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Product photography plays a major role in the Amazon marketplace and the world of ecommerce. 

Your online photography could make all the difference while selling on Amazon. High-quality images can help you market your products by showing customers exactly what your products will look like. On the other hand, poor product images may cause you to lose potential customers, impacting your sales negatively. Not only do poor-quality images affect your sales, but they also affect your product ranking on Amazon. So how can you use product photography to improve your product ranking and increase Amazon sales?

Read on as we look at what Amazon product photography is all about and go through ways you can improve your product ranking on Amazon using product photography. 

What is Amazon product photography? 

The old saying: “A picture is worth more than a thousand words” applies very much to selling on Amazon. Adding good product photos to your Amazon listing can get you more clicks than a listing full of texts. But what is product photography all about? 

Well, product photography on Amazon refers to all the techniques used to take attractive images of a product to entice potential shoppers, boost conversion rates and increase sales on Amazon. 

Why are product images so important for selling on Amazon? 

Shopping at a Brick and Mortar store gives you access to a wide range of products you can view in person. 

However, on the Amazon marketplace or any ecommerce platform, this is not the case. 

Customers have to rely on your product images to give them an idea of elements like the color, size, and even quality of the product. As an Amazon seller, this makes it very important to put up high-quality images.

If your product images are attractive, you can get more people to click on your Amazon listing, increasing your click-through rates. 

Also, adding high-quality images to your listing will give customers a good view of your products and make them comfortable enough to make a buying decision. 

You are also less likely to get negative reviews when customers have a good view of what exactly they are buying. In fact, increasing conversion rates on Amazon starts with a great product photo. 

Amazon image requirements and guidelines 

Taking a good product photo starts with understanding and following all of Amazon's requirements and guidelines. 

It can get tedious following Amazon’s rules. However, following the rules will prevent your listing from being suppressed and will improve your rankings on Amazon. 

Technical image requirements 

• Your image files should come in the following format: TIFF (.tif/.tiff), JPEG (.jpeg/.jpg), GIF (.gif) and PNG (.png) format
• Your images should come in pixel dimensions of at least 1000 or larger in either height or width 
• Images should come in sRGB or CMYK color mode
• File names must consist of the product identifier (Amazon ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC) followed by a period and the appropriate file extension (Example: B000123456.jpg or 0237425673485.tif)

Here are Amazon’s product image standards: 

• You must attach the cover art or a professional photograph of the product you are selling. You are not allowed to upload drawings or illustrations of your product.
• The image must not have unwarranted or confusing additional objects.
• The image must be in focus and should be professionally lit. It should also be photographed or scanned, with real colors, and smooth edges.
• If you sell Books, Music, or Video/DVDs, you should attach the front cover art. It should fill 100% of the image frame. You are not allowed to add jewel cases, promotional stickers, and cellophane. 
• Your full product must be in the frame.
• Your image backgrounds must be pure white (RGB 255,255,255).
• Your image must not include additional text, graphics, or inset images.
• Pornographic and offensive materials are prohibited.

Here are guidelines for additional images: 

• The image must be relevant to the product you are selling.
• The image must be in focus and should be professionally lit. It should also be photographed or scanned, with real colors, and smooth edges.
• You can add other products or objects that can help demonstrate the scale and use of the product.
• Your product and props should cover 85% or more of the image frame.
• You can also add cropped or close-up images.
• You can include backgrounds and environments in your product photography 
• You can include text and demonstrative graphics.
• You are not allowed to upload pornographic or offensive materials. 

What you need to create high-quality images for your Amazon product listing

To give customers a quality shopping experience, you need to create high-quality images. And to do this, you will need the help of professional ecommerce product photography services. Alternatively, you can do this yourself if you are working with a low budget. Here are the materials you need to create high-quality images right from your home. 

• A good camera: You don’t necessarily need a costly camera. However, it’s important to go for a camera with good exposure, as this can affect the quality of your image. 
• A white paper roll: Amazon requires that your images be taken over a white background. To achieve this, you will need to invest in a white paper roll. Go for a paper that's at least 10 feet long with a width that properly fits your product. 
• White foam boards: White foam boards are important to reflect and increase lighting from your window. You will need them to give your product that full lighting effect free of your product’s shadows. 
• A tripod: You will need to invest in a tripod to stabilize your camera as you do the photo shoot.  
• Duct tapes and clamps: You will need some duct tapes and clamps to hold the white background and product in place as you shoot.  
• Natural lighting: You will need natural light coming from your windows. However, you need to make sure you have sufficient light. It will work best to do your shoot close to a large window in your home. 

7 tips to create images that improve your product ranking on Amazon

Now we have a list of Amazon’s image requirements and guidelines. Let's look at some tips to help you create images that can improve your product rankings on Amazon. 

1. Focus on your main image 
2. Capture your product from different angles
3. Zoom in on unique product features
4. Capture the right product size 
5. Educate your customers with instructional images 
6. Include some lifestyle images 
7. Add some before/after images 

Focus on your main image 

The first thing customers see when they scroll through Amazon is the main image. You need to make sure your main image stands out. Ensure your main image is bright, clear, and bold. It should also take up 85% of the image and should be attractive enough to get potential customers to click on your listing.  

Capture your product from different angles

Your main image will only show customers the front view of your product. It’s always a good idea to add some additional images as Amazon will permit. A few of your potential customers may not have seen or felt your product before. Give them ample shots, capturing different angles of your product. 

Zoom in on unique product features

Your customer may not be able to see some parts of your product, so it is important to showcase details of your product. You can do this by zooming in on the special features of your product. For example, if your product has a special material or a hidden feature you can take shots of those features properly zoomed in. You can also zoom in on the product, highlighting the product dimensions. 

Capture the right product size 

When taking shots of your product, you need to pay attention to your product size. You don’t want to take images that are too big or too small. If your product image is too small or too big, your customers could lose out on seeing essential features of your product. Follow Amazon’s image requirement and ensure your product is captured in the right ratio. 

Educate your customers with instructional images 

If you sell products that require installation, it will be helpful for potential customers if you add images that explain the process. If your customers don’t get instructions on how to use your product, they may abandon the product or even drop a negative review on your listing. This is especially true if you sell products that fall under the electronics product category. 

Include some lifestyle images 

Show your customers how your products will fit into their everyday life or area of interest. Consider the interests of your target audience and showcase your product in that area of interest. For example, if you sell scented candles and you are targeting a family, you can showcase your product during a family dinner or a dinner with that special someone. 

Add some before/after images 

If your product solves a specific problem, you can consider adding some before/after images. This will show customers what they will look like before and after using your product. It could even reveal problems your customers didn’t notice they had while presenting your product as the answer to that unique problem. 

How to upload images to your Amazon product listing 

Once you’ve created your images, the next step is to upload them to your Amazon listing. For each product, you can upload nine images. Here’s a step by step guide to uploading images to your Amazon product listing: 

1. Go to your Amazon Seller Central account
2. Find products you want to add images to
3. Click on ‘Manage Images’ from the drop-down menu
4. Next, click on Add Images
5. Next, select the image slot for images you want to upload
6. Lastly, click on ‘Browse File’, find the images you want to upload, and click on ‘Upload Images’.

If your images meet Amazon’s requirements, you should be able to get your images approved within a few hours. 

Conclusion 

Product photography is an essential part of marketing on Amazon. Getting your product images right starts with following Amazon’s image guidelines. This will ensure you stay on Amazon’s good side, improve product rankings and increase sales on Amazon. Don’t be afraid to get creative and spice things up to attract your potential customers. 

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