Picture perfect: How to use product images & videos to reduce returns

Reducing Returns

From our latest e-book Reducing Returns - A guide for growing fashion brands, we learn many strategies and tactics on how to win the battle over your returns. One of them are to optimize the level of expectation you set for your customers and help them make informed purchase decisions. Doing so you want to make sure that your visual content is on top of the game.

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Visual content affects your return rate

In e-commerce, visuals are not just part of the product presentation; they are a crucial element of the customer's decision-making process. High-quality images and videos can dramatically reduce return rates by providing a clear and more accurate representation of products. Not you nor the customer want unexpected surprises when receiving the item.

Quality visuals allow customers to see detailed aspects of products, helping them understand what they are buying and reducing the discrepancy between online images and the actual product. This clarity can significantly decrease the likelihood of returns due to unmet expectations regarding appearance, fit, and quality.

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How to use product visuals to reduce returns

1. Diverse Angles and Detailed Shots
   • Provide multiple images from various angles and include zoomed-in shots to highlight important features like texture, material, and craftsmanship.
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2. Dynamic Videos
   • Create videos that show the product in action. This could include catwalk videos, 360-degree spins, and videos showing the product being used in real life, which can help customers better understand the fit and movement of the garment.
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3. True-to-Life Color Representation
   • Invest in high-quality photography that accurately captures the true colors of the products. Color variance is a common reason for returns, and accurate depiction can help mitigate this issue.
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4. Model Diversity
   • Use models of various sizes and shapes to demonstrate how products look on different body types. This representation can help customers better relate to the product and understand how it might look on them.

5. Contextual Imagery
   • Provide context through images that show the product in various settings or paired with other items. This can help customers visualize how they might use the item in their own lives.
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6. Technical Enhancements
   • Consider incorporating 3D/AR features on your products that allow customers to see products in their own space or on their person. This technology can provide a more interactive and personalized shopping experience getting familiar with the product.
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Expert Insight

“As a fashion brand we have been adding photos and videos to the product pages with more models in different sizes. In that way most of our customers can find a model that you can compare to and find the correct size in that way. This has given us great results.”

- Matilda Landhör, Head of E-commerce at ADOORE.

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Investing in high-quality visual content is crucial for reducing returns and enhancing customer satisfaction. These visuals play a key role in setting accurate expectations and can transform the online shopping experience. By helping customers take informed purchase decisions you put your business in a great position to reduce your return rate and build a sustainable business going forward.

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Want to learn more about this and other great tactics to reduce your returns? Make sure to download the full e-book Reducing Returns

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