available to the larger market. “We send out products with printed collateral urging them to post, tag, and share on social media,” says Pauley. “We generally repost it on all of our social media channels.” 

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Pauley credits their successful influencer collaborations to the exclusivity of early access to the product. “Customers are going to be more likely to share if they’re excited, love it and want to be an early adopter,” she says. Using user-generated content for ads and global reach.

This is the approach the marketing team at Würkin Stiffs takes. “Reaching out to followers with a decent-sized social media following and who are already posting good content has been the most successful,” says Dylan Self, ecommerce marketing manager for the brand. “They’re already familiar with the brand and are appreciative of being noticed.”

His advice? “Get out there in the social media scene and really tap into your customer base and network,’ he says. “Send honest DMs and emails, over-deliver on products, and have fun.” 

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Social media

For starters, you can check all the places you’ve been tagged or mentioned on social media. For some brands, Twitter might be the go-to social network, for others it might be Instagram. Block off some time on your calendar to do a “social media” audit, and take note of how your users are engaging with or talking about your product.

If you want to go a little more advanced, you can set up saved searches around your brand name or targeted keywords in a tool like TweetDeck or Radarr which is a little more platform agnostic. If you’re just starting to grow your brand, you can focus on keywords that are related to your industry as a starting point.

For example, here’s how Lush Cosmetics utilized several pieces of UGC from their most devoted fans which they used for multiple social ad campaigns. If you have the budget, amplify your social media based UGC and turn them into powerful campaigns for your brand. 

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Solicit submissions

Another great example of a brand using UGC well is Grilla Grills. The brand encourages customers to submit recipes to use with their smokers and grills. It wants the community to be more involved in recipe development for the brand, so it designed an entire page specifically for recipe submissions. 

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Grilla Grills doesn’t just ask for submissions, they go out of their way to highlight your recipe across their website and social media if chosen. This is a fantastic way to build community while also generating UGC. 

At the end of the day, whether you’re a brand just getting started or already have a thriving community, engaging with your community and connecting with influencers will get you far.

Where to use UGC

Before we get into how to take advantage of UGC for your brand, you’ll want to think about where and how you can use it. We’re big fans of repurposing content to maximize your investment. You can use user-generated content in multiple places, saving you both time and resources.

Social media

UGC is also incredibly useful for content across your social media channels. Of course, with the emergence of stories on platforms such as Instagram, you can also upload your UGC content to be viewed in real time as opposed to only your timeline.

If you have a global audience for example, you can post on your home feed in the morning, and repost the content on your stories later in the day.

Parachute has encouraged their community to share their photos with the hashtag #myparachutehome, where they can then source incredible UGC from. 

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Social ads

UGC can be great to use in your ad campaigns as well. For example, instead of using the standard stock photos for your ads, you can highlight the diversity and relatability of your customer base and appeal to a wider range of audiences.

Ritual, a healthcare and vitamin company designed for women, collected dozens of comments from their pages showcasing the demand for a probiotic. Real comments, from real women, show the massive desire for a quality probiotic. You can run similar campaigns using testimonials as well. Get creative! 

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Publish on your website

In addition to using UGC for customer reviews and social media, high-quality UGC can really make your homepage pop.

There are a few ways you can use UGC on your website. The simpler, more straightforward way—and the one that doesn’t require permissions—is by featuring a social feed on your website. This could be on a section of your site or on a separate page dedicated entirely to this purpose (this works especially well if you have a specific campaign).

This is the approach Fenty Beauty takes: 

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Fenty Beauty aggregates photos from thousands of their users who have used the hashtag #fentybeauty to share their experience.

Use UGC in email marketing

With email marketing continuing to be one of most powerful channels for marketing, increasing loyalty, and driving sales, you can supercharge your efforts by including UGC in your campaigns.

From highlighting your best video testimonials, to including authentic written reviews, email gives you another avenue to share your customer’s stories.

Here’s an excellent example by United by Blue which it used in its emails. 

Not only does it highlight the socks, it also shares several reviews at the same time, adding a more personal touch. In addition, the image can easily be reposted on social media platforms like Instagram.

