Striking, high-quality images are not mere decorations in the world of eCommerce as they play a vital role in driving customer action. This is especially true in the health and wellness industry, where customers need to trust what they see before even considering purchases.
It is understood that first impressions can make or break sales, and product images are often the first chance brands have at building trust. Around 75% of customers online rely on product photos to make purchase decisions. Clean, detailed, emotionally resonant photography, besides accurately communicating product quality, can also support effective brand storytelling and ultimately boost conversions.
In this guide, we will show you how to use high-quality product photography to improve your Shopify health and wellness store by turning those casual browsers into buyers.
Why product photography matters in the health and wellness industry
Whatever your product might be, without building trust, it is hard to sell in the health and wellness industry. Most products directly impact customer well-being; hence, customers must be confident that what they buy is safe, effective, and aligned with their values. Quality product photography can help build this confidence and thus bridge the gap.
Wellness shoppers highly value transparency, cleanliness, and credibility. Clear, well-lit images highlighting ingredients, safe packaging, certifications, etc., help convey your brand's authenticity and product quality at a single glance.
Beyond trust, product photography also has an emotional impact on customers. Wellness is aspirational, meaning that for most customers, it is about becoming the best version of themselves. Lifestyle imagery, the use of serene backgrounds, human-centered composition, etc., help customers connect emotionally to the brand and encourage them to visualize the brand as a part of their health and wellness journey.
Types of product photography that converts
These are some of the most effective product photography types that can convert in the health and wellness space:
Studio shots
Studio shots are the classic, high-clarity images with clean white backgrounds that drive focus solely towards the product. They allow customers to evaluate what they are buying and, hence, are essential for product pages, collection views, marketplaces, etc. Studio shots not only help in providing consistency but also add a professional touch to the experience.
Lifestyle photography
Lifestyle product shots are ideal for showcasing the product in action to help customers visualize it as part of their daily routine or wellness journey. For instance, a yoga mat can be photographed as being rolled out during a morning stretch, instantly tapping into the aspirations and emotions of customers.
Ingredient/transparency shots
Health-conscious shoppers (i.e., most shoppers in the health and wellness space) want to know what exactly goes into the products and ultimately goes into their bodies.
Close-ups of clean, recognizable ingredients, supplement labels, eco-friendly packaging, etc., help signal transparency and alleviate any doubts customers might have. These shots are hence a way of saying, “We’ve got nothing to hide!”
Detail shots
Sometimes, more than a singular view of the whole product, it’s the little things that might seal the deal. Think glossy capsules, creamy textures, premium packaging, feature highlights, etc. These detail shots highlight product quality and care and provide a virtual feel of the product, thus justifying the price tag.
Before and after photos
In the wellness and healthcare industry, transformation sells. Assuring the transformational quality of your product through photos can solidify visually that your product works. For instance, glowing skin, improved posture, toned muscles, etc., all convey a story of progress, possibility, and the reliability of the product.
User-generated or real-customer photos
Beyond product photos from the brand, another type of product photography that holds an important seat in health and wellness is user-generated product photos.
By featuring authentic photos from real customers, you can add a layer of social proof that cannot be replicated by any studio shots. User-generated photos also validate your product’s claims through real-world use and can, thus, foster trust and build community.
Best practices for health and wellness product photography
Good results do not happen by simply adding product shots to your product pages. Here are a few best practices that can help you create good product photos that convert:
Leverage natural lighting
When it comes to health and wellness product photography, natural lighting is your best friend. It can create soft, clean visuals that suggest authenticity, transparency, and purity, all of which are values wellness shoppers care deeply about. Ideally, morning or late afternoon light can help avoid oversaturated tones and sharp shadows and fetch the best results.
Keep it minimal
Allow your product to do the talking by keeping it minimal. Using a minimal background and overall aesthetics for your product photographs places the product at the center and aligns with the calm, uncluttered vibe that most wellness brands aim for. Go for soft, neutral tones, light wood, subtle textures, etc., in a way that suits your brand theme and aesthetics.
