How important are pictures on an Amazon listing?
How can I get better pictures for my Amazon listing?
What should I be looking for in pictures for my Amazon listing?
These are the top three questions I get asked all the time, when I’m working with our brands.
My response is, “Have you heard that a picture is worth a thousand words?”
They say, “Yeah, of course!”
And I counter again with:
“Well, on Amazon, a picture could be worth more than $1,000,000!”
Working with hundreds of Amazon sellers and brands, I can tell you that having the right images can unbelievably increase sales. One of our clients, Musher’s Secret, has increased sales by over $1,000,000 / year, largely due to upgrading the quality and type of imagery on their listing!
Pictures are one of the most critical components to the success of your Amazon listing and have a direct impact in increasing your conversions. If you want results, you must have pictures that inspire customers to click the “Add to Cart” button and buy your products.
When adding imagery to your Amazon listing there are 5 specific types of imagery that are crucial for you to consider:
- Hero Image
- Enhanced Image Graphics
- Lifestyle Images
- A+ Content
- Storefront Images
Now let’s discuss each one individually and how they directly impact the success of your Amazon business.
1. The Hero Image
A hero image is the lead image used to illustrate your product. It is this product image that is featured in category and search results.
This is your brand’s first opportunity to showcase your products and grab the attention of online shoppers. The hero image is the first image your potential customer will see, so it’s important to make a GREAT first impression. Amazon has implemented strict guidelines to ensure success.
There are three main components your hero image must have:
- Your hero image must be the ONLY product itself.
- Your hero image cannot contain any models or other lifestyle elements.
- Your hero image must be displayed on a pure white background.
At Spotlight Brand Services, we have tested thousands of combinations and one of the most impactful suggestions to enhance your hero image, is size. You must ensure that the product fills as much of the frame as possible, showing as little of the white background as possible. This will give you a huge advantage, as it helps differentiate your product in search.
You also want to ensure your hero image is clear (high-resolution), so customers can zoom in and see more detail. The clearer your hero image is and the more it fills the frame, the better it looks and the more it will stand out against all others; ultimately, making it much more likely that a customer clicks on your product versus your competitors.
2. Enhanced Image Graphics
Enhanced Image Graphics (EIGs) are an approach to an image that tells a story with minimal text and graphics / photography that provides the customer with an easy-to-understand overview of a product. Enhanced image graphics use striking, engaging visuals to communicate information quickly and clearly. One of the key components to a successful customer experience and ultimately a successful Amazon listing is reducing the amount of confusion for your customers, so these EIG’s can be very helpful.
There are two objectives that all Enhance Image Graphics should accomplish:
- They should explain what the product is and the solution it provides.
- They should explain the size of the product or show the size comparison of a product, to avoid as little confusion for the customer as possible.
So, it’s those details that help the customer understand the product and make sure that the product aligns with what they think it is when they’re purchasing it, directly contributing to that positive customer experience you always want. By using quality enhanced image graphics that contain the right information you’re able to clarify any questions or problems your customers may have.
3. Lifestyle Images
Lifestyle images are images that are used to show your product being used. These images are designed to help customers see themselves with the product. There has been a lot of statistical data proving the success of lifestyle images. It gives the customer something to relate to. It helps customers visualize themselves actually using it.
By adding lifestyle images to your Amazon listing, you increase the likelihood that a customer is going to click on your product, understand your product, and then ultimately say, “Wow, this is a product that’s going to solve my problems!” and purchase your product.
4. A+ Content
A+ Content is specific content that is designed for Amazon descriptions that are graphically based as opposed to text based. It’s proven that customers are less likely to take the time to read a long block of text versus smaller bits of text broken up. By using A+ Content, it separates that text with pictures, making it much easier for your customers to pick the parts of information that they want to read and are invested in.
A+ Content can increase your conversion rate up to 15%!
That means that when a customer sees your Amazon listing that contains A+ Content they’re up to 15% more likely to purchase your product!
So, we’ve defined what A+ is, but there are three key components that you must keep in mind when using A+ Content:
1. You’re only able to implement A+ content into your listings if your company is enrolled in brand registry.
Once enrolled, Amazon allows for an enhanced version of the description, graphical overlay. So, while the words still exist on the page, they’re displayed with a picture being a graphical version of a description, which is more interactive and more engaging for your customer.
2. A+ Content can help in significantly increasing your searchability, specifically on the backend of your listing.
Amazon looks for words on a page and associates them to search results. If you just put the graphical overlay, it will not maximize your search results as Amazon’s algorithm cannot read a picture.
When you create a graphical overlay, you have the ability to upload your images with nothing underneath. One point to keep in mind when doing something like this and one of the reasons that we, at Spotlight Brand Services, focus on developing the written description, is that each one of those words on an Amazon page indexes in the Amazon’s algorithm. So, it’s important that you have the correct foundation and that you’re getting the right amount of searchability from your description, even though customers aren’t seeing it on the frontend.
3. A+ Content shows-up before bullets on mobile!
That’s right! For mobile users, the A+ content will show up on the top of the listing. This is designed intentionally to provide a more visually compelling experience for the mobile shopper. This is another amazing reason why you should be focusing on creating strong visuals in this section.
5. Storefront Images
Last, but not least, another place that images are used in your Amazon listing is your storefront. A storefront is a customized landing page on Amazon where you can send traffic for customers to see all the various products that your brand carries. Again, this is a feature that is only available when your company is enrolled in brand registry.
Adding pictures to your Amazon storefront can be extremely beneficial to your brand because it allows you to show the different range and types of products that you carry and will help your customers decide which of the products you carry may solve their problems.
Pictures play a crucial role in attracting customers. It is human nature for a customer to be drawn to images before text. So, having the right images, in the right places throughout your Amazon listing is extremely beneficial to the success of your products and the growth of your brand.
If you’d like more information or assistance in learning how to create and implement powerful imagery for Amazon, click the button below to schedule a FREE Amazon Product Listing Audit and one of our Spotlight Brand Services Brand Strategy Specialists will meet with you to help you start growing your business on Amazon.
