Beyond a single image- where are brands missing visual opportunities at the point of purchase?
Shoppers want and need more product information, and a lot of them are looking for this to be presented in the most convenient ways possible. In fact, 43% of consumers would pay more for greater convenience.??
A study from Microsoft tells us?that people have an attention span of eight seconds, a decrease from 12 seconds back in 2000. It also found that the human attention span decreases by 88% every year. That means your product pages have just eight seconds to engage a shopper, and presenting them with endless text is an easy way to encourage them to skip your content and move onto to somewhere more engaging.??
Presenting product information in visual form is a proven way to increase engagement, enhance transparency and improve shopper trust and loyalty. With 92% of shoppers stating that visuals are the most influential factor affecting purchase decisions, brands that don’t consider additional imagery in their content strategy are doomed to miss out on the opportunity to convert shoppers at the point of purchase.??
Nowadays, product imagery is so much more than a single standard product image. While those shots are integral to consistency across retailer sites, the product page itself provides brands with near-endless opportunities to visualise key information and attributes to enhance the shopper experience.??
We’ve talked a lot about below-the-fold rich media in past articles (refresh your memory here), but today we are delving into the importance of adding rich content anywhere, and learning why it is important to move beyond the concept of a single product image.??
To make sure we are getting our facts straight, we spoke to NIQ Brandbank Rich Media Content Specialist and Associate product owner Dom Ricorda to find out more on the incredible opportunities associated with visualising your product content.??
Q&A with Dom Ricorda
What makes good product imagery???
All product imagery has different purposes, for example a primary image or product recognition image should allow the shopper to clearly recognise your product as it would look on the shelf, or in their hand.??
In this instance the best way of presenting this image is with clear, high-quality capture or CGI creation which should show the product in a way where the branding is visible, the details are legible, and the lighting adds depth to the product. This image is the first iteration of visual content that a shopper will see, for this reason it needs to be high quality to give a feel of professionalism for your brand.?
As for secondary images, you should ensure these images are not a repeat of information, so an angled image to show the products true shape would be suitable. Following on from here (depending on the product) the next best content module would be an informational asset such as a PR image or rich media infographic. Shoppers want to access important product information quicker than ever before, and these image types give them what they need, very quickly and this will support in speeding up the path to purchase and increasing conversion.?
Other important types of content are data panel images, these allow shoppers to read nutritional information, ingredients, usage instructions etc.??Then there is also the option of marketing your product with a lifestyle image to show what the product would look like in a real-life setting.?
All of the above are created and delivered with NIQ Brandbank's imaging service.?
Do shoppers need more than one image???
This would depend on the shopper, and ultimately how quickly they want to shop. But we would say yes, absolutely as it’s best to cover all bases and accommodate for all different types of shoppers.??
If you can provide all the important product information to shoppers in a low number of engaging images this will cover all bases from fast shoppers to shoppers who need detailed information before making the decision to purchase, and the result of this will be speeding up the path to purchase. This would only apply to products which don't necessarily have a large number of callouts. Products with a lot of USP’s would benefit from having a larger breadth of visual content.?
What product features should my additional imagery contain???
What details are important about your product? What are the USP’s? What differentiates your product from the rest? Is your product eco-friendly? or does it have health and wellness benefits? If so, all these details should be visualised in a simple way enabling shoppers to access this information quickly. Ultimately, if you ensure your product content speaks to the benefits of your products then shoppers will trust your brand, and this can result in higher sales.
Does having more than one image mean anything???
There is only so much information you can give a shopper in one single image. Imagine you’re a shopper and you want to know if a product is eco-friendly, or low in salt for example. If this information can't be picked up from the images in the retailer carousel or below the fold in visual content, you’re unlikely to look below the fold at product data to obtain this information as this takes time and effort.??
You’re more likely to move onto another product page which does offer this information about a similar product. Then purchase, then continue to purchase moving forward if you like the product and trust the brand.??
The simple answer is YES, the more images you have relating your product the more information a shopper can ingest about your product which will speed up the path to purchase in most cases.?
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Where does extra imagery live on the product page???
