Field notes on AI guided selling.

In the era of COVID-19, photo shoots are canceled and retailers are searching for remote alternatives to in-studio production.

Our Virtual Shopping Index is our ongoing effort to monitor the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on commerce.

Images play a huge role in the success of an eCommerce website. They can impact conversion rates, return rates, and even the number of people who actually see your merchandise. Obviously, with so much at stake, it’s important to get your eCommerce images exactly right–which means you have to master not just product photography, but also planning and some post-shoot optimization. Here, we lay out a can’t-lose strategy to ensure your eCommerce images are up to the task of boosting your conversion rate, lowering your return rate, and creating an overall high-quality experience for customers who visit your site.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of visual content on an eCommerce website. In today's age, product imagery goes beyond product photos. It now includes more advanced formats like video, interactive 3D, and augmented reality, and has to do the work that was once done by physical products themselves: helping shoppers make a decision about whether or not to buy what you’re selling.

As part of our Visuals Make a Difference launch, we’re taking a close look at the problem of eCommerce returns and what retailers and shoppers can do to prevent them. Guide: Part 1: 6 Tips Guaranteed to Cut Return Rates for Retailers Part 2: 7 Easy Ways YOU (the online shopper) Cut Back on Product Returns

Returns are a serious problem in eCommerce. They cost retailers about 10 percent of their overall sales, and they’re increasingly something customers want to be free and easy. But the real cost of returns goes far beyond how they affect eCommerce retailers’ bottom lines.

Great news, everyone: the eCommerce product images you’re already including on your site can help boost your performance in search (aka, boost your SEO, or search engine optimization). But there’s a good chance that the images on your site right now aren’t as SEO-friendly as they can be.