E-Commerce Photography Tips + Tricks

E-Commerce is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. and is expected to see unprecedented growth in 2022, with sales expected to exceed $1 trillion this year. When selling products online, it is important to showcase them with great photos and even videos. As a photographer, I want to offer five tips for photographing products for your website along with some ideas for using social media to market your online business.

Guest post by professional wedding and elopement photographer Amanda Peterson. 

5 E-commerce Photography Tips

#1: Only use clean, high-quality images that accurately capture the product. Since your customer cannot see the product in person before purchasing it, things like size and color are important to depict in a way that does not cause confusion when they receive their order. This will cut down on complaints and returns. Plus, you do not want your product to end up in an embarrassing “what I ordered vs. what I got” post by some famous influencer.

#2: Make sure to use a good camera. An entry-level DSLR camera from a brand like Canon or Nikon is a great investment for anyone who needs to take photos or videos of products to use online. They produce high-quality images that can easily be edited and sized for web use. If you don’t have the money to buy a camera yet, the newest models of top brand smartphones have cameras that take decent photos.

#3: Lighting is everything. I opt for soft, natural window light whenever it’s possible, it keeps colors true to life and does not create harsh contrast. If that isn’t an option, I would recommend finding a clean, continuous artificial light source that mimics natural light. Even an inexpensive ring light with a tripod that you could buy from a major retailer would do the trick in most cases. Keep the light soft and watch out for harsh shadows. If you are experienced enough with a DSLR camera, a flash with a diffuser works great, but on-camera flash can sometimes create shadows and discoloration so watch out for that.

#4: Keep the background simple. Busy scenery or a workspace full of clutter will distract from the items you are trying to showcase. A few great options are a plain white wall or backdrop, a wooden table or a marble countertop. Fill as much space in the photo as possible with the product or products you are looking to sell.

#5: Include multiple images of the product. I suggest photographing the product on each side and from different angles. Most shoppers want to see a few photos of an item before purchasing to get an idea, of course, of what it will look like when they receive it. In some cases, including a short 360-degree video of an item is a great way to show a customer what a product will look like in real life.

Best places to show off your e-commerce photography

Once you have a website full of awesome photos of your products, a simple and free way to market and find new customers is to use social media. Instagram is one of the biggest platforms in the world, used by many brands to sell everything; from makeup and skin care products to clothing and jewelry. When using Instagram to sell products, keep your posts, stories, and reels cohesive. Find your niche and aesthetic and stick to it. Again, clean crisp photos with backgrounds that are not too cluttered or busy are best.

An important thing to ask yourself when using social media to market is; What is my target audience? Figuring this out and then finding ways to inspire your audience along with trying to make sales will go a long way. People don’t only want to be sold to on social media, so finding ways to connect with potential customers and keep them coming back is key.

Consider finding aspiring influencers to help you sell your products by offering discounts or even sending a free product to a few potential customers who will take great photos and post them on social media. Consumers want to see the products they are interested in purchasing being worn or used by people in real life.

Many influencers will also allow you to use their photos on your own posts and stories as well, just be sure to ask permission first. A ton of online boutiques have Instagram accounts full of real people modeling their wares, a couple of great examples are Grey Bandit and Lulu’s. Both of those boutiques have grown by using social media and collaborating with their customers.

Look for influencers, or even reach out to friends whose Instagram feeds look great and who have followers that engage with them. If you are just starting out, offering free products to a few people that already have a decent following is a wonderful place to begin! Using social media is a terrific way to reach new customers, but it can be hard to gain traction and tricky to beat the algorithms. Do a little bit of homework and follow the example of others who have successfully grown their following but remember to stay true to your own brand and story.

Grow faster with e-commerce factoring.

E-commerce factoring, or invoice factoring for e-commerce sellers, is an ideal way to speed up cash flow. Expediting cash flow is vital for growing your business faster as it allows you to make faster reinvestments in inventory, take on bigger customers, fill bigger orders, or sell on more platforms simultaneously. What it does is free up money you’ve earned, either by selling to a customer outright or through sales on third-party platforms like Zulily, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Wayfair, Rakuten, and others.

As it’s likely you will have to wait anywhere from 30 to 90 days to get paid, e-commerce factoring is a financing tool you can use to essentially get an advance on the customer invoice or third-party e-commerce platform’s earnings statement. This way you can focus on growing your online sales, reinvest in inventory, pay off suppliers faster for a discount, expand inventory or production to get your products listed on more platforms, and more.

Even small e-commerce businesses can factor earnings statements and invoices to get benefits like these. We work with some of the best invoice factoring companies, including those that welcome micro factoring e-commerce sellers. Why wait months to get paid when you can speed up cash flow by factoring invoices?

Get a 100% free, no-obligation quote for e-commerce factoring or micro factoring and grow your business faster.