Consider using user-generated content in your welcome email series or post-purchase emails to show shoppers they made the right choice. You can even link the image to a product page to help further drive sales.

Promote the images on Google Shopping

Given Google is one of the largest drivers of traffic and awareness online, optimizing UGC for Google Shopping can really go a long way.

It’s not as widely used as the tactics listed above, but one good example is the swimwear brand Cupshe. 

The more UGC content you have on your site and elsewhere, the better chances it will rank on the front page of a search for your brand. The benefit here is that user-generated content can appear more personal, and stand out from the standard product photos. Using a tool like PowerReviews can help you optimize your user-generated content and increase the chances of those specific images ranking highly.

At the end of the day, you want high-quality product images that will give a great first impression of your brand.

Use the images on product pages

While it’s common to showcase UGC on social media, many businesses forget about the product page. The product page stage is the closest you can get to a conversion, without actually making a sale. As such, using user-generated content to complement your professionally shot and edited product images is a powerful way to make a strong impression.

Here skincare brand Versed uses a mixture of professional shot photos and UGC on their product pages to further highlight their brand’s quality skincare products. 

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Not only can you use user-generated images, but you can also incorporate testimonials as well.

Getting permission for UGC

Although virtually any brand can benefit from UGC, it’s critical you always get permission to avoid potential social backlash from using content without permission. The last thing anyone wants is for someone to be unhappy with a photo or video being shared without their explicit consent.

Generally speaking, content posted on public social media platforms is fair game, but you can always go the extra mile and ask directly just in case. Many customers are thrilled to be highlighted on your website or social media but you can never be too safe.

If you’re using user-generated content in ads, you’ll definitely want to get explicit permission to cover your bases. You can send out a DM or email as follows:

If you use UGC content for your ads or on social media, it’s critical to always disclose if an influencer was compensated for their endorsement. Generally speaking, UGC in which no payment was involved doesn’t need any disclosure.

For example, in Parachute’s case, you’ll notice they commented on the user’s Instagram account asking for permission to use the photo. In the Parachute Home example from earlier, here’s how they reached out to a customer on Instagram to get permission. 

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Parachute Home even goes further in implementing UGC best practices by stating how they collect and use UGC. 

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More often than not, being overly communicative will do the trick. If for whatever reason they do not want you using their content, be sure to respect their wishes.

That said, sometimes simply retweeting or reposting the content is the best route to take. Given the content is public, you generally don’t need direct permission and that can help speed the content process along while ensuring you’re respecting your community.

How to edit and repurpose UGC images

We’re all about maximizing your marketing and branding efforts, which means getting the most out of every piece of UGC you have. Editing and repurposing your photos is essential for getting the most bang for your buck.

Here are a few ways to take your UGC to the next level.

Put the image on a white background

Let’s say for example, someone shares an amazing photo of them drinking your sparkling water beverage on social media. The photo displays the drink clearly, but the background is a little blurry. What can you do?

You can remove the background entirely using the help of a professional, and put the product on a white background. This gives you flexibility to reuse the image on a variety of platforms and helps ensure that your brand quality continues to shine through. 

While hiring a professional is often the easiest route to go, here’s the most cost effective way to put a product on a white background. Additionally, we put together a detailed guide on how to change the background color of an image.

With a white background you can easily add more products to the image or even written testimonials to make the image all that much better.

Do a color change

A color change is a powerful editing technique that helps you showcase multiple colors of the same product. This can be especially helpful in industries such as apparel. If you have a favorite piece of UGC you can use a color change editing service to stretch a single photo into a half dozen variations you’ll love. 

For example, you can take one piece of UGC and change the color of the product to highlight different color options. If you’re short on time, we offer 6- and 12 hour-turnaround times, perfect for those last minute emergencies.

Photoshop it into a different context

You can also use background removal to add a different environment or background, again making your UGC go further. For example, if you’re selling shoes, wearing them during the evening is going to look and feel different than wearing them during the day.

By experimenting with different backgrounds and contexts, you can see what resonates most with your community and customers.

Here’s how Monsoon uses different contexts to showcase their clothing in different contexts. 

