One major mistake e-commerce businesses make regarding advertising is not creating lifestyle images, and not using their eCommerce images on all their online channels.

The difference between lifestyle and eCommerce images

Lifestyle images

Lifestyle images communicate a feeling, a lifestyle, or the identity of your brand. Typically you should shoot on location where the product is captured being used in real life. These images focus more on the story behind the product and not just the product itself.
You should use them on:

• social media platforms,
• banner images,
• a blog on your website,
• emails
• ads.

Ecommerce images

eCommerce images must be clean shots that showcase your products well. The purpose is to depict the product being sold accurately. They’re typically taken on a clean, solid background. These are important because the clients want to “inspect” the product before they buy, so they’re essential to convert your visitors into customers.
You should use them on:

• website product shots
• emails (provide additional value to a lifestyle/creative photo).

Conclusions

Both types of pictures are essential to the overall growth strategy. To maximize user’s engagement and increase your brand awareness (that will ultimately lead to more sales and conversions), remember to:

1. Combine clean product shots and lifestyle images.
2. Consider user-generated product photography.
3. Lifestyle images are telling a story, so don’t forget that you need to know who you’re telling the story to.
4. Consider your target audience.