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Whether giants like Amazon and eBay, or more specialised providers. Virtual marketplaces are becoming more and more important and offer many advantages in e-commerce. Provided the platforms are used efficiently.

We have the best tips for you on how you too can use online marketplaces efficiently and successfully for your e-commerce.

Online retail via a digital marketplaces – Your advantages

Low entry barrier: The entry barriers to online marketplaces are low. As long as the respective guidelines of the marketplaces are followed, it is very quickly possible to offer one’s own products via the platforms. We will come back to the guidelines later.

Existing infrastructure: A big advantage is the already existing infrastructure: starting with the server, to the product pages, up to the payment processing, many things are already available and can be used immediately to create a transparent and simple purchasing process.

Access to an existing customer base: Marketplaces offer access to a large existing customer base that already knows and trusts the respective platform. In this way, a large target group can be reached immediately.

Increase brand awareness: Placing products on online marketplaces increases the visibility of one’s own brand and therefore the chance of more sales. At the same time, you benefit from the visibility of the platforms and their marketing measures and advertising campaigns.

Use as a test environment: Online marketplaces are the perfect place to conduct quick and easy product and price tests. You can, for example, test the sales potential of a new product without attracting as much attention as you would in your own online shop.

Stepping stone for internationalisation: Many platforms operate internationally and already have a corresponding infrastructure. This usually facilitates the leap from national to international business, from a national to an international brand.

What are the arguments against online marketplaces?
Of course, using large digital marketplaces not only has advantages, but also downsides. You become very dependent. There may be costs involved in listing products. The branding of your own products and the product presentation is mostly restricted by guidelines. At the same time, competition and price pressure are very high, which makes it difficult to position yourself within the marketplace.

In order to use online marketplaces efficiently for yourself, it is therefore all the more important to pay attention to a few basic details in advance and to familiarise yourself thoroughly with the guidelines of the online marketplaces.

Use online marketplaces efficiently: This is what matters

Marketplace and competitor analysis

In order to find suitable marketplaces for you and your products, you should briefly analyse which products are in particular demand on the individual online marketplaces and whether you can meet this demand with your product portfolio. To sell successfully, you also need to be competitive. Look at the product range and offers of your competitors and find out what extra value you can offer your customers compared to the competition. This can be the products themselves, but also, for example, detailed product descriptions and visual content in the product presentation.

Complete product data

In order for you to be able to place products on the marketplaces and for them not to be rejected, the product data must be submitted completely and in the correct format. This includes title, description, availability, prices, unit of measure, material, size, shipping options and more. Of course, the more product information you give your customers, the better. The better you inform your customers, the more likely they are to purchase your products. At the same time, you avoid customer dissatisfaction and high return rates.

Appealing product presentation and product images

Besides detailed product descriptions, compelling product images, product videos, 360-degree animations and any other visual product presentation are extremely important. Even before potential customers read the product name, the images catch their eye. Fact: The preview image generated from the main image has a significant impact on the click-through rate (CTR), all other product images on the conversion rate (CR).

Since products can’t be touched or tested online, your product images need to be as powerful as possible and show every aspect of the product. The most important facts:

Size
Large, high-resolution images in high quality show your products from their best side. On many online marketplaces, the zoom function can only be used if the images exceed a certain minimum size.

Quantity & variety
Only with enough pictures can potential customers get a clear idea of your product. Show all details and possible accessories with enough pictures and from different perspectives.

Our recommendation:

– Main image as frontal shot or 45-degree shot.

– Shots from different angles: front, back, angled, side, bottom, top, inside.

– Close-up shots to illustrate details and textures as well as quality.

– Additional shots of special features, modifications, packaging and functions.

– Lifestyle photos showing the product in a real-life context.

If your products come in different versions, such as colours and materials, then be sure to show all variations. Masking and recolouring will save you a lot of effort, time and money.

We have summarised the most important key visuals for e-commerce for you in our blog.

Consistency
Consistency creates a professional overall impression and trust. For images, this applies to angles, alignments, borders, backgrounds and any shadows. Choose a neutral, monochrome background. Most marketplaces require a white background anyway, at least for the main image. In addition, a white background saves time and money in image editing.

Follow marketplace guidelines for product images

A very important point! Every e-commerce marketplace has certain guidelines and requirements for product images. If these are not followed, it can happen that not only individual images, but entire products are rejected.

Here are the most important guidelines for product images from the three largest providers: Amazon, eBay and Google Shopping.

Professional image editing

In order to obtain high-quality, consistent and appealing product images, professional post-processing should not be missing. Clipping, masking, colour correction, image retouching and more. We make sure that your product images always impress and meet all requirements. At the same time, we help you to optimise your image editing workflow and thus save time and money.

We put your products in the spotlight!

With professional image editing for product photos of the highest quality.
For more information, samples and detailed prices download our e-commerce & product images portfolio.