Product photography for Amazon is not just about the quality of the product image, it also needs to meet some very strict requirements.  And, it is most definitely worth creating it.  With net sales close to 280.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and having more than 197 million people around the world visiting the platform each month, Amazon is a tool that online sellers simply cannot afford to ignore.

Product photography is one of the most critical aspects of selling your products online. After all, potential customers can’t see or touch a product in person, so it’s essential to help them visualize it, for sale conversion.

Take a piece of Amazon pie 

If you want to take a piece of Amazon pie, you should keep in mind that this platform is customer-centered and pays the highest attention to building trust and excellent customer experience.  Amazon’s mission statement is clear on this from the get-go:

“Our vision is to be the earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

Why is this so crucial for you as a seller?

This approach impacts the way you show your products on the platform and how you create product photography for Amazon.  However, we have simplified how you can achieve success on this platform.

3 Key Rules follow to be successful on Amazon

Rule No. 1: Meet the technical requirements for Amazon product photography

There are a few product photo types used on the Amazon website, but all of them, regardless of their type, must follow the requirements below:

• 1000px x 1000px square image
• Use 85% of the frame
• Save image as a JPEG, TIFF, or GIF
• Save image as an RGB color space
• Follow naming restrictions: file names must consist of the product identifier (Amazon ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC) followed by a period and the appropriate file extension (Example: A00987654321.jpg or 039223356.tif)

The main product image, though, should be a lot more specific. Below you will find the types of product images for Amazon and the requirements they need to meet.

The parent SKU main image — is the first product photo that customers see. It appears in the search results when someone types in your keyword and on the products listing on your page. This image must give the customer the idea of how your product really looks. It must be free of distractions and the background should be pure white. Other requirements:

• The image must be the cover art, or a professional photograph of the product being sold. Drawings or illustrations of the product are not allowed.
• The image must not contain gratuitous or confusing additional objects.
• The image must be in focus, professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.
• Books, Music, and Video/DVD images should be the front cover art and fill 100% of the image frame. Jewel cases, promotional stickers, and cellophane are not allowed.
• All other products should fill 85% or more of the image frame.
• The full product must be in frame.
• The image must not contain additional text, graphics, or inset images.
• Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

The child SKU main image —you will need these product photo types when your product comes in different color variations. If you are selling your goods, for example, in black, white and red, you will need images to show all these colors.  These product photos need to meet the minimum technical specification.

Alternate product images — these images show the different views of the product, its details, fabric /materials, features, etc.; you can provide up to eight alternate images for each parent or child SKU. These images must:

• • The image must be of, or pertain to, the product being sold.
  • The image must be in focus, professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.
  • Other products or objects can be used to help demonstrate the use or scale of product.
  • The product and props should fill 85% or more of the image frame.
  • Cropped or close-up images are allowed.
  • Backgrounds and environments are allowed.
  • Text and demonstrative graphics are allowed.
  • Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

In addition to the technical image requirements, there are also many Amazon Site standards. Most of them are quite easy to achieve when you take product photos yourself, but the most time-consuming standard to achieve is a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255). You can achieve this using a studio with a perfectly highlighted backdrop or by removing background in post-production.

Rule No. 2: Stand out on Amazon with high-quality product photography

When you’re selling on Amazon, you’re competing against other sellers that are selling similar products to you. If you want to stand out on Amazon, your product images need to look professional. Product images are the first thing that determines whether you get a click or not and basically are the only thing your customers see online to make a buying decision.  By providing your potential customers with detailed product information, you increase your sales and reduce returns.

Rule No. 3: Spin your products with 360-degree spin images

360 spin images are created by stitching together multiple still photos of the product from all sides in a fluid view to give online customers a real feel of your products.

Product spins are more engaging because they allow visitors to virtually interact with an item. It’s like holding the product in your hand, turning it around and taking a closer look at its details. Consumer Research Studies prove that adding 360-degree spin images to product pages increase conversion rates and providing detailed and differentiated product information reduces product returns.

Many clients assume creating 360 photography is complicated and expensive compared to still photos.  However, adding spins to your product page pays off.  What is more, Orbitvu’s automated photography studios offer solutions allowing you to create them fast and as easy as taking traditional still product images.  The video below shows how easy and efficient Orbitvu automated photography systems are in creating great visual content.

Automated visual content creation for Amazon

The technical demands, high-quality image expectations, engaging visual content that stands out – makes dealing with Amazon difficult and a little confusing, especially if you are not a professional photographer or if you have a lot of products to shoot and can’t focus on every single product image. Keeping these difficulties in mind and your limitations, Orbitvu provides product photography automation solutions that will help you create Amazon-friendly visual content in-house, without a need for advanced photography experience – faster than ever before – check out our “100 products challenge” to see how quickly this can be done.  Orbitvu photography systems are controlled by Orbitvu photography software, so the whole process from capturing to editing to uploading online is automated making this a very efficient solution to getting your products sold on Amazon.  Book your demo today to see for yourself!