Post photos that lead to sales!

Check out more tips for photos that lead to sales from Pinterest.  They have lots of data to back up what they say!

Click on the link below and learn some great stuff!

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/69634-Pinterest-How-to-Create-Images-that-Convert-for-Ecommerce
 

Note: Vertical photos do the best in Pinterest, but that doesn't necessarily apply to posts done in your own website, blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook - whose templates are not set up to feature vertical photos.



Our goal at Shoppista Merchant Blog is to bring you the best advice from around the web to grow and improve your online business.

 

Shooting on a Shoestring

Kudos to Dolly Up Vintage Emporium for one of the cleverest product photo strategies ever.

This boutique has elevated the "selfie" to fine art by placing a gilded mirror near their store window to capture beautiful light and then shooting into the mirror with a cell phone.  The result is photography on-a-shoe-string magic!

See their set-up below and some of the resulting images.
Send Shoppista love to Dolly Up and visit their store at:

http://www.dollyupvintageemporium.com/ 

 

Our goal at Shoppista Merchant Blog is to bring you the best advice from around the web to grow and improve your online business.

#HashingForFashion

Make the most of your fashion posts, take advantage of these hashtags!

When you place the pound sign (#) before a word, or group of words, you can easily turn your social media posts into searchable links.  When clicking on the hashtag, other users will see a feed of posts including your post, other posts with the same hashtag, and similar hashtags that may be used in the future. Many associate hashtags with Twitter and Instagram only; however they are also compatible Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, and Tumblr.  
 
In order for these tags to work effectively, you must write the hashtag as one word following the # symbol with no spaces, for example #ILoveHashTags. You should also note that special characters such as “!, $, %, ^, &, *, +, .” will not work. 

For fashion enthusiasts looking to attract a multitude of social media users to your posts, tags such as #OutfitOfTheDay or #OOTD, #InstaFashion, and #Stylish should definitely be used. According to TagsForLikes.com, a helpful site listing the most popular trending tags, these should also be used in all fashion posts:

To discover more hashtags and helpful information to attract high volumes of users to your fashions posts, visit  HashTags.org   and TagsForLikes.com!


Our goal at Shoppista Merchant Blog is to bring you the best advice from around the web to grow and improve your online business. 

 

Pinterest pointers

Pinterest is a top social media vehicle used to promote business due to its role in showcasing and leveraging good photos. Creative brand & product photography is used on Pinterest to engage customers, leading to click-throughs and sales.
 
General research shows that:

• vertical pins out-perform horizontal pins 
• longer, more descriptive pins outperform curt, strictly factual copy

Check out the full article with detailed tips from Kevin Knight, marketing researcher and pin expert at Pinterest, to see which pins had the most traction.  

http://businessblog.pinterest.com/post/80116985389/three-ways-to-improve-your-pins

Our goal at Shoppista Merchant Blog is to bring you the best advice from around the web to grow and improve your online business.

Product Descriptions for Pros

There are three basic elements of a good product description:

• Tone
• Detailed product information
• Generates desire

Setting the right tone:

• Imagine you're having a face-to-face conversation with your customer.
  What kinds of things would you say to them?
• Use the kind of chatty wording you'd normally use with your customer - are they young & hip?  More mature and sophisticated?  Casual or formal? Choose slang or or avoid slang depending on your target audience.

  Providing product Information:

• Provide as much detail as you possibly can. 
  Apparel merchants should provide size & fit guidance. 
  Jewelry sellers should give size information as close-up photos can be deceiving, making small, delicate pieces look large.
• Use descriptive adjectives.  For example, don't just say a sweater is blue - it might be navy blue or teal.  Again, photos often display color inexactly, so a verbal cue really helps. 
• Include information on materials, care instructions, and where the item is made.

Creating Desire:

• Tell an interesting story.  Does the product itself have a story?  Is it made somewhere unusual or in some unique way?  
• Invite the shopper into the picture with a style tip that helps them visualize themselves with the merchandise.  

Final tip:  Browse products on websites you admire to gather inspiration!   

Example of a great product description from Net-a-Porter:

Guerilla Photography - Intro

Beautiful photography is at the heart of most successful online stores and 

requires frequent updating to maintain shopper interest.

Here are some ways to boost your online store's visual quotient whether you hire a professional or DIY.

Mix lifestyle photos with product photos. 
Lifestyle photos engage and product photos inform. 

Examples of lifestyle photography that successfully communicate the designer's brand:

   Pladra - Traditional outdoor shirts re-invented         Sara Watts - Modern jewelry

Note how the backgrounds, accessories, and choice of models complement their brand focus. When possible, vary your models for diversity and interest.

Good product photos give the shopper loads of info about the product.

Shooting on a model or mannequin gives sense of proportion. 
Multiple & detail views show the nuts and bolts of cut, construction.

 

- Use of neutral backgrounds improves clarity of product details.  

- Shooting flat on white paper works well for T-shirts, sweaters. 

- White paper appears gray when photographed & will need photo editing.

- Make sure camera is held square, not tilted, to avoid product distortion.

- If shooting with model or mannequin, position far enough away from

  background to avoid casting a shadow. Eliminating shadows makes photo
  editing backgrounds much easier.

To be continued...
There's so much to say about photography we'll be continuing to intersperse tips throughout the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

 

Graphic Design Tips for Branding your Online Store

We found an excellent & practical clip on graphic design that can help you nail your branding and image online. 

The advice comes from Canva, "an online tool to help you create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, flyers, posters, invitations and so on..."

Watch at:

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhZZ20nhXDc 

Our goal at the Shoppista Merchants Blog is to bring you great ideas to help you build an outstanding online business!