Democratising eCommerce product photography

Online marketplaces and social media platforms have proven to be a blessing for small and medium-sized retailers and manufacturers because they offer an opportunity to reach out to a large pool of potential customers. This means faster growth for sellers.

But although, in theory, being able to access such marketplaces should help small businesses reach a wider audience, for many, the process is not as straightforward as it might seem. This is often due to the challenges associated with getting high-quality images or videos.

What makes it more difficult is the fact that different platforms have different requirements and are often very strict about details such as background colour or focus level as well as having criteria around the number of pictures required and the mandatory angles that a product image should have.

Having the skills – and time – to produce images or videos of sufficient quality can be a real headache, with very few sellers likely to come from a photography background. Small businesses are especially at a disadvantage because of general budget constraints. They are unlikely to be able to afford professional photoshoots and graphic designers, and they may have such a vast range of products that product photography would be a significant undertaking for them.

Even if the product portfolio is not large enough, the nature of social media is such that there’s a constant need for new images to ensure the posts remain fresh.

Moreover, since most people assess a product’s quality by the product images, it’s essential to have high-quality catalogue and lifestyle images to attract customers, drive engagement and build a brand.

“Our experience of working in the industry helped us understand the pain points online sellers had in terms of product imagery,” says Abhishek Kirti, COO at Dresma. “This was one of the biggest motivations for setting up Dresma in 2020.”

One of the key products Dresma offers is a product photography app called DoMyShoot. The app uses artificial intelligence to streamline and fast-track the photography process, empowering eCommerce sellers to product high-quality product images using nothing but their smartphone cameras.

“Through DoMyShoot, we’ve managed to automate the product photography workflow that was primarily manual until now,” says Kirti. “What’s more, the app is versatile enough to be used by sellers at any scale. We are proud to have among our users some of the biggest names in the eCommerce space as well as many small handicraft artisans.”

The app not only optimises the image background but also offers thousands of high-quality background templates.

The app also guides users during the photography process by suggesting recommended angles and product positioning. After uploading the images, the app works its magic and delivers enhanced images quickly, cutting down the time taken in getting final product images from two weeks to a few hours.

To date, more than 5 million images have been processed through Dresma.

Customers sign up for the service on a subscription basis and can also purchase credits for as many product photos as they need. The hope is that by removing the hassle of creating product visuals, sellers will be able to focus on other aspects of their business, enabling them to compete with larger rivals and ultimately grow their brand.

Concerns over the continuous need for outstanding images should not be allowed to get in the way of that, especially now that AI-powered solutions are easily available in the market.

To find out more about how Dresma could help you with your product images, visit dresma.ai