The role of imagery in ecommerce is most apparent when considering its use in relation to product display. The nature of conducting transactions across the internet distances the user from the physical product – so they have none of the sensory information usually available when physically present such as touching, feeling, examining, seeing the product from any angle they wish, trying it on, etc.

Imagery therefore plays a vital role in filling this sensory gap – and as technology advances, the extent to which images can portray product information increases too.

There are a number of factors to consider when using images in the context of an ecommerce website…

An ecommerce product page is the online equivalent of a product display in a bricks-and-mortar shop front – the window through which you can display, inform, eulogise and promote a product to the world.

Whether a visitor has arrived there by navigating through faceted search, via a search engine, a referring website, or an email marketing campaign – the product page presents the opportunity to place your product in front of a potential customer…