The most useful place for this in the retailer carousel as this means the shopper doesn’t need to travel too far to get to the information they need to make a purchase decision.?
Following from here the next best place for this is below the fold. The reason why we say the carousel is the most important place for product imagery is because this is the first place a shopper will look to discover information about your products.?
We would say the retailer carousel is best for individual product content, and below the fold is the best place for brand focussed content, this is where shoppers can learn more about your brand and other products in your range.?
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I work with multiple retailers and they all take different amounts of imagery, what is the right amount? How do I prioritise what images to show???
You will need at least 3 images to offer enough details about your product to the shopper, but the more images you have the more information you can offer (while not all retailers accept as many images, we are always working with retailers to expand the breadth of content in the retailer carousel).?
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We would say the sweet spot is between 6-10 images per product, this way you can give all the relevant and important product information to the shopper, meaning they won’t need to look further below the fold for the information they need to make the decision to purchase.?
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What can extra imagery show that isn’t my product’s main image??
Any details about your product or brand that aren't on the front of the product! The real estate on the front of a product is normally taken up with branding, description, volume, weight, an image of the product, and some brand designs. The other important information about your product is commonly found on the back or the sides of the product and this information can be the driver that triggers a shopper to purchase your product.?
Can I utilise marketing assets created for other campaigns on my product page???
The simple answer is yes, if the information is still relative to your product or brand then this would be highly recommended.?
?All visual content submitted to NIQ Brandbank will go through stringent QA/QC to ensure the correct technical image specifications are met prior to this content surfacing on a retailer site.?
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I want to add videos to my pages – can I do that????
Yes, you can add videos to the carousel or below the fold, and if you have the videos available then this is recommended.?
Some retailer sites won’t have the technical capabilities to embed a video in the carousel, or below the fold so it’s best to check this with your retail partners.?
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How can I make my images work for mobile platforms???
The best approach here would be to have a mobile optimised image to represent your product in the retailer aisle. This image will be manipulated to enlarge the 4 most important product attributes so they are legible from a small tile on a mobile device.?
I hear people talking about rich media a lot these days- is that different to adding more images to my page???
Rich media is anything beyond a pack-shot image, commonly including text, illustrations, animation, and generally built to engage viewers or shoppers. ?
Does rich media and extra imagery even work- why should I use NIQ? Brandbank??
Rich media will engage shoppers and draw their attention to the content, once they are engaged in the content, they will pick up whichever details you decide to visualise. This will speed up the path to purchase. Once a shopper has seen this content, they will remember small aspects such as the design, branding, colours etc, so when they see this product again it will subconsciously spark a memory of that product. Think of Coca Cola for example, when you see the red white a white wave the first thing that comes to mind is cola.??
How do product images and product data influence shoppers???
We know from market research and our data partners that shoppers are making much more informed purchase decisions, in a much shorter period of time. However, in tandem with this, if you can bring your product to life through high-quality imagery accompanied with detailed product and brand information, you will also promote emotive purchase decisions. ? ?
Allowing a shopper to know that the product is what they are looking for both visually and informatively, means that a user is more likely to buy your product – Informed Purchase Decision. If you can also take the shopper on a journey about the uniqueness of your brand, USPs of your product over your competitor products etc., then you are more likely to promote brand loyalty and repeat purchasing – Emotive purchase decisions.??
To win on the digital shelf your digital product content, the combination of imagery and data, should be optimised to both cater for informed purchase decision making and nurture emotive purchase decision making.??
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It’s clear that a? single image on a product no longer cuts it. Shoppers want and need to see more information about a product on their journey to purchase. Today’s shoppers value a positive shopper experience more than ever, with speed, convenience, and industry expertise being the key components of a good customer journey.?
It’s time that brands review their current visual collateral to determine if it is enhancing or downgrading the shopper experience for their product selection, move beyond a single image and start converting shoppers at the point of purchase.??
NIQ Brandbank offers a range of solutions and services designed to help elevate your product content strategy, from image creation to supplied content functionalities, we have a solution for wherever you stand on your journey to succeeding on the digital shelf.?