Top 4 Best Practices with Technical Product Catalogs

Technical product catalogs: Why are they so important?

Our brains process images sixty thousand times quicker than text and 90 percent of the information that travels to the brain is visual. Just consider that for a little while! These figures ought to make a lot of companies reevaluate how they show themselves to the public.

Using correct, captivating photography to promote your products is essential to the long-term success of your e-commerce business. Additionally, utilizing a variety of expertly produced photographic content helps improve clients’ perceptions of your business and dramatically boost conversion rates. These include flat lays, detail shots, well-planned group photos, eye-catching packaging shots, and leisure images. The following information is required to create the best technical product catalog.

Best practices with technical product catalogs

It might be challenging to locate photos that offer buyers a realistic sense of what they can anticipate as an online store. When looking for product photos, Google may only sometimes provide you with the best results; in some instances, your rivals’ websites may include the best pictures. So, how do they obtain such pictures? Here is a list of some of the most beneficial and worthwhile practices that you can do to elevate your technical product catalogs:

1.        Perform In-House Photography

A manufacturer may occasionally have no pictures of their items. This most frequently occurs when a manufacturer launches an entirely new product and an e-commerce company signs a contract to have first dibs on first sales. Such a claim implies that taking pictures of products and editing them before posting them online may be the responsibility of the online retailer.

Usually, this entails the manufacturer sending the tangible item to the online retailer. After that, it will be up to a crew to stage and take pictures of the product. The manufacturer may then ask you to return the goods or add them to the online retailer’s inventory. In any case, the online retailer has the images it requires. In this type of agreement, it’s also typical for the manufacturer to ask to utilize the processed photographs. To increase sales, the manufacturer could distribute the pictures to all of their vendors if they are the first pictures of a new product that they’ve just photographed.

2.        Get Pictures Directly From Manufacturers

Regarding photographs, e-commerce businesses (known as “vendors”) can obtain them straight from a product’s maker. Almost all third-party e-commerce retailers can benefit from this option because manufacturers are incentivized to provide their vendors with as much information as possible. With that information, the manufacturer and the buyer can increase sales and revenue.

An e-commerce site can always search the manufacturer’s website for photographs if, for whatever reason, they cannot receive images from them. An online retailer may then also recognize a manufacturer’s catalog image. In turn, they would then scan it into a digital format. These are all methods an online retailer can use to obtain appropriate product photos from a manufacturer, regardless of the platform.

3.        Perform In-Store Photography

Occasionally, a company does not have any images of its items available. There could be many causes, such as the widespread outsourcing of image tasks, the introduction of new documentation systems incompatible with outdated systems, or a host of other contractual, legal, or technical requirements.

In this situation, the online retailer is left to their own devices to locate the product in an actual store or purchase it somewhere to use for photos. Although it could be better, this isn’t always fair, but there are situations when more work and money are needed to complete a task. In this case, e-commerce businesses usually will only fight a little because it’s a short-term investment.

The online retailer purchases the merchandise and takes pictures before reselling it. The product should pay for itself following one or two sales because it also has all the photographs it needs to increase sales. Even if an online retailer should only do so for some items in its stock, doing so occasionally won’t harm.

4.        Utilize Schematic Drawings

Lastly, a manufacturer may need inventory, composite possibilities, or images for an e-commerce company to display in sporadic cases. In that case, this might force an online retailer to display a product’s schematic drawings so customers can at least see what they’re purchasing.

Most online retailers want to avoid this happening. However, there are instances when you simply have to make do with what they have, which might be negligible. Typically, retailers utilize these pictures to display spare components, devices, inserts, plugins, and other unusual add-ons rather than high-volume products.

If an online retailer uses these drawings, they most likely will be there for a short time. They will always search for alternative methods to provide their clients with an exact shot as soon as feasible. Even so, a sketch is still preferable to nothing.

Helpful tips to obtain the best technical product catalogs

The following ten principles are essential for every e-commerce manager or marketer to understand when producing high-quality product imagery:

Provide Different Colors and Sights

Provide them with a picture of the item in each hue instead of saying, “Also available in red, blue, and green.” Nothing is more annoying than seeing a product with three or four color options, yet the photos only display one of those colors. This process lets customers view the goods from every perspective and color combination. It’s a small but effective value addition for your product description page that will undoubtedly influence your customers’ buying choices.

Provide Multiple Viewing Angles

Though it should go without saying, we are often surprised to see popular e-commerce companies having only one or two product views available to their visitors. It’s usually a good idea to provide a product photograph that clarifies the product’s potential size to prevent uncertainty about its scale.

Observe the Basics of Branding

Even if each product image on your website is unique, you must keep the same aesthetic and style across. For example, keep your e-commerce website’s background, simulation, lighting, and placement of images consistent. When you instill consistency, you also provide a sense of security, comfort, and professionalism. A lack of regularity can be disturbing and distracting. Remain constant unless you want to identify yourself as unpleasant and annoying.

Hire a Professional

Verify that the person or business you choose is knowledgeable about product photography and shares your vision for the brand’s graphics. Don’t settle for an internal, tiny photo of your goods because quality always counts more than quantity. For any e-commerce site, hiring a professional product photographer or agency is a low-hanging fruit. It won’t break the bank and will undoubtedly produce favorable outcomes.

Consider Image File Size and Resulting Performance

Ensure that your architecture and methods support your image approach. Page load speed and image load time are always dancing, and this dance needs to be acknowledged, tracked, and maintained. Your photographer is unlikely to provide the most accurate information about site performance. Instead, you should have your SEO manager and website developers collaborate with the photographer to ensure you meet the resolution and size specifications. You will lose visitors if your site becomes unresponsive due to too substantial image sizes. That is assured.

Utilize 360 Degree Viewing Options

Give your customers a complete virtual tour of the product with 360° product photography if you want to go beyond the standard for quality product photographs. If you have the means, it’s worth considering hiring one of the many businesses specializing in 360° product photography if you don’t feel comfortable using this technology.

Bottom Line

Following the best-known practices and tips to create and obtain the best pictures for your technical product catalog is crucial to attracting your desired clientele. In the wake of this, if you require management tools or software to manage your data or optimize your website, contact us at Pimberly for the best services in town.