A 360-degree product photograph has become one of the most important shots for any product photographer or packshot studio. This is in part due to the competitive nature of e-commerce and the need to find innovative ways to improve conversion rates. Compare an e-commerce store to a bricks and mortar store. Your customers can’t interact with your products in the same way and this can frustrate or even put off many. Bridging this gap is how you will improve conversions and create a successful business.

In this article, we will touch on what this type of photograph is and why it is important to be able to deliver this as a product photographer.

What is a 360-degree product photo?

At first glance, this may seem like a fairly complex process and to deliver the perfect image it certainly does need an expert product photographer or packshot studio. However, the fundamental process of creating a 360 product photograph is fairly simple.

This is a combination of still photographs taken of all sides and angles of a product that are then put together to create an interactive 360-degree image. This is done by placing the product on a turntable and moving it around whilst keeping your camera still to ensure lighting, settings etc are the same for every shot.

You can then start to specialise with editing software, backgrounds and props to create truly stunning images that make the customer feel like they are in a real shop, moving the product around in their hands.

How will it benefit the client?

There are some fantastic benefits to creating 360-degree product photographs as part of an e-commerce listing. These includes:

• At a fundamental level, they will increase the conversion rates of an e-commerce website and this is the purpose of product photography services. Once you get traffic onto the site, the photographs play a major part it converting that traffic into a sale.

• You will keep customers engaged with the product and on the website longer when compared to static single angle shots.

• It will help reduce returns and refunds as the customer is able to get a more accurate idea of the shape, style, colour and detail of every part of the product. This reduces the potential for negative feedback but it also helps to generate repeat business and lower costs.

• Another benefit is the ability to add extra details such as links, annotations or animations to a 360-degree product image. Not only are you providing more detail to a customer but you are increasing that engagement and creating an experience that they will enjoy.

How to create a 360-degree product photograph

The short answer to this question is to speak to a product photographer or packshot studio. They will have the necessary equipment and expertise to create stunning product photographs that will transform your business.

Whilst you could in theory attempt this yourself, a 360-degree photograph allows for the customer to see more detail and if you don’t achieve the highest quality image, then they will see it and it’s not worth the risk in our opinion. Get support from experts and you will discover the value of professional product photographs.