E-commerce was responsible for around $2.3 trillion worth of sales in 2017.
E-commerce was responsible for around $2.3 trillion worth of sales in 2017. Imagery is at the forefront of driving consumer confidence, particularly when buying online but it is essential to get the style and quality of imagery right in order to drive sales.
Enhancing the shopper experience
Product page imagery is particularly important as it helps to replicate the in-store experience, where customers would generally pick up a product and look at it from every angle. An e-commerce website therefore needs to convey as much information as a store would, but has fewer ways in which it can do so. Imagery plays a key part in showing consumers exactly what they are buying; according to Hubspot, 32% of marketers say visual images are the most important form of content for their business.
The quality of the images themselves is vital, as compelling images will instantly grab a customer’s attention. They will help people to make the most informed decisions as to what product suits their individual needs, and in the case of the automotive sector, will help encourage them to the dealership itself for a test drive. High-quality, consistent and detailed imagery will give consumers a positive user experience and generates trust for future purchases. The quality of your imagery also reflects your company and brand – therefore blurry images are a complete no-go!
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
We’ve all heard this saying, but it rings particularly true when it comes to e-commerce websites. 63% of consumers agreed that good images are more important than product descriptions; customers can be put off by too much text, especially when the information can be conveyed in an image, such as the product colour, shape and design. Comprehensive car photos will give the prospective buyer instant information about the vehicle, without them having to read through reams of text. Hubspot state that when people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.
Moreover, images are extremely social-media-friendly. Social media has a huge influence and shared photos generally gain higher interactions than all-text posts. Not only that, Google and Kantar TNS (The Drive To Decide, 2018) found that 30% of car buyers use social media as a research destination. Images can also improve your website’s organic search ranking, if you use the alt-text in the right way.
The future of product search
How customers search for products online is evolving and visual search is coming to the fore; this emphasises the need for high-quality imagery. Visual search engines, such as Google Lens, allow users to upload an image to conduct a search. The software can recognise objects, landmarks, business cards and, of course, cars. Dealerships can therefore harness this visual recognition technology to help buyers find a model they have seen when out and about and provide them with the location of the exact model to test drive.
The importance of imagery for dealerships
High-quality imagery can make all the difference to the success of an e-commerce website, and the same principles apply to automotive dealerships. With 91% of buyers researching online, images are the perfect opportunity to grab their attention (Google and Kantar TNS, 2018). Ensure you are using detailed imagery allowing consumers to look at every aspect of the car, from the smallest of details on the exterior to putting the user behind the wheel in the driver’s seat so they can virtually see what it’s like to sit inside the vehicle. Consider using specialist software, such as Modix Image, to quickly take consistent and high quality vehicle images.
When it comes to the consumer making the decision to visit your dealership and test drive the vehicle, it is clear that imagery is essential – it is proven to increase leads and therefore sell cars faster.
At Modix, we have a team of experts dedicated to helping you sell cars faster – if you’d like to find out more, get in touch today.
