Whatever your chosen design or layout, there is one thing all ecommerce websites share in common: sales are won and lost on the strength of imagery. Poor quality photography that doesn’t show products in their best light is one of the most common reasons for customer abandonment.
However, creating great looking photography for your ecommerce website is easier said than done. For start-up online retailers in particular, cost can be a barrier to high quality images; professional photographers cost money, and if you have a large number of SKUs, getting every product captured from multiple angles is a major project.
Thee good news is that there’s an affordable answer to this problem. Recent developments in photography apps have brought a host of new editing tools to the market, which enable ecommerce retailers to refine your own imagery and upload high quality graphics to your website.
Here are some of the best apps currently available:
Photoshop Express
Many online retailers already use Adobe Photoshop for desktop computers, and the good news is there’s now a free cell app for editing images on the go. This is not only perfect for uploading product images straight from a mobile device, but it also creates scope to improve other images being used for business purposes – such as your social media channels.
Pixlr Express
This is another great mobile version of some desktop software, Autodesk Pixlr. The starter version of the app is free to download, although a subscription of $14.99 per year gives retailers access to professional features, such as masking and blending. The great thing about this app is that you can apply effects to images in real-time, so you can edit photos as they’re taken to see if a re-take is necessary.
Camera+
An iOS only app, Camera+ is very popular among ecommerce retailers because of its simplicity. In addition to set-up features such as determining the exposure and focus, it has a built-in horizontal tool to prevent off-center shots. It also has an automatic ‘clarity’ feature, which automatically enhances details to bring images to life. The app costs $2.99 for iPhone and $4.99 for iPad.
VSCO Cam
This is a great option if you’re looking for more artistic shots – perhaps in fashion and apparel retail. VSCO Cam is a free app that applies many of the same filters as Instagram, but in better quality to create subtle enhancement without making photos look too styled – as many retailers think Instagram does. The app also features sharing tools, so that you can send images to other users, or post direct to social media networks.