VM & e-commerce

Visual Merchandising is the art of display and this applies to online selling as well.

An independent home accessories retailer Rouge recently renovated their physical store, which improved the customer experience and modernised the retailer.

The website, although contemporary, had typical white background product shots. The character of the new store was not coming through on the website other than showing images of the new store.

The solution was simple. Shoot the products with the store shelving as the background with more VM styling. This is also easier as so much time was spent before on cutting out the products for the white backgrounds. The end result communicates the look and feel of the Rouge and gives the product context and scale.

Here is an example from the website showing the new look and below a view of the store interior. The wood background is the same wood as the shelving. Actually it is the same shelving!

Below is an image of the same product that was replaced on the website. These were taken in a photo studio and photoshopped to make the white backgrounds. This time consuming work is now not necessary. Time is of great value to a small business owner.

The fine porcelain cups on white backgrounds did not give the product justice and gave no sense of scale.

The styling of the photoshoots also improved by adding other products and plants to link sales and show more of the store's style.

The physical store and e-commerce are now more aligned. An independent retailer needs to communicate what makes them special and feel more personal to their customers at every level.

White background product shots are not necessary, have no character, are too much work and have no benefit to the retailer. Now taking product shots is a creative exercise and much more interesting, motivating the small team to take the photos and upload them with pride to the website.