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Retouch to fix imperfections

Even just a little professional photo editing can take your user-generated content to the next level. Maybe there was a smudge on the camera, or a little too much light or you need to remove something from the frame. Minor edits like these are definitely encouraged.

Look at this example below. The woman is wearing a dress from Motif Concept Store, but her bathing suit underneath is a bit distracting. So our designers retouched the photo to remove the bikini top. Now the photo features the dress without any distractions. 

That said, you want to ensure you’re not overly editing the photo to the point where the photo looks nothing like the original. Remember, this is user-generated content we’re talking about! Editing to improve the “attractiveness” of an image is a big-no-no. Not only will that dehumanize your UGC, it can put you at risk of offending some of your most loyal fans.

If you’re considering running a contest or asking for UGC from your community, consider explaining the things to avoid when taking photos.

You’ll also want to use this time to enhance your product in the photo. Ultimately a good looking product photo is what you’re after, so don’t be afraid to spend a little extra time touching up your products.

Add your branding or logo

Last but not least, consider adding your logo or distinct branding to all approved user-generated content. This can be especially powerful for images you plan on using for social media, as it further extends your brand awareness at next to no cost. 

Using a tool like GetStencil or Canva, you can quickly add your logo to your image. From a design perspective, we encourage keeping the branding in the same spot on every image, as moving the logo around can cause some confusion.

If you’re using the image in your emails, experiment with a call-to-action (CTA) button below. You can also hyperlink the image and test whether or not that improves conversions.

User-generated content, a marketer’s secret advantage

Creating content is hard. Fortunately, UGC is one of the most effective ways to improve your content and drive more sales.

If you’re not using UGC in your marketing strategy you’re missing out. If you need a hand getting your user-generated content where it needs to be, we can help with all your editing needs. In under six hours we can edit your UGC content while you focus on the more pressing issues of growing your brand.

Discover your virtual photo editing studio, starting at just 39¢ per image

The post How to Get the Most from User-Generated Content (+ UGC Examples) appeared first on Path Edits.

In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about 360-degree product photography and what it takes to get it right.

What is 360-degree photography?

360-degree photography is a method of photography that captures the entire surroundings of an object in full-circle form. Generally, this is done by placing the desired object on a rotating turntable and capturing multiple photos from a variety of angles. The images are then pieced together in post-processing to create a sphere view of the object.

360-degree product photos, in particular, allow consumers to see the image in significantly more detail and get a better feel for the product.

While 360-degree photos and augmented reality (AR) are often used interchangeably, it’s important to note the difference.

Although there’s overlap between the two, AR is significantly more involved from a production perspective, whereas 360-degree photos can be done on virtually any budget. AR is the intersection of the real world and interactive modifications such as sound, visuals, and computer generated elements, while 360-degree photography involves standard photos with a 360-degree view.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of using 360-degree photos for your product photography.

Benefits of 360-degree product photography

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Drive more conversions

As you might imagine, a 3D image of a product can offer much more context than a traditional 2D photo. From shoes to dresses and even hardware, a full 360-degree view allows consumers to see exactly how the item may look and feel in real life—from every angle.

Presenting your products in an effective way online is becoming increasingly important, especially with more and more folks shopping in different ways.

As BigCommerce shared in their COVID Ecommerce Trends report, 67% of consumers report they shop differently after COVID-19—many of whom shop online more.

“Retailers stepped up to the challenge … by embracing emerging technologies that created connections with shoppers or made their customer experience more convenient.”

The images and product photos you use on your site play an instrumental role in putting your best foot forward. Testing new technologies and working to optimize your brand assets goes a long way in driving sales and building trust.

Boost website engagement

There’s only so much you can do with a 2D image. With 360-degree images and animated GIFs, your customers and audience can really get to know the product. Because your 360-degree photos are interactive chances are high your potential buyers will spend more time on your website, giving you more opportunity to share why you’re a good fit. 

