08 Apr Image Guidelines for eCommerce Marketplace
In the world of online selling, the presentation is very important in promoting and selling the product. No matter how good the product is, it won’t get anywhere unless it is presented properly, especially in the online mediums where people cannot touch or feel the product. This is when the quality of product images would come in handy.
Since customers cannot feel the product, then you have to show them the product in the best possible way so that they will be attracted to it. In fact, eBay reports that product posts that have high-quality images are 5% more likely to sell. It is for this reason that eCommerce websites these days would have specific product requirements in order to maintain the integrity of the platform. Here are some things to know about product photo requirements and the importance of quality product images.
Product Image for eCommerce Marketplace
While there are a lot of eCommerce websites around the web, the three very big players are Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping. Each has their own specific requirements for product photos, but there are general guidelines that all eCommerce marketplaces follow.
First of all, the use of props in the background are highly discouraged as this may end up as misrepresentation if ever the client thinks that the accessory is part of the product. It is very important to keep the photo clean with just the product in it. In fact, most eCommerce websites would recommend product images with a completely white background (code Hex #FFFFFF or RGB 255-255-255). Though it is not a requirement for all eCommerce platforms (except Amazon), it is highly suggested.
Not only is it a requirement to have large and clean images, but it is also a big help. The more the people can see the product, the higher the chances of sale. Big images are also recommended because it gives the image more visibility and makes it look HD instead of pixelated. For the specifics, products should fill up 85% of the whole picture. The higher, the better; 1200 pixels or higher is good for long size in order to optimize the zoom and enlarge functions. This will highly appeal to the buyers. The requirement of Amazon and eBay is a minimum of 500 pixels; however, the higher, the better. The 1600 pixels and above is great for product images.
Image Requirements for Amazon, eBay and Google
As stated above, each eCommerce platform will have their own specific rules and regulations about the product image. Since Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping are currently the three biggest names in the industry, let’s take a look at their requirements. Below are the specific requirements that all three have.
• Minimum Pixel Dimension on Longest Size
First would be minimum Pixel dimension. Amazon’s requirement is 1001 for apparel and 500 for other types of products. eBay is also 500 (for all items), and Google Shopping is 32.
• Size Requirement for Optimized Zooming
For the size requirement for optimized zooming, 1001 is the requirement of Amazon and 1000 for eBay. Google Shopping is not very strict with this rule as they have no size requirement.
• Recommended Size
For the recommended size, Amazon requires 2560 and above, eBay requires 1600 and above while Google Shopping requires 800 and above.
• Percentage of the image that the product fills
As stated before, Amazon requires 85% of the product to fill up the whole image. eBay, on the other hand, requires 80-90% of the product to fill the image. Google Shopping requires a minimum of 75%.
• Required background color
For background color, Amazon is very strict with its white background rule specifying that the background should be RGB 255-255-255. eBay requires either a plain background or light-colored one while Google Shopping requires white, grey, or any light color. You may use photoshop or any other product photo editing software to remove background and paste the product on a white one.
• Borders and logos
All three do not allow borders and logos.
• Watermarks
Watermarks are not permitted for Google Shopping and Amazon. EBay allows watermarks but allows seller ID and company name only with the opacity less than 50%.
Best Practices for Quality Images
Aside from simply following the photo requirements of the chosen platform, it is important to have quality photos. Here are some best practices to get good quality images:
• Have Good Lighting
One important aspect of product photography would be lighting. On a sunny day, you may utilize direct sunlight by putting the product near the window to get direct sun exposure. At night, you may make use of a lighting kit. If you don’t have one, you may make use of a flashlight and adjust the angle to get good light.
• Use Only Quality Camera Devices
For product images, most people will be using their smartphones instead of a DSLR because this is more practical. However, you can’t just use any phone due to the camera quality. For Samsung users, Samsung S5 is a good device with 16 megapixels, video recording of 30 frames per second, and autofocus feature. For iPhone users, iPhone 5S is a good choice with an 8 megapixel iSight camera, video recording with 30 frames per second, autofocus feature, and image stabilization feature.
To further enhance your pictures, you can download high quality camera apps instead of using your default camera app. For Android, Android Camera Zoom FX is good and costs $3. For iPhone, iPhone Camera + is the best for iOS and costs $2.
• Use a Tripod
A tripod is used for keeping the camera still to avoid blurry photos. For mobile phone users, a gorilla pod or a spiderpodium is an excellent option. These pods are quite affordable and priced fairly.
• Learn Photoshop
Lastly, learning Photoshop is actually very important. Photoshop is used for meeting the image requirement of 85% filling up the image and also to not compromise on the image quality. You can do this by cropping the image of the product and pasting it into a white background. Next, you click on “Image”, “Resize”, and then “File Size” to keep the image quality. Optimally, the desired size is 1,000 megapixels and above.
Final Thoughts
These rules were set up to not only help maintain the quality of the marketplace platform but to also help the sellers get their products sold. In today’s internet trends in which visuals are very important to the typical consumer, sellers have to do their best to give what their customers want. It is because of this trend and demand that sellers must now have sufficient skills and knowledge at product photography and photo editing. Product photography and editing services are also offered to those who are not adept.
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