As they see you, so … you convert. Meeting someone for the first time, just one look, just for a second and you are already able to tell a lot about the person and maybe even give them an initial rating. Do you know this from somewhere?
It’s the same with product images. You have to think of them as your image. You are presenting your product to millions of your potential customers and you have to do everything you can to create a “spark” between the customer and the product in the split second they take to see your product. How to do it? Read more …
Amazon Product Main Image – Amazon Echo Spot
Main Image is the most important image of your listing. It is the only one that displays in search results on Amazon. Its task is one – to show professionalism, attract attention and invite our customer further into the full product listing. Note that you must do this, however, by strictly following Amazon’s guidelines in this regard.
The basic technical guidelines for Amazon’s lead photo are:
– Dimensions: a minimum of 1000 pixels x 500 pixels, which will allow the product photo to be zoomed in freely. The longest side of the image must not exceed 10,000 pixels.
– The background of the image must be white. The preferred RGB value of the background is 255, 255, 255. It is best to take photos on a shadow-free table dedicated to taking product photos.
– The actual product must occupy a minimum of 85 percent of the picture area
– The preferred file format for photographs is .JPEG but .TIFF and .GIF formats are also acceptable Animated file formats such as .GIF are not accepted
Do not attempt to take photos with your phone on a white sheet. If you don’t have professional studio photography equipment in your company, outsource it to an outside agency. This investment will definitely pay you back. The product in the main photo should be photographed from its best profile, showing it in its entirety. The photo should show the product itself – space to show its individual elements, features, packaging photos, labels, lifestyle photos have their place in additional photo boxes.
If your product has, for example, one distinguishing feature compared to other competing products then you can add this as a pictogram integrated into the photo itself, but it cannot be the dominant element. For example, if you sell a desk lamp that looks like many other lamps, but yours can be paired with Alexa, you can add this as a tag – Alexa Compatible. If the wallet you’re selling has an insert that prevents remote card reading, you can add a crossed-out RFID logo.
Another common photo element to add is information about product variations. For example, if the T-shirt you sell is available in different colours, you can include such information in the form of colour graphics on the main photo. One of our customers communicates this way the fact that the window pleats they sell are available in many colours. Please note – if you are already communicating this on the picture remember to modify it if any of the colours are no longer available and make sure that the stock level of the product is always positive. You can take care of this in Seller Central -> Inventory ->Manage Inventory.
The main photo should not contain any text, watermarks, frames or duplicate photos of the same product. The photo should also not contain any of Amazon’s logos or its products, such as Alexa, Prime, etc. You also cannot add any tags used by Amazon to your photo, such as Amazon’s choice, Best Seller, Top Seller, etc.
If your products are in the fashion industry and are photographed on models then they must be in a standing position – photos in a lying down, kneeling, bent over or sitting position are not accepted. If you sell underwear or swimwear for children, it is forbidden to show these products on models. Mannequins are only allowed for products in the stockings and socks category. Naturally, any nude or sexually suggestive images are prohibited.
Stick to the above guidelines, but above all make sure that your photo is professional and shows your product at its best. It is the face of your product that will be shown to the widest possible audience of your potential customers.
Additional images are the place where you should show what the differentiators of your product are and why the customer should buy this particular product. Try to correlate the information you include in the bullet points with the photos. If you write that the T-shirt you are selling has an embroidered logo on the inside to prevent irritation, show this in the picture. If you write that it comes packaged in a designer plastic tube, show it in a photo. Don’t give a shred of doubt to your potential customer’s wondering and imagining what the feature might look like in reality. Show why your product should be chosen by the customer.
In addition to the product features themselves, try to show lifestyle pictures. If the T-shirt you sell is aimed at runners, show how it looks on a running person, if it’s a towel rack, show how it actually fits in the bathroom. If your product solves a problem then show the effect it has on the bigger picture. If you are selling a winter / summer wheel holder show it in a photo on the wall of a clean and tidy garage.
For additional photos, photos that are unrelated to the product, unclear, contain nudity or have sexual connotations and photos of children’s underwear or children’s swimwear on models are prohibited.
Swatch images allow for additional identification of product colours or designs in a product variation listing. If your product is available in multiple product variations or has multiple fabric textures then a swatch photo will allow you to better show these differences in your product listing.
In total, we have available in the product listing:
There are basically two ways to upload product images on Amazon.
– Manual. If you want to upload a few or a dozen photos for a small number of products you can do it manually. To do this, go to edit products in Seller Central -> Inventory > Manage Inventory -> Edit -> Images. By going to the following image icons and searching for them on your local drive, you can upload a photo one by one to each of your product listings. Easy.
– Upload via file. If you are simultaneously feeding many products and have dozens, hundreds of photos to upload it is better to do it via upload. How to do it? First, you need to download the product file assigned to the category. To do this in Seller Central you select Inventory – >Add Products via Upload -> Need to create a product file? – Download an Inventory File and then select the product category of your offer. Bookmark the file to be generated and then download the Advanced version. If you are creating new products you need to fill in all required fields. If you are just updating them, add the product identification numbers (EAN, ASIN) and set the file as “Partial Actualisation” / “Partielle Aktualisierung” around column Y of the file. In the file you will find columns marked “main_image_url”, “swatch_image_url” and further columns “other_image_url1”, “other_image_url2” etc. The link to the photo previously uploaded on the server must be pasted into these places. The link must lead directly to the photo and must not be protected by any password. You will find many free and paid image hosting services on the web. A good tool that we use and recommend is Image Shack. Next, we proceed as with any Amazon upload – we save the sheet as a text file and upload it using Upload Your Inventory File. Depending on the size of your upload, you will need to wait from a few minutes to a few hours for the image to be fully visible on Amazon.
Do you have your own experiences with Amazon photos? Do you know what problems others may face when managing product images – share with our Go2Market Community by adding a comment below this article.
Happy Picture Making,
Go2Market Crew
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during the conversation:
We will ask a few questions to learn more about your company and products,
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