Speaking to Cappasity on the benefits of 3D images, Aurelia Ammour Co-Founder and CEO of Shoes 53045 shared why she believes 360-degree photography dramatically improves the customer experience and can increase sales:

“By offering the possibility to discover our shoes from every angle, it is the perfect technology to improve customer experience. We have noticed that our clients now spend more time on the product page than they did before. The Time on Page has been improved by 18% thanks to interactive 3D images.”

Reduce returns

Far from a no-name brand, Home Depot allegedly reduced its ecommerce return rates by around 18% after investing heavily in 360-degree photography. Given the nature of what they sell, 360-degree photos were particularly effective and allowed them to engage and educate potential customers and reduce returns. Being able to see the full view of a specific type of screw or drill for example, helps ensure the right choice from the start.

Returns are not only costly, they can lead to a bad customer experience as well. Compared to in-store purchases, ecommerce sees a 2x increase in returns. Some of the most common reasons for returns such as sizing and style can be reduced through the use of 360-degree photography.

Beat the competition

As consumer shopping habits continue to shift to digital, going a step further with your product photos is an opportunity for you to stand out. From optimizing your product pages, to offering excellent customer service, you want to take advantage of every opportunity to stand out.

360-degree photos are an accessible way for most businesses to add a little more pop to their product photos for little cost, and give the ability to demonstrate how the product works in the wild. With ecommerce known to be especially cutthroat, 360-photos are a powerful way to differentiate your brand and not get lost in the noise.

While your competition focuses on the next shiny marketing tactic, you can reap the benefits of 360-photos for many years to come.

Who should use 360-degree product photography ​

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Most ecommerce brands would benefit from experimenting with 360 photos to some degree. But 360-degree photography really shines when you’re selling a product with multiple visual features, such as a backpack or complicated hardware tools, for example. With a full 360-degree view, you can showcase the entire product and allow your audience to see every nook and cranny.

Selling purses? Show the inside and out. Make custom nightstands? Show what they’re like with drawers open and closed.

Here are a few industries that could benefit greatly from 360-degree photos.

• Fashion: The more ways you can show a shirt, sweater, or dress the better. 360-degree photos are an excellent way to make fashion items jump off the page.
• Tools: From tools to other hardware, a full view of each item can help ensure you’re capturing every
• Tech and wearables: From smart watches to the latest high powered portable fan, 360-degree photos are an excellent way to showcase the latest in tech.
• Retail: 360-degree photos give you the ability to bring some of that “retail magic” to anyone viewing comfortably from home or on the go.
• Cars: A great way to show potential customers what the car looks like before they come by for a test drive!
• Furniture: As with our example with Heal’s, furniture such as couches can really benefit from a 360-degree view.

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Of course, 360-degree photos work extra well for all things apparel. Because fashion and apparel are so personal, giving an extended view helps your prospective customers see themselves in that jacket or dress.

Examples of brands using 360-degree product photography

One of the best ways to get better at 360-degree product photography, aside from actually doing them yourselves is looking at examples. Let’s dive in.

Jazmin Chebar

Fashion brand Jazmin Chebar has made an investment in its product photography. In the example below, you can see a detailed 360-degree view of its Vitro T-Shirt. Notice that in addition to those and regular 2D stills, there are options to zoom in on and rotate the model.

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As the model rotates, notice how she places her hands in and out of her pocket. This is exactly what we’re talking about when we say 360-degree photography can help you show your product in multiple lights.

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Here’s another example:

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Although the product photo background is plain, Jazmin Chebar does a great job showcasing each outfit in a variety of different poses.

Heal’s

While going to the furniture store may have previously been a popular pastime, the reality is more and more furniture shopping is being done online.

Furniture and lifestyle brand Heal’s really takes their product photography to the next level by showcasing their premium couches in incredible detail and 360-degree view.

What’s great about their setup is that by clicking a different color scheme you can instantly see the changes and continue to rotate the image. This is great for getting an idea of what color might fit in your living room.

When possible, be sure to include all variations in your 360-degree view, it really does make a difference.

Vera Bradley

Lifestyle brand Vera Bradley takes the guesswork out of purchases with a few simple 360-degree shots when showcasing its luggage.

While a little more involved than a standard 360-degree product shot, as you spin the image, the luggage opens up, showing exactly what it will look like when it arrives at their door.

