How customer experience photos can improve product marketing

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it’s not about simply including photos in your marketing strategy—it’s about including the right kinds of photos. Great product photographs can entice consumers, which in turn, can lead to conversions, grow brand awareness, and improve your engagement rate on social media. For these reasons, making high-quality product photography a priority is critical if you want to draw people in and make your website stand out. Below, we dive deeper into the importance of product photography in e-commerce and outline one of the most effective types of product photos out there: customer experience photos.

Why is product photography so important for e-commerce success?

Three women stand and talk in a modern retail store, each holding a large black shopping tote that reads "The Local Shop." Products and a sign reading "THE LAB" are visible in the background.

The most basic answer to this question is that product photography is the first thing someone looks at when they are deciding whether or not to purchase a product. Therefore, brands need to make sure they are showcasing their products in the most desirable and effective way possible. We list a few key reasons that quality product photography can lead to e-commerce success below.

1. It makes a great first impression

Professional product photography makes a fantastic first impression, and we all know how important first impressions are. Consumers will look at a photo of your product before they ever read the description, so it needs to be memorable. Great product photography should intrigue and persuade the customer to purchase the product.

2. It can increase your conversion rate

A great photo can convince a consumer to purchase a product, even if they didn’t originally visit your website intending to do so. That is how powerful product photography can be!

3. It builds brand recognition

Maintaining a consistent brand image is extremely important, especially for e-commerce companies. The best way to do this is through photography that can be used across all platforms—social media, web, email, and more. The more visually consistent you are, the easier it will be for consumers to recognize your brand, and customers are far more likely to buy from brands they are familiar with. Learn all about how you can inject visual content into your marketing strategy, from social media to email newsletters.

4. It can increase social media engagement

Social media users like seeing beautiful content. It’s as simple as that. The more polished and professional your product photos look, the more likely it is that a user will not only want to look at it but will engage with it. Whether it be liking your post, commenting on it, or best of all, sharing it, e-commerce brands that invest in quality product photography often experience a boost in social media engagement.

What makes a great product photo?

Now, let’s consider what makes a product photo stand out. It’s not just about great lighting or the right angle, it’s about human connection. Product photoshoots, i.e. those that feature a series of isolated shots highlighting one or more products, are certainly a vital part of any e-commerce website. But what really draws in a consumer is a person interacting with the product, which can be achieved through customer experience photoshoots.

These types of photoshoots are the perfect complement to isolated product shots as they produce photos that highlight a product in a real-life setting. Customer experience photoshoots involve hiring a model (or multiple) to be photographed engaging with your product in some way. For example, if your brand sells bicycles, you might show a model riding the bicycle or adjusting the gears. Alternatively, if you’re a payment solutions provider like Equinox, then you might show a customer tapping their credit card on one of your POS systems. The sky’s the limit, but there is a way to incorporate customer experience shots into any marketing campaign.

What are the benefits of customer experience photoshoots?

Now that you know what makes product photography such an important part of brand storytelling and have an understanding of what customer experience photos are, let’s dive into a few of the main benefits of adding these types of photos to your marketing strategy.

1. Customer experience photos showcase solutions

A woman in black medical scrubs hands a skincare product to a seated woman in a white top and black pants inside a modern clinic.

One of the reasons that customer experience photos are such an effective part of any marketing campaign is that they showcase solutions to real-life problems. Effective customer experience photos illustrate how your product solves a problem for a customer. (Bonus points if your photo makes a customer become aware of a problem they didn’t even realize they had!)

2. Customer experience photos give your products context

While isolated product shots are perfect for showing off the finer details of your product, they lack context. In some cases, the consumer may not be able to accurately tell the size or even the colour of the product by looking at an isolated product shot. That’s where customer experience shots come in. These photos give your product context, placing it in a real-world environment that gives the consumer a better idea of what the product looks and feels like, as well as how it can be used.

3. Customer experience photos build trust

A salesperson in a black blazer shows a cosmetic product to a customer at a modern beauty store counter, surrounded by various skincare items.

A third benefit of customer experience photos is that they build trust between you and your consumers. Generally speaking, having high-quality, professional photography conveys to the customer that you have a high-quality, professional product to offer them, and product integrity is vital for brand loyalty. Even better, using customer experience photos fosters another layer of trust as they show real people using your product. This instantly gives consumers reassurance as to the product’s look, feel, and application compared to an isolated product shot that could still leave them with several questions. Ultimately, the more trust that the customer has in the quality and accuracy of the product, the more likely they will be to convert.

4. Customer experience photos foster an emotional connection

Three women sit at a modern table; one woman holds and discusses a decorative object while the others listen. Gift bags, boxes, and coffee cups are on the table.

Lastly, product photography builds an emotional connection between you and your consumer. Such photos help convey your brand story, giving your audience an up close look into what your products have to offer. It demonstrates to a customer how your product can make a difference in their life, which in turn, can elicit an emotional response that is far more difficult to achieve through isolated product shots. Ultimately, customer experience photos bring a human element to your brand.

Want to up your product photography game?

For guidance with your upcoming customer experience photoshoot, contact Indigo Events. We will work together to create updated product photography for your website that inspires and connects with your audience. We can’t wait to create something incredible together!