A picture is worth a thousand sales.
When browsing a grocery catalog the first thing users typically see are the images. While some users are interested in nutrition information, ingredients or instructions the real driver of commerce is great photography.
There are many services which will give you about 20% coverage of your products and with a lot of work you can bring them all together and get to 60% with your national CPGs being the majority of your coverage.
Closing the gap and representing your full catalog requires a couple of approaches. First, prioritize by popularity of the products. Most shoppers browse the top of each category so making sure you have those pictures can really improve the look of your site.
Second, focus on store brand and local products that make your store different. The independent grocer lives in and knows their local community so the products reflect the needs of your shoppers. Make sure that local favorites have great pictures so people know right way that you are the place to get that amazing ice cream! Most suppliers will gladly give you photos and information on their products and would much prefer that your ads, site and social posts have great pictures.
Third, don’t forget standard products like meat, deli, seafood and produce. This photography can be pulled from online stock sources but also reach out to your suppliers. One consideration on meat and seafood is cooked or raw. Cooked photos are easier to source but can cause confusion once the customer receives their order. Yes, it says raw in the description, but customers don’t always read or pay attention so we recommend showing raw with the option of cooked meats.
This is also important on shots that have a side or other product as a nice part of the photo but don’t come with the product as sold. Fish fillets are often shot with a wedge of lemon and your customer may expect to receive the lemon as part of the order so be clear or choose photos that really represent what you sell.
Your online grocery partner should have a solution that covers CPG, local products, store brand and standard products in deli, meat and produce.