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Fitbit

Wearable tech accessories brand Fitbit also has also invested heavily in 360-degree photography. Its product page allows shoppers to spin the wearable around giving them a complete view of what it looks like.

After they’ve had a chance to take it for a spin, a 2D photo further enhances the viewing experience showing a model with the wearable on their wrist.

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While it’s not the most sophisticated 360-degree viewing experience, it’s simple and effective. The photo replicates the feeling of being at the store playing around with the watch physically.

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How to incorporate 360-degree product photography for your brand

A turntable and basic camera gear is really all you need to get started—and a few more items will make the shoot all that more productive. But again, simplicity is key.

Here’s a video where expert photographer Dustin Doby shows you how to get up and running with minimal gear and cost.

Here’s a quick list of some of the tools Doby recommends to make your shoot go according to plan:

• Surface support plate
• Bottle support plate
• Wireless remote
• Turntable
• Clamps

The great thing about 360-degree product photos (like standard photos) is you can use them on your homepage, product pages, and even social media. Turning your shots into animated GIFs will significantly extend the shelf life of your efforts and add some life to your marketing efforts across the board. You can use your 360-degree photos not only on your product pages, but in your email marketing and social media campaigns as well.

You can use any of these tools to make your animated GIFs:

• 
  Wondershare Filmora: A powerful and robust video editing platform used by over 85 million created, Filmora makes it easy to create GIFS, videos, and more. Starting at $49.99 USD a year.
• 
  Make A GIF: A free tool with a premium offering, Make A GIF allows you to quickly create GIFs from a variety of media formats including Facebook, YouTube, vidoes, and more.
• 
  GIF Maker: A simple and free tool to quickly make GIFs from images.
• 
  PTGui: A free and paid tool that allows you to quickly create high quality panoramas. Great for photos done outside with unique backgrounds or other scenery.

Start small

Keep it simple to make it approachable at first. Choose one or two of your most basic products and use your turntable or lazy susan to give them a spin, taking multiple shots as you spin. Here’s a quick video showing how to use a lazy susan for the DIY crowd.

Remember, having to coordinate a model to showcase a jacket is much more complex than doing 360-degree shots of your best selling beanie.

When shooting 360-degree photography, especially for the first time, we recommend taking a few extra photos to give yourself more options during editing and post production.

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Pro tip: when doing 360-degree shots, those gridlines on your camera are your friend!

To delegate or not to delegate?

If you have the time and resources, learning to do this type of photography yourself can certainly be valuable—but there’s nothing wrong with getting help where needed, especially if it’s not your strong suit.

Often we creatives and entrepreneurs try to do everything, which gives us less time to do what we do best.

If you’re genuinely curious about the process, by all means give it a try a few times. But if you need a hand, we put together some great tips on how to hire a photographer for your needs.

Go full circle with professional editing

As always, the shoot itself is only part of the process. With 360-degree product photography especially, photo editing is incredibly important. Not investing in quality editing can very easily make your 360-degree photos look amateurish or low quality.

The last thing you want is for a shoot you thought went well, turn out photos that just won’t work.

This short video does a great job of explaining the basics of editing 360-degree photography.

While watching a few editing and Photoshop tutorials can help you with the basics, it won’t cover everything a professional editor knows to look out for. Key editing elements such as image masking, shadows, photo retouching, and more play an important role in making your 360-degree photos pop. And if you need a hand perfecting your 360-degree photos, hiring a professional editor can save you loads of time and money.

Not happy with the shadows in your shot? You can learn how to add a natural shadow in Photoshop to fix them in post-processing. 

The future of product photography

360-degree photography has been around for many years, but the rise of AR and ecommerce has made it more relevant than ever before. 360-degree photography helps take your brands and products to the next level for a very small amount of work.

Although it may seem intimidating to give 360-degree photography a try, consider giving it a test run during your next photoshoot. Experiment with one or two simple products and build momentum from there.

Take the stress out of editing product photos, with done for you edits by pro designers

The post 360-Degree Product Photography: Go Full Circle to Drive More Sales appeared first on Path Edits.

