Apparel manufacturer and retailer Perry Ellis International Inc. announced just this month that it has completed a state-of-the-art 5,000-square-foot photography studio in Miami aimed at making its product images more attractive to online shoppers. Perry Ellis CEO George Feldenkreis called it part of its “important investment across [the company’s] digital infrastructure…as digital becomes the key component of brands’ connection with consumers.”
It sounds like—or should I say, it looks like—Perry Ellis has the right idea. The company is looking to build on the success of its direct-to-consumer sales, which includes its ecommerce sites and Perry Ellis and Original Penguin stores. Thanks to a 33 percent increase in online traffic, sales from its ecommerce sites went up 15.3 percent from fiscal 2015, Internet Retailer reports.
But even with great images, competition is stiff for the attention of online shoppers. And it’s not just because of the dizzying array of ecommerce choices. Goldfish have a longer attention span than we do.
There are some great opportunities to optimize your product pages that go beyond the images—to supplement those appealing images with more specific (but still brief) content and additional photos that help online shoppers use their imaginations, addressing the confounding paradox of providing people with a more personal shopping experience online.
Add more product descriptions…wisely. This doesn’t just apply to apparel. It’s nice to see great photos, but what is the product made out of? Rayon? Viscose? Recycled polyethylene terephthalate? Shoppers want dimensions of that Santoku knife, that remote control car. Perry Ellis uses bullet points to describe products—but not three or four. Many items have eight. A few have ten. That seems like a lot, but the descriptors are short and thorough with nouns and adjectives. How do you outline ten things about an anorak? State the obvious when it comes to description. That will help you create tantalizing bites of content.
Place the product in context to connect to consumers. These types of images don’t often extend past the home page. Since ecommerce doesn’t have the sensory experience of physical shopping, you have to fill in the blanks to make the sale. If the item is a pair shoes, you could show a close-up of them on actual feet—surprisingly not done as often as you would think. Include the tie-dye dragon kite flying in a blue sky along with the static product shots. It’s okay to show different kites in the same blue sky and different knives on the same cutting board next to vibrant veggies. You’re helping the potential consumer imagine using the item while avoiding using stock images, which turns off online shoppers.
Add a photo with a “real” person. I’ve seen very few sites that depict a blogger with a product on the product page. This may exist on other areas of the site—in fact, the connection to bloggers is apparent on several ecommerce sites—but they’re not usually featured front-and-center on the hallowed product page. Find bloggers who might have reviewed your product. People are blogging and vlogging about perfume, toys, cooking, fitness, lightsabers. Most bloggers would love to be featured on your site—including the product page. Get permission to use their pictures, and tell your potential consumers who the blogger is. They may already follow this blogger. Instead of a photo, you could link to a video of a vlogger unboxing your product on YouTube. If you can’t find bloggers who have reviewed your products, contact them and send them the product. You may already be utilizing blogger generated content elsewhere. Consider using some of their photos, videos or comments on your product page to connect with consumers and offer a more personal shopping experience.
It sounds like—or should I say, it looks like—Perry Ellis has the right idea. The company is looking to build on the success of its direct-to-consumer sales, which includes its ecommerce sites and Perry Ellis and Original Penguin stores. Thanks to a 33 percent increase in online traffic, sales from its ecommerce sites went up 15.3 percent from fiscal 2015, Internet Retailer reports.
But even with great images, competition is stiff for the attention of online shoppers. And it’s not just because of the dizzying array of ecommerce choices. Goldfish have a longer attention span than
we do.
we do.
Although appealing, consistent images of your products are critical, you don’t have to have an in-house, high-tech studio or hire a photographer to take pictures. Retailers can get professional grade merchandise images in a number of ways. A good start could be to look to your existing fulfillment partner as an option. A number of 3PLs provide this type of high-touch, value-added service to help their customers enhance the brand experience. Another option is a studio effect services firm, which will supply modified product photos that look as if they were originally photographed in a professional studio.
But even with great images, competition is stiff for the attention of online shoppers. And it’s not just because of the dizzying array of ecommerce choices. Goldfish have a longer attention span than we do.
There are some great opportunities to optimize your product pages that go beyond the images—to supplement those appealing images with more specific (but still brief) content and additional photos that help online shoppers use their imaginations, addressing the confounding paradox of providing people with a more personal shopping experience online.
Add more product descriptions…wisely. This doesn’t just apply to apparel. It’s nice to see great photos, but what is the product made out of? Rayon? Viscose? Recycled polyethylene terephthalate? Shoppers want dimensions of that Santoku knife, that remote control car. Perry Ellis uses bullet points to describe products—but not three or four. Many items have eight. A few have ten. That seems like a lot, but the descriptors are short and thorough with nouns and adjectives. How do you outline ten things about an anorak? State the obvious when it comes to description. That will help you create tantalizing bites of content.
Place the product in context to connect to consumers. These types of images don’t often extend past the home page. Since ecommerce doesn’t have the sensory experience of physical shopping, you have to fill in the blanks to make the sale. If the item is a pair shoes, you could show a close-up of them on actual feet—surprisingly not done as often as you would think. Include the tie-dye dragon kite flying in a blue sky along with the static product shots. It’s okay to show different kites in the same blue sky and different knives on the same cutting board next to vibrant veggies. You’re helping the potential consumer imagine using the item while avoiding using stock images, which turns off online shoppers.
Add a photo with a “real” person. I’ve seen very few sites that depict a blogger with a product on the product page. This may exist on other areas of the site—in fact, the connection to bloggers is apparent on several ecommerce sites—but they’re not usually featured front-and-center on the hallowed product page. Find bloggers who might have reviewed your product. People are blogging and vlogging about perfume, toys, cooking, fitness, lightsabers. Most bloggers would love to be featured on your site—including the product page. Get permission to use their pictures, and tell your potential consumers who the blogger is. They may already follow this blogger. Instead of a photo, you could link to a video of a vlogger unboxing your product on YouTube. If you can’t find bloggers who have reviewed your products, contact them and send them the product. You may already be utilizing blogger generated content elsewhere. Consider using some of their photos, videos or comments on your product page to connect with consumers and offer a more personal shopping experience.