Facebook doled out $1 billion for Instagram and prepared a $3 billion bid for Snapchat. And Pinterest, with 70 million users, is the third most popular social network already. It is evident that photo sharing is big in the world of social media, because they know and understand the importance of images.

According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, 67% customers consider images more important than product-specific information, long descriptions, and even product reviews.

So if you want to engage the interest of your visitors and increase the chances of conversion to sale, large, clear, and consistent images are a must.

Here’s how you can use images to enhance your customers’ buying experience:

Quality is King

High quality, professional images not only attract visitors to your site but also give them good user experience. Besides, brand trust is a major component when it comes to e-commerce marketing. Well-shot and consistent images create a first good impression, instilling faith and confidence in your visitors. It also helps people share and like attractive images on social media sites. Amazon’s Apparels section has images of models who show off the products in the best possible light.

Multiple Views

Customers are wary when it comes to making online transactions. Allow them to inspect a product from all angles by posting images with alternate views. This will bolster their confidence, which in turn, leads to higher conversions. Adding images with multiple views also gives your customers the feel of a physical store, thus enhancing their buying experience.

The Devil is in the Detail

Your shoppers cannot touch, feel or smell your products. To sell your product, all you have is an image (or you could indulge in a product video). Let your customer take a closer look at your products and examine them in detail. Allow them to zoom or pan in on products with the help of an image enlarger tool. This, again, mirrors the experience of a brick-and-mortar store, where customers can freely pick up and examine products.

A Different Spin

360-degree spin or 3D imaging allows customers to take control of the image in such a way that they feel that they might actually be holding it in their hand. This feature allows your customers to rotate the products, leading to more engagement and interaction. With a 360-degree spin feature, you can turn the image horizontally, while 3D imaging allows you to turn it vertically as well. Moreover, 3D photography techniques are true-to-life, which helps decrease the number of product returns.

Animate Them

It is a known fact that anything in motion catches the human eye. Videos can be heavy to upload and may take time to buffer, but moving GIF images are easy to create and load. You can add an animation that zooms in slowly or pans into view, thus bringing the product to life. You can also animate banners to make them more eye-catching and improve the clickthrough rates.

Add a Human Touch

The impersonal nature of the online medium makes it sometimes difficult for customers to visualise its usefulness. Images showing the product being used would give the customer a very good idea about the product’s usefulness in their life. For example, American Apparel uses outdoor, lifestyle shots. They show models walking dogs, sitting by pools, and walking. Such images tell your customers how the product will look and what occasions it is best suited for, appealing to humanistic shoppers.

Colour them Right

No two people are the same, and neither are their likes and dislikes. So, why limit your product to just one colour or design? If a product is available in different colours, then make sure your page has images of the product in all the colours. Doing so not only gives your customers more choices but also appeals to a wider target audience.