5 quick tips to take the best product photos for your online catalog

Adding product photos to your online wholesale catalog can be a tricky process. Your products are beautiful in real life, but sometimes, that beauty doesn’t show up in the photos.

Furthermore, adding photos to your online catalog is time consuming. You have to find a nice camera, take the pictures, transfer them to a computer, upload them...It’s not like you can use your mobile device to just snap a picture - or can you?

Actually, you can, with TradeGecko’s new iOS app! It allows you to take photos of your products and upload them immediately and directly into your online catalog. We’re really excited about this feature, because it saves so much time for you when updating your catalog.

With the ease of uploading taken care of, we have a few tips to keep in mind when taking the photos to ensure your products look their best. While we would love for you to be using our app to take the pictures, these photo-taking tips are universal for any wholesaler’s product catalog.

1. Make sure the lighting is good

Lighting can be what makes your product look like something you found in a box in your attic, or what turns it into a legitimate, beautiful item that customers want to order in bulk. The right lighting puts your products in the spotlight, and allows the customer to have a clear idea of what the product will look like in real life.

That said, use lots of bright, natural light in your photos for the best results. Make sure the angle of the lighting doesn’t cast any strange shadows, and when in doubt, always go for brighter, rather than darker.

The right lighting takes you from "found in attic" to "must buy right now!"

2. Use a uniform background for all your photos

For example, don’t use a black background for one product and light gray for another. Keeping the backgrounds uniform makes all your products look better.

Specifically for TradeGecko’s mobile app, white backgrounds are the best - a bright white background helps to show off your product without any distractions.

Keep the focus on your products, not the background.

3. Try to keep a consistent style for all your photos

You want your product photos to go together as a collection. Try to make sure each product is the same size within the picture, and that each photo is taken in the same style.

Try designating one (bright!) place in your office or warehouse as an impromptu photo studio, which will improve the consistency of the photos throughout the product line. If your customers see each product as a part of a collection, it also helps with company branding and messaging.

4. Include all angles

While doing your own online shopping, have you ever wished you could just flip a product picture over to see what’s on the other side? From a customer’s perspective, think of what angles of the product they’re most interested in.

In many cases, these pictures will be what makes a sale or not, so let them see the back, sides, bottom and top - not just your product’s best side, but all sides!

A great example from JJ Suspenders

5. Have a second look, once the pics are uploaded.

Once you’ve uploaded the pictures, give them a second look in your catalog. This sounds simple, but taking this extra look can help you catch anything you didn’t see the first time around.

Reviewing the pictures again once they're uploaded helps you ensure that they’re not blurry or off-center, but just how you want your customers to see them.

Product photos are the eyes and hands of your customers in B2B eCommerce, so make sure those photos look good.

The TradeGecko for Sales mobile app makes adding product photos to your online catalog so much faster and easier. Combine that ease with these tips to make your photos compel shoppers to click on ‘add to cart’!