Focus on clarity
Refrain from heavy filters or edits and focus on creating sharp, clear images that accurately showcase the product in a true-to-life manner. Crisp, high-quality images allow customers to know exactly what they are getting.
Highlight certifications and ingredients
As wellness buyers expect transparency from brands, it is important to highlight certifications and product ingredients. If your product is certified organic, cruelty-free, packed with hero ingredients, and/or vegan, zoom in on the label or style the shot in a way that subtly showcases it.
Maintain consistency
An important practice for building visual trust and brand recognition is to maintain a consistent photography style across your store. Use consistent kinds of lighting, backgrounds, editing style, etc. for all your product shots.
Through this uniformity, your health and wellness Shopify store will feel and look more professional while keeping the shopping experience cohesive and smooth.
Sparingly use props
Props can enhance your visuals greatly when used in a calculated and creative way. Touches such as a yoga mat in a fitness product shot or eucalyptus leaves behind a skincare product bottle can turn the image from mundane to appealing. Props should support the scene and tell a story while the product takes center stage.
How to optimize photos for Shopify stores
We have established that high-quality images are key for wellness and health brands, but you also need to ensure that the images are optimized for performance to avoid any slowdowns on your store. Here is how you can do this:
1. Use the right image dimensions: Shopify recommends using image dimensions of 2048 x 2048 pixels to ensure crisp, professional, and fast-loading images.
2. Compress images: Use tools like TinyPNG or Shopify’s built-in image optimization to compress images to a smaller file size without sacrificing image quality.
3. Name image files with keywords: Instead of uploading files named like “IMG_1234.jpg”, use descriptive names with the product keyword, such as “organic-vitamin-c-capsules.jpg”.
4. Use Alt text for accessibility and SEO: Adding alt text improves accessibility for users and gives search engines more context, resulting in improved rankings.
5. Show the product from multiple angles: Give customers a complete view of the product by including multiple shots from the front, back, sides, and up close. Also, enable zoom to let users have a closer look at product texture, details, etc.
Real examples of wellness brands doing it right
Here are a few excellent examples from the real world, where brands are employing product photography the right way:
Alo Yoga
Wellness apparel brand Alo Yoga places its products in a stylish real-world setting, effectively leveraging customer aspirations and allowing its shoppers to visualize the product as a part of their everyday wellness routine. The brand also creatively uses natural lighting and backgrounds that add to the storytelling and context.
Golde
Golde, the giant superfoods brand, strongly sticks to its brand aesthetics with its product photos and uses consistent backgrounds that compliment the product well. Golde offers a good example of using colors to put the products in the spotlight while maintaining the brand’s vibe.
Moon Juice
Health and wellness supplement brand Moon Juice has a unique approach to product photography, where soft lighting and shallow depth of field provide a delicate quality to the images. This not only adds appeal but also makes the product feel more premium to shoppers.
DIY vs professional product photography: What’s best?
Not every photo requires a professional shoot, and not every photo is possible through DIY. The key is to know when to invest in professional shoots and when DIY will do.
High-impact images such as hero shots, homepage banners, and ads are worth hiring a professional photographer for, as these images help in establishing credibility.
DIY, on the other hand, is more suited for new product launches, blog content, social media posts, etc. Growing health and wellness brands can save costs by leveraging mobile phone camera portrait mode, good lighting, natural settings, and tools like Lightbox and Canva to create engaging, authentic shots that resonate well with the audience.
More than perfection, the focus should be on visual consistency. Align your editing style, lighting, and background across all images to create a seamless, on-brand experience.
Conclusion
In a highly competitive health and wellness market where trust and transparency are non-negotiable, your visuals act as the first proof of quality.
Your product photos need to reflect the purity, safety, and effectiveness of your products to make any impact. Take a moment to audit your current photos and see whether your product images are consistent, clear, and emotionally engaging.
Need help creating health and wellness visuals that convert? Reach out to us for expert tips and assistance.
