Do Amazon product images affect conversion rates?

On Amazon, first impressions matter. Millions of products are sold on the platform, so you must ensure your product stands out. Attractive listings attract more traffic which means more sales. How a listing appears on the search results will influence the customer’s buying decision.

So, while reviews, pricing, and use of Amazon ads are all vital to succeed on the platform, high-quality content is what will see your listings convert. Images play a crucial role in bringing everything together to create a desire for and trust in your brand. This article will examine how images affect your conversion rates and what kind of image practices you should follow when selling on Amazon.  

Why are images so important when selling on Amazon?

Selling at a brick-and-mortar store and on an e-commerce platform like Amazon is different. At a physical store, the customer will look at the product, touch it, examine the packaging from all angles and even try it out if possible. When shopping online, the customer only relies on what they can see, the listing detail, and maybe the review section to make a purchasing decision.

The Amazon product images you use make a big difference since only items presented appealingly will attract customers. Like in a brick-and-mortar store, where the packaging influences a customer’s purchasing decision, the images you use will determine whether the customer stays or moves on to another listing.

Amazon operates on offering the best user experience to customers. That’s why all listings must have product images, including at least one main image. When optimized well, product images serve two main functions.

• Help increase sales: Like we said, first impressions matter when selling online. Product images are what customers will see first when they click on the search results. A good product image increases the likelihood of a potential customer clicking through to the detail page. And when they do that, it helps drive sales, especially if you use good-quality photos of your product.
• Help improve page rankings: The Amazon search algorithm ranks product listings based on several factors, including the number of sales and clicks. So, if you have good product images, you receive more clicks, thus generating more sales. In the end, you get to rank higher on Amazon search results which is vital in growing an online business.

What are Amazon’s requirements for product images?

Amazon requires that every product listing page include at least one product image. You can, however, leverage 9 images or six images and a video if you have access to Amazon brand registry. The images should be attractive, clear, and informative. The first image is the “main” image, the hero or thumb image. Customers see this product image first in the search results, so it’s the most important image.

According to Amazon’s Terms of Service, the main image should show the product and be on a white background. Additionally, the image needs to fill the image frame. Images can show the product from different angles, features, and the product in use or in an environment. Environment photos are called lifestyle images.

But it doesn’t stop there. Amazon checks every image you upload to ensure it meets the technical file requirements. 

Any image file that doesn’t meet the criteria won’t be uploaded to your Amazon product listing. Remember, Amazon receives images from hundreds of thousands of sellers daily, so they will only favor images that meet the style standards. If the product images you upload don’t meet the product image requirements, Amazon will take this as a violation of their terms of service. In such a case, the e-commerce giant may remove your listing until you provide images that meet their stringent guidelines. Some of the key image guidelines you must follow include:

• Images you upload on the platform must represent the product you are selling as accurately as possible.
• The images must match what you have on your product title.
• The images must be in JPEG, PNG, GIF, or TIFF.
• The uploaded images must not be blurry, pixelated, or have jagged edges.
• Images shouldn’t contain Amazon logos, trademarks, or any badges used on Amazon or modifications or violations of the same.
• The images shouldn’t contain nudity or anything else sexually suggestive.
• Images should be 2000 x 2000 pixels

The Amazon image style guide also contains further requirements for the main product images. For instance, the image should not include logos, texts, watermarks, borders, or other graphics on the product or in the background. The main image must fully show the product for sale, but it shouldn’t be outside its packaging. Avoid people in your hero image as this is against terms of service. 

You don’t want your listing suppressed, so review the Amazon image requirements to discover what other policies you should follow. If you violate any style guide requirements, Amazon will take down your listing so it doesn’t appear in search results. Sometimes, violating policies like uploading images with nudity could see more drastic measures like account closing or suspension.

What image practices should you use to increase conversion?

So, you already have the images you want to use in your listing. How do you optimize them to increase conversion and bring in more sales? Here’s how;

• Include the main image that fills at least 85% of the image area and ensure it is of the actual product you’re selling, not a stock photo downloaded from the internet. Failure to include the main image could see your listing taken down.
• Include images of the product you’re selling from different angles and perspectives. Assume you’re selling at a physical store, so ensure that the customers have a complete view of what they are buying.
• Have at least one image that shows the product in use, especially if you are selling products that require initial setup or installation before use.
• Have lifestyle images whereby a customer can already picture themselves using the product.
• Have photos that show the unique selling points of the product. For instance, if you are selling a skin care product, your unique selling point could be that the product is made in the US, contains only luxury ingredients, is cruelty-free, and so on.
• Have an image that shows the benefits customers can enjoy when they buy your product.
• You can also include an image with a few positive reviews from previous customers.
• If your product comes in different variations such as colors and sizes, let one product image have all those variations.

Most buyers on Amazon will compare products from different sellers before making a purchasing decision. What would make that customer stop at your listing, look at what you’re offering, and even make a purchase? It’s the images you use and how you optimize them. Amazon allows you to upload as many as six photos, so take advantage of that. The secret to optimizing images with information like USPs, benefits, key features, and the likes is ensuring you don’t clutter the product image. In all frames, have the picture of the image plus the rest of the information in a clear and precise way that is appealing.

Summary

So, do Amazon product images affect conversion rates? Absolutely! 

Amazon has 6 million third-party sellers. Because of that, there is so much competition that it takes standing out from the pack to succeed. 

Amazon uses a complex algorithm to determine which listings rank high and which ones rank lower or are removed. Product images are at the center of that. The images you use on your listing communicate so much about you as a brand and, in some way, influence a customer’s buying decision. If you want your product listing to perform well on Amazon, you must consider the images you use. Avoid downloading stock photos. Instead, invest in a quality camera and editing software. At the same time, ensure that all images you upload stick to Amazon’s guidelines to avoid violating their terms of service.

Do you need help crafting stunning conversion-worthy Amazon listings for your Amazon product listing? The Skunk Labs can help! Our team of experienced graphic design specialists helps your product come to life on the world’s largest online marketplace. Contact us today to get started.