It goes without saying that online shopping is going through the roof. Brands can market and sell their product globally, and revenue per client is growing year by year. Worldwide, 71% of fashion executives expect their online business to grow by more than 20% in 2021 (McKinsey, article May 20, 2021).
In that same article, McKinsey highlighted that outstanding content goes a long way toward inspiring purchasing decisions and advised to prioritise great photography and sharp copy and don’t let ideas go stale. In this I Heart Studios insights article, we would like to emphasize the defining character of the detail shot.
As customers are getting more accustomed to e-commerce, brands need to raise the bar and provide product content that is valued attractive and desirable. In that perspective, fashion and social media are a match made in e-commerce heaven, and fashion brands need to meet customers wherever they are and make their product accessible and stand out.
Photography is of key importance in the virtual world of e-commerce. Online stores are heavily reliant on product images to make sales, and quality images will have a great impact on customer behaviours, conversion leading to greater sales.
Different types of images can be used to showcase a product in more ways than one and show prospective customers the very best angles and traits of your product, whether those are product images only. Group shots to display a wider array of products. Lifestyle or in-context photography to show products in natural real-life situations. Scale shots to accurately perceive the size of your products, and detail shots to highlight the best features and angles of the products.
Shape, colour, and fabric are key elements that you would like to get across to your potential customer to encourage them to buy your product. Not in the least because irrespective of whether it is an impulse purchase, a repeat purchase, or anything in between, the plague of e-commerce is returns.
Consumer preference-based returns (e.g. size, fit, styles, etc.) drive 72% of all returns in fashion product categories. Non-preference-based reasons (e.g. defective) and “not as described” account for 10% in total. Solutions and strategies that are presented for handling e-commerce returns are often found inaccurate and accessible information such as product and weight dimensions, product materials, size guides, and return policy (Shopify, Industry Insights and Trends, March 29, 2021). At I Heart Studios, we identified the reasons for returns due to limited product shot package, especially when the detail shots to specifically emphasise shape, colour and fabric are missing or not of the right quality.
Detail shots often tell the story of the situation by focusing on a relatively small portion of it. Detail shots also can be images that draw attention to a specific detail of a product through compositional techniques, with the objective to attract costumers’ attention to details
that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Using the detailed approach is a great technique for capturing texture. Wood, fabric, skin, and food are all great subjects for texture. The most important thing to remember when shooting texture is that the light will drastically affect how the texture appears.
Sidelight will emphasise flaws in smooth textures and bring out details on a curved surface or those with deep valleys. Front lighting can hide flaws, but also make things look flatter. The other important aspect of light in detail shots is shiny spots on reflective objects known as spectacular highlights.
The detail shot is pure magic to consumer eye. Detail shots help retailers create an exceptional customer journey with their consumers and impacting conversions, reducing returns all by showcasing the products in their full glory. Details enhance the digital consumer journey by creating a more up and close product experience, as always stated “the devil is in the detail”.
