How to Use Visuals in Ecommerce

Hey! News flash! You don’t need to hire an expensive designer or photographer to create effective ecommerce visuals. You can do it all yourself and I’m here to tell you how. 

Hello world! I’m Mike Ploger back with Visme, an online tool which empowers everyone to create the perfect visual no matter the platform. Today, the platform is the world wide web. The goal? Increased sales. 

With 83% of people believing product visuals are the most influential feature to a page, you must implement a marketing strategy with visuals that helps your product stand out.

Over the next few minutes, we’ll cover ten tips to help you do just that all on your own. Let’s get started. 

1. Utilize Infographics

Infographics can not only generate huge amounts of traffic, they can also help you sell a product. If you have a controlled layout to sell a product on perhaps like Amazon, you don’t have complete freedom of the details and description of your product. 

In order to explain that product creatively and highlight its most important features, consider using an infographic. 

To help you see what I mean, look at this infographic High Coup used to sell their waiter’s corkscrew. They highlighted each of the product’s features all accompanied by a brief description. 

The infographic takes an everyday household item and turns it into something special. A simple high-res photo of the corkscrew wouldn’t have had the same effect. 

2. Create 3D Videos

Now, 87% of marketers are using video as a marketing tool. Videos help improve brand engagement, build trust and most importantly – increase sales. 

One of  the best and most creative ways to use video? 3D digital renders. If you don’t want to take it from me, that is fine but you can’t ignore the fact that Apple uses the trick with their iPhone releases every single year. 

As you can see here, the 3D video captures unique angles and zoom magnifications that product photography isn’t capable of. It’s sleek and attention grabbing. 

3. Consider Exploded and Cutaway Views

Are you selling a technical product with a handful of working components that maybe aren’t visible to a buyer? Something like a camera, a motor or maybe an audio system? If so, consider creating an exploded view image. 

Take a look at this watch ad. You can see each and every intricate piece that brings the watch together. Stunning visuals like these allow consumers to peek inside your product and see it in ways that they wouldn’t have otherwise. 

A similar way to market is by using the cutaway view. Rather than seeing each individual piece floating through the air, the cutaway view trims a product to show you what’s inside. 

Casper used this method when showcasing their wave mattress. They show you each layer of the mattress and provide labels explaining the different components. 

Think of these two methods as showing a buyer what’s under the hood. They can help build trust and they can set your product apart from the competition. 

4. Tag Your Photos

Our next few tips are all about user-generated content. Through UGC, you can show your product is popular and real people are using it. 

Perhaps the best way to generate UGC is with tagged photos on Instagram. You want people to tag your brand when posting on their own account. 

How can you get started? Well, create a hashtag. Once users seen your hashtag, they’ll use it when they start posting content in accordance to your theme. 

The clothing brand Aerie created the hashtag #aeriereal for consumers to share themselves wearing that brand. The hashtag becomes a catalogue of real women rather than models or even photoshopped ads. 

And if you’re struggling to begin a hashtag off the ground, create an incentive to help users catch on. It could be as simple as a giveaway or simply showing support of a cause. 

5. Share Unboxing Videos

Who doesn’t love the thrill of unboxing a newly arrived product for the first time? That’s exactly what unboxing videos are all about. 

Just as the name suggests, these are videos of celebrities or popular reviewers unboxing a product for the first time. It’s sponsored, but in a very subtle way for the viewer. 

When Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was released, video game site IGN posted a video of their host opening a product and revealing and explaining all the collectible pieces inside. It’s exciting stuff for someone who is considering buying the game.

And now, there are three ways to try this for yourself. 

The first is to encourage buyers to post their own unboxing videos. Yeah, these posts might not go viral but that consumer’s close friends will see those videos and want to follow suit buying the products soon thereafter. 

Now, if you have the money, contact a YouTube reviewer to set up a sponsored unboxing video. It is an assured way to make sure people will see your video. 

Or if you want to take a chance, simply send your product to a publicly listed address of a celebrity for free and hope that they’ll share the video on their own. 

6. Share Fanbase Tattoos

Believe it or not, a popular tattoo idea can stem from a company’s logo. Think Harley Davidson. If you’ve developed such strong brand loyalty amongst your fanbase, sharing consumer’s tattoos can boost that even more. 

Johnny Cupcakes isn’t a worldwide name but a number of people have gotten tattoos of their logo. With the right engagement and some passionate fans, sharing fan photos is an excellent way to market your brand. 

7. Utilize Shoppable Product Images

Now that we’ve touched on user-generated content, let’s explore some image strategies to help you with your ecommerce marketing.

For the first, we’re going to hop back onto Instagram and this time, used the shoppable product photo feature. 

As we said earlier, it’s smart to tag photos to drive brand engagement. But nothing can drive sales quite like Instagram’s new feature. 

You can tag your image allowing users to buy what’s in the photo with just one click. The best way to showcase a product is by putting it front and center, and now you can do that while leading a consumer straight to checkout. 

8. Virtual or Augmented Reality

One of the biggest challenges with ecommerce is the fact that consumers do not physically see the product before buying it. However, with the latest tech, there is a way to combat this issue. 

Augmented or virtual reality lets users see exactly what a product could look like for them. What do I mean? 

Well, take a look at the IKEA Place App. A potential buyer can see what a piece of furniture would look like in a home before buying it and hauling it into place. Augmented or virtual reality provides a sense of realness even to those buying through their phones. 

9. Gamification

In recent years, with the surge and dominance of gaming on mobile devices, branded games designed for products has taken off. 

Think of Macy’s Wish Writer. An entire game was created around the retail giant and it was targeted for kids around the holiday season. By creating an enjoyable experience for users, they increased their brand engagement. 

Creating a game can be costly and requires a creative marketing strategy but it can bring in an entirely new audience and keep them engaged on a consistent basis. 

10. Include Personalized Images

And lastly, using personalized images is a recent development in the marketing world that can be extremely beneficial for your company. Here the imagery is tailored to the user and often in real time. 

Take a look at the Warby Parker app. Using facial recognition technology, the app recommends glasses to each individual user based on their facial shape. You can even see how the glasses would look on your face without having to try them on. 

Personalized imagery is another way to help users who struggle to buy online because they feel the need that they have to go to the store. The images adapt to the user, creating a one of a kind experience. 

Hey! That’s it! Growing your ecommerce awareness begins with the steps that we’ve outlined in this video. Think about which of these tips could be the most useful with your product and then dive on in. 

And when it comes to creating powerful images, presentations or infographics, don’t forget to check out Visme’s website to see how we can help you. Our YouTube channel is also filled with content that answers your marketing and design question. 

Thank you so much for watching! Good luck! For now, I’m Mike Ploger with Visme, helping you Make Information Beautiful.