Adding video to your products’ visuals is an effective way to make your products come alive and separate you from the dime-a-dozen competition.

In this article, we’ll explore why incorporating product video is so important and how to do it effectively—even if you don’t have a massive budget.

Beyond product stills: why product videos matter

Whether you’re a clothing brand trying to sell more sweaters or a skincare line trying to sell more moisturizer, standard product photos can only tell so much of your story. It’s one thing to read about Disneyland—it’s an entirely different experience watching videos about the magical kingdom. Likewise, it’s one thing to look at a photo of a shirt online, but it’s a completely different experience watching a video where you can see how it looks and moves when worn.

Analysis: How Many Product Photos Do You Need to Sell Apparel Online?

While investing in high-quality photos can give you an edge, adding video into your brand efforts will truly separate you from the pack.

Take, for example, research by Google that shows more than half of shoppers have made a decision about an online purchase with the help of an online video. By limiting yourself to just photos, you’re at a disadvantage from the start. Certainly, quality product photos are important, but going one step further can do wonders for your brand.

Now, consumers have gotten so used to seeing the same product photos over and over. So while they may have worked in the past, consumers are craving something new and different.

5 ecommerce brands with powerful product video examples

Good news: although adding video to your product photo mix will require some effort, you don’t need a massive budget or team. Better yet, once you get your processes down, you can replicate them in the future, saving time and money as well. You can often use video effectively with just a few short clips or animated GIFs—it’s an ideal way to repurpose your product content to maximize your investment.

How Much Does Product Photography Cost in 2022?

Here are a few examples:

Lunya

Lunya has some of the most well-executed product videos out there. The luxury sleepwear brand uses product videos to complement its high-quality product photography stills. Some videos are contextual while others feature a plain background.

The brand uses product video to highlight select products. Note the video features a few “scenes”—a close-up of the smiling model to showcase the cozy collar, a zoomed-in shot of the pocket, another zoom shot of the belt, and a full body shot to show how the jacket looks when worn. Shoppers can see how it moves, how it sits, and how the details function.

Key takeaway: You don’t have to create a product video for every variant of every product. You can shoot photos of every variant (or use a color change service) and then invest in video for just a single variant. As long as you have photos that accurately depict each variant, the video should be able to do the rest.

Lovevery

Lovevery sells play kits for babies and toddlers. Product pages feature a mixture of high-quality white background photos and contextual lifestyle shows to show the play kits by themselves and in use. Some products also have videos in the style of animated GIFs that show the different ways you can use the products.

The Play Gym, for example, has a video showcasing how parents can arrange different sections of the toy to create a fun and engaging experience for their child. It also spins the product 360 degrees so you can see it from all angles. 

Key takeaway: 360-degree product photography is another key trend to look out for—and an accessible way to get started with product videos. Shoot a series of photos of your products and put them together to create an animated GIF—no video editing skills required.

Then I Met You

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Short of having the cleansing balm in your hand to try on yourself, this product video gives you the whole experience of what it’s like to actually apply and use the featured cleansing balm.

Then I Met You smartly uses a short animated GIF of its cleansing balm on the homepage, giving interested users the option to watch a longer, more detailed video. Also notice how they encourage you to turn on your sound to amplify your experience further. With more than half of ecommerce taking place on mobile, this extra detail doesn’t go unnoticed for those scrolling without sound.

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Key takeaway: A short video clip with sound can be an effective way to help make your products come alive.

House of Wise

Supplement and vitamin brands are a dime a dozen. There’s only so much you can say about the ingredients and benefits compared to your competition. This is why we love this simple demonstration of the House of Wise CBD oil line.

Targeted towards ambitious women, House of Wise uses a quick clip on its product pages to reaffirm the positive benefits for sleep, stress, and intimacy. The background subtly changes colors to highlight each benefit.

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Key takeaway: Consider showcasing your products on several distinct backgrounds to create contrast. For example, if you’re selling power bars, you could create a GIF using morning, day, and evening settings.

Common Heir

Common Heir is another company that does an excellent job of showing their product in action. The brand technically only has one product for sale, so it was able to invest in high-quality and engaging product content—including video. 

