Being able to shop for anything online, including cannabis, is the way this generation’s consumers prefer to shop. In fact, in 2021 69% of Americans purchased at least one item online. That number is expected to shoot up to almost 91% of Americans in 2022[1]. eCommerce has become an absolute dominant reality, especially with how it allows you – the business owner – to target and retarget potential customers.
But what does that have to do with photography?
Simple.
Humans are visual beings. We take in information visually. Photos evoke emotions, can manipulate behaviors, and can tell a provocative story. People take in 80% of what they see and 20% of what they read[2]. People only remember 10% of the information they take in three days after hearing it. Photos can improve recall up to 65%.
This helps support an idea that consumers are more likely to buy something based on how they perceive it looks.
1 – Consumers Believe Good Images are Essential to an E-commerce Experience
Hiring a professional photographer to capture images of your products instead of taking them on your phone is a way to show to your potential clients that you are offering high-end products. As great as cellphones are, a consumer can always tell the difference between phone pictures and something that is professionally composed, photographed and edited.
75% of consumers rely heavily on product photos when deciding on a potential purchase[2]. IN fact, of that number, 67% of consumers put more emphasis on a product’s image than the product description and reviews[3].
That means that your photos can be the dealbreaker between a customer buying or not.
2 – Photos Tell the Story of Your Brand
One thing we’ve learned about the cannabis marketing space is that content marketing is key. Your photos become as much a part of your brand as your products. Use this as a way to tell the story of who your dispensary is. Think about what kind of stories you want to tell, how you want to educate the customer base, and how you want to create a community online.
Combining photos, videos, infographics, and other types of visual media are highly effective ways at telling the story of your brand. People are drawn to visuals – especially at the end of a long day as they’re aimlessly scrolling through Instagram. A great photo is what will get that person to stop for a split second or more and actually stop to read what your account has to say.
Hiring a professional photographer to come in and work with you to create an online identity for your business. It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but it is more crucial for growing your business than you think. Trust us. Once you start seeing those conversions, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.
3 – High Quality, Custom Photos Establish Trust
Does it matter if you use stock photos vs real photos for your web presence?
Yes.
Every other person who wants to use stock images has most likely used the same images. And if you’re super unfortunate – one of those people is a direct competitor of yours.
When someone visits your website for the first time, they are processing everything they see in short-term memory. If they see images that are in any way similar to other websites that may have created a negative experience, they will subconsciously project that negative experience onto your stock images[4], reducing their trust in your brand.
When shown an A/B test of a real image vs a stock image, customers are 35% more likely to purchase something with the real image[5]. Just think about that, real images of and relating to your business, the people that work there, and your products are going to show far higher conversions than if you used stock images.
In Conclusion
Professional photography is a must have for any serious cannabis business in 2022 and beyond. It’s the single greatest asset you can have to set your business apart from its competitors. We know it has a positive effect on conversions, growing a strong brand on social media, and it helps build trust in your brand. These may not be the only reasons you should have professional photography for your business, but we believe they are some of the most important.
3PRIME’s house product and brand photographer is ready to work with you to take your business’ web presence to the next level. We’d love to chat with you about your needs and see how we can help your business excel with breathtaking photography.
[1] https://optinmonster.com/online-shopping-statistics/#ecommerce-statistics
[2] https://yen-pedrajas.medium.com/5-significant-facts-how-product-photography-can-impact-your-ecommerce-b51a99a34669
[3] https://www.mdgadvertising.com/marketing-insights/infographics/its-all-about-the-images-infographic/
[4] https://cxl.com/blog/the-science-of-storytelling-memory-motivation-and-its-impact-on-cro/
[5] https://marketingexperiments.com/digital-advertising/stock-images-tested