Product imagery isn’t just an important element of e-commerce success—it’s essential. Present a photo of your product that doesn’t immediately inform or engage viewers and your conversion rates will plummet. In fact, research shows that 8 in 10 shoppers have abandoned carts due to poor product content like photography. Even the simple act of filling out your image carousel with more content can affect your add-to-cart conversions by upwards of 48%.¹ 

With the rise of mobile-driven ecommerce, however, a quality image of your photo isn’t always enough to catch the attention of fast scrolling browsers in search listings. 

In this article, we’ll explore why both leading and emerging ecommerce brands are benefitting from a special kind of product image that’s designed to hook and educate in one fell swoop: the product hero image. 

What is a product hero image? 

A product hero image is an oversized image of a product highlighting important product attributes such as brand, size, quantity and differentiation points. Its purpose is to facilitate the purchase journey in ecommerce and particularly with mobile devices, where conventional images do not work well. When using product hero images effectively, brands make it easy for the consumer to take the next step—whether that’s exploring the product detail page more closely or immediately adding the product to the cart. 

What are the benefits of using product hero imagery? 

Benefit 1: Hero Images Give You an Ecommerce Edge

Leading with a standard pack image for your hero doesn’t do enough to help your product stand out in crowded lists of search results on sites like Amazon, Target, Walmart and Costco. On the digital shelf, content that draws eyeballs gets the clicks. 

Benefit 2: Hero Images Spotlight Information That Matters Most to Consumers 

A hero image makes it easier to showcase the features that will motivate a purchase. You can’t count on consumers to stop and read your entire feature lists. By bringing features and attributes above the fold, you’re more likely to compel shoppers to take a closer look. 

Benefit 3: Hero Images Build Trust 

Consumers seek transparency and reliability in online purchases and the hero image establishes credibility by spotlighting key information front and center. 

Benefit 4: Improve the Consumer Experience by Speeding it Up

If consumers are after a specific size, flavor or feature, showcasing it for them in a hero image improves their experience by saving them time. 

Benefit 5: Hero Images Allow Brands to Show More Than Text

Product hero images don’t have to be just about conveying information. They can also communicate scale, how the product looks outside the pack or opened, and spotlight other key features that only a quality image can showcase. 

For more benefits, download our Hero Imagery Benefits Ebook. 

How to Get Started with Hero Images 

Before you even get to a studio or fire up PhotoShop, identify the attributes, differentiators and features that matter most to your target consumer. To source this info, consult any market research you have on the products or if you’re in need of some new data, quickly A/B test a variety of content via digital ad platforms. Better yet, if your product detail pages on your ecommerce partner sites have active Q&A sections or customer reviews, scour that content for your product hero image callouts.

Need help capturing and designing the hero images themselves? 1WorldSync can help. 

1WorldSync’s product content and photography experts can produce and edit your brand’s hero images at an affordable rate. And it doesn’t stop there. Our image capture services offer industry-leading hero images, 360-degree photography, augmented reality (AR) production, GS1 compliant imagery and more. Just send us product samples, and our experts take it from there.

Learn more or get started today!  

1. JEGI CLARITY. “Insights: Content + Commerce = A Perfect Storm”. 2021. https://www.jegiclarity.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Content-and-Commerce.pdf