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In this example, notice how Common Heir uses a mix of animated GIFs and still product photos throughout a five-step carousel roundup. The initial GIF shows you exactly how biodegradable, vegan capsules look in your hands and the product photos further show you their product in action.

Key takeaway: You don’t need to spend a lot to showcase your products in video. A couple of short two- to five-second clips for animated GIFs can work wonders. Best of all, GIFs are an easy and natural extension of your current product photos, working in tandem with the amazing product photos you already have.

Where to use product videos

While it may be tempting to snag your favorite videographer for your next shoot right away, it’s essential to establish where and how you want to use the video.

Product page

Are you planning to use video or GIFs on product pages? If so, it may make sense to keep the video footage concise. To showcase a variety of products at once, an animated GIF can work well. Animated GIFs can be up to 15 seconds long, though somewhere around 5–7 seconds is better.

Homepage

If you plan to use a product video on your homepage, it’s critical to convey your product’s value proposition as fast as possible, Wistia suggests. “Quickly answer this question in your homepage video so viewers can easily understand what it is your business is all about right from the start.” So these videos should be less product-focused and more brand-oriented. You’ll also want to avoid setting the video to autoplay to avoid disrupting users—especially those using mobile data.

Social media

Social media is another great place to use your product videos. You can post videos to your feed, stories, or as paid ads. This is an especially great way to repurpose this content considering Facebook video ads take an average 2–6 hours to produce, compared to just 1 hour for image-based Facebook ads.

If you’re investing in paid social ads, it’s important to make sure the video meets their requirements. Here are the guidelines for some of the most popular advertising platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram:

Facebook

• Video length: up to 2:20; 15 seconds or less is recommended; select advertisers may advertise up to 10 minutes
• Branding: allowed
• Captions: mandatory
• Video bitrate: 6,000–10,000k for 1080p (6,000k recommended); 5,000–8,000k for 720p (5,000k recommended)
• Frame rate: 29.97FPS or 30FPS
• Audio code: AAC LC (low complexity)

Instagram

• Video length: up to 60 minutes
• File type: MP4, MOV, or GIF
• Ratio: 4:5
• Resolution: at least 1080×1080 pixels
• Captions: optional but recommended
• Maximum file size: 250MB Minimum width: 500 pixels
• Aspect ratio tolerance: 1%

Twitter

• Video length: up to 2:20; 15 seconds or less is recommended
• File types: MP4, MOV
• Maximum file size: 1GB; under 30MB recommended

Email

You can use product video in your email marketing efforts as well. Encouraging your email subscribers to click to watch a video can drive traffic to your website or blog and keep your list engaged.

Campaign Monitor recommends linking a static image to your video to keep things simple across all email clients. “Using a play button on top of a static image is the easiest way to link to video content, either on your site, YouTube or Vimeo. This has universal support across email clients. As long as images are not blocked, everyone will have the same experience.” Here’s their example of what that could look like: 

And if a member of your team has a strong GIF game, you can’t go wrong with that.

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When possible, show your product in action, don’t just tell.

How to create product videos to boost online sales

Now that we’ve looked at a few examples of brands effectively using product video, let’s get into the nuts and bolts of how to do it to showcase your products.

Plan your creative direction to keep everyone on the same page

Once you have a general idea of where you plan to publish and share the video, you can take your planning one step further and storyboard your intended creative vision with your team. Not being on the same page can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the final product of your videos.

• What do you need for the shoot? A successful shoot starts with successful planning, from having a checklist to knowing who on your team needs to be present. You don’t want to leave anything to chance. The further out you’re able to plan, the better.
• What are you trying to achieve with video? Are you using video to help better explain your products? Give your brand design a little refresh? Articulate exactly what you’re hoping to achieve with video before shoot day.
• Who do you need to hire? While some photographers can shoot video as well, some cases require you to hire a dedicated videographer. Some videographers also do the editing while others may require you work with a dedicated video editor.

Understand your costs

First things first. Budgeting for product videos is different from estimating the cost of doing product photography. You don’t have to spend your entire budget on video, but you also want to do everything possible to ensure your videos perform well.

