How to Make a Great Business Impression Using Jewelry Photography

“First impression counts.” You often hear it applied to face-to-face meetings but the same can also be said for virtual interactions, especially in the age of digital technology. However, unlike physical interactions, online dealings consider a unique set of constructs that conceptualizes impressions. For example, in an in-store shopping context, the visual cues that influence customers’ impressions are store decoration, lighting, and product display and arrangements whereas, in an online shopping setting, your web design and product photos take over and hold the most significant impact on customers’ perceptions of business trustworthiness and product quality.

Do product photos really carry that much weight, you may ask.  

Absolutely!

You might be in disbelief but the brain, as many publications have found, processes images 60,000 times faster than text. This was further supported by a study published in the Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce wherein Chau et al., deduced that when customers were shopping for familiar products, the photos surpassed texts in both effectiveness and efficiency.

That makes sense. After all, the moment the customer enters your website, the first thing that catches their field of vision is the jewelry product photos on your product page. How do you leverage product photography for a positive business impression? Let us count the ways.

Use large product photos

Larger photos attract attention and easily increase purchase intention because of their power to convey more information to prospective buyers. They allow them to carefully inspect product details that are often unnoticeable when presented in smaller photos.

Don’t feel restricted by image size requirements. If possible, use a photo zoom feature to give your customers the freedom to see tiny details at a closer view, but ensure that the photo is of high resolution for sufficient zooming requirements; otherwise, they would abandon your website.

Large photos make it easier for customers to appreciate the product but more importantly, they make your website look more polished and professional.

Upload more photos per product

It’s more than just a number!

When it comes to online product listing, photo count matters. As such, increase the number of photos per product. Take photos of your jewelry piece from various angles to provide prospective buyers with more complete product information from different views.

The number of product photos per listing, as shown in the study on the role of images in e-commerce, evidenced an increased conversion rate. This finding is easily justifiable. If the size of the photo equates to the amount of product information embedded in it, then we can say that the conveyed product information is multiplied as the number of photos increases. Think of it this way, every time you increase the photo count, you reduce the level of your customers’ decision-making uncertainty. Therefore, quantity can lead to higher customer confidence.

Ensure image quality

Image quality is made up of different factors — the cleanliness and uniformity of background, contrast, brightness, clarity, as well as shadows and reflections. It’s critical that you judge your jewelry photos based on these visual aspects before uploading them to your website. Pay attention to reflections, especially since jewelry items are highly reflective. The last thing you would want to see in your photo is the reflection of the photographer or the camera on the band of your ring.

We often say that a product photo is worth a thousand sales. This is because, in the absence of touch, your product photos could easily be perceived by customers as visual proofs of the actual quality of your jewelry pieces. Some customers could also associate the quality of your product photos with your reputation as a jeweler. Hence, poor-quality images may lead to lost sales while high-quality ones may attract attention, boost customers’ confidence, and increase sales.

Employ interactive techniques

Jewelry photography doesn’t have to be limiting. As technological innovation accelerates so does the level of adaptation. You would see technologies creep into view. These are innovative solutions that are not really new but rather adopted by the industry quite slowly until the pandemic crippled many industries. For example, animation, 360 videos, 3D presentation, and augmented reality, to name a few.

These virtual interactive techniques in product presentation do not only improve the level of your website’s helpfulness, but they also help expand your customers’ understanding of your product; thus, creating a positive influence on their mood and behavior while browsing. Overall, still images combined with interactive product images make a meaningful online shopping experience.

Source: Rhoda Sagaran, Online Marketing Manager, PicupMedia