How much you set aside for video costs is determined by many factors, but you can expect to invest $1,000—$5,000 for a small business. Most video production companies will charge a day rate, but depending on your needs, you can negotiate. You’ll also want to consider how much post-production and editing you need, which can add to your total costs.

One Market Media has an excellent resource on the 35 factors that affect your costs. Again, you may not be able to afford the cream of the crop of videographers when starting out but you don’t want to shortchange yourself here either.

Use different types of video

Not all video types are created equal. From short three- to five-second clips, to minutes-long product explainers, and even 360-degree views, there are many ways to showcase your product.

360-degree view

Adding a 360-view to your products can again help your customers ‘feel’ how your products work. While this requires a few extra steps during your typical shoot, the end result is often worth it.

Here’s what you need to shoot a 360-degree view product video:

• A zoom lens
• A tripod
• A remote control
• Turntable

While there’s certainly no shortage of software that professional photographers use, there are a few applications and tools that make creating 360-degree views easier:

• Adobe: an expensive but powerful and widely used photo and video editor
• Pinnacle: a popular alternative to Adobe
• Veer: another great editor designed for phone use
• V360: designed for mobile first

Animated GIFs

Animated GIFs are short automatically looping videos, up to 15 seconds in length, without sound. GIFs are reduced in size, sacrificing the image quality. So product videos are better quality, but animated GIFs are smaller in size and have different uses. Animated GIFs also make great backgrounds for memes and text overlays.

Plus, GIFs are a heck of a lot easier to produce than videos. You can use tools such as Giphy to make your GIFs in seconds.

Mattress brand Eight Sleep is no stranger to animated GIFs, using these types of product videos to highlight specific features and benefits. Can you honestly tell the difference between most mattress photos? This homepage GIF does an excellent job of showing exactly what the product is and how it works.

While “smart” mattresses are relatively new, Eight Sleep’s animated GIF demonstrates the tech that helps you get a quality night’s sleep, fulfilling the brand promise. It’s clear within seconds: you’re not investing in just another mattress.

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User-generated videos

When creating videos, you don’t have to do all the legwork yourself. You may have customers who are more than happy to share videos you can use alongside your other product content.

One April 2021 survey from PowerReviews found that customer reviews are now a quintessential element to drive purchases. More than 99.9% of respondents say they “at least sometimes” read reviews when shopping online—compared to just 97% in 2018. So product reviews in the form of video are a great way to capitalize on the power of both social proof and video.

How to Get More User-Generated Content to Promote Your Ecommerce Brand

Quick tips for using video to promote your products

Start small

You don’t need to spend your entire marketing budget on multiple videographers and fancy post-production. If you’re bootstrapped for cash, you can even use your smartphone to get started.

How to Take Product Photos With Your Smartphone: Tips for Shooting on the Go

The incredibly viral video from Dollar Shave Club in 2012 allegedly cost less than $5,000 to make. While you may not replicate their success, you can start using video to promote your products as soon as your next product shoot. Although it’s only natural to want to put your best foot forward, getting started with video is infinitely better than delaying hoping for the perfect time to ship.

Make your video go further

Once you’ve created a few video clips you’re happy with, you can use these on your homepage, product pages, and social media accounts as we’ve mentioned above.

Plant-based nutrition company Form Nutrition does this particularly well: 

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Its short video montage showcases customers in everyday life, helping connect the product to your goals and ambitions. The video was featured on its homepage and published on the brand’s social media accounts as well.

Incorporating video in your next photoshoot

While using video in your marketing efforts might seem daunting, investing the time to get it right can pay off. While there will most certainly be a learning curve, you can always outsource some of your editing if you’re too busy.

If you want to remain ahead of the game, implementing at least some video for your products is a must. Fortunately, it’s not as hard to get started as you may think. Use some of the examples and tips for inspiration, and get filming.

Outsource any tedious photo edits for your animated GIFs or product shots to our dedicated team of professional editors

The post In Motion: How to Use Product Videos to Boost Online Sales appeared first on Path Edits.