E-commerce photography is a unique genre of photography. Here, the photographers unlock their expertise to capture product photos. The main goal is to capture stunning as well as informative images.
However, good e-commerce photography is not only about grabbing the viewers’ attention. It had to be conceptual. Hence, an expert e-commerce photographer portrays the product’s story.
However, a cover to cover to understating is also necessary. It will help you get the best service at the best price. This article covers all the things you need to know about e-commerce photography.
Factors | Ecommerce Photography Pricing
Getting the best e-commerce photo is the main focus of hiring an e-commerce photographer. However, it would help if you considered a few things regarding the pricing policy for e-commerce photos.
A. Hourly Rates
The hourly rates of professional e-commerce photographers vary from $25 to $250. Yet, the hourly rates depend on location, experience, and project requirements. Understand which photographer suits your project.
If you need simple ecommerce photos, an entry-level photographer can execute them. But, if you need more aesthetic images, you should hire an experienced photographer.
B. Cost per Photo
E-commerce photography is a time-consuming task. The e-commerce photograph requires a lot of expertise in planning the shot. It is about picking up the right equipment, finding the right angles, styling the products, and creating a shooting model.
Thus, an expert e-commerce photographer charges more than a photographer from other genres. A standard white background eCommerce photographer can charge between $20 and $90 per image.
C. Location-based Charges
You should also consider the location-based charges. If the photography location is situated at a long distance, it will need more transportation costs. Costs can reach $200/hour if not assessed properly.
Ecommerce Photography Services
Image editing has a vital role in ecommerce. You can create more engaging product photos by using photo editing techniques. Moreover, RAW product photos are not suitable for e-commerce platforms.
Image editing allows you to make them perfect. Here are the reasons to use an e-commerce photo editing service:
i. Removing Inconsistencies
Photo editing services allow you to get the flaws from the photos. The RAW product photos may have several issues that can impact the beauty of the photo. For example, if the photos have dust, you have to remove them before using them for ad campaigns.
ii. Adding Creative Elements
Image editing is also crucial for customer satisfaction. In this regard, the e-commerce image editors add different creative elements to the photos. So, the image looks more conceptual for a specific platform. Moreover, it is vital to create pictures for targeted audiences.
iii. Creating A Brand Style
Image editing is a must to create a brand image. Image editors make photos flawless. It helps to maintain consistency across the platforms and increase brand credibility. Thus, you can build up a potential customer base.
iv. Boosting Sales
Using eye-catching photos for marketing helps to impress customers. The image editor makes sure that your product images look eye-catching. So, they grab the customers’ attention at first sight and boost sales in your e-commerce business.
Calculating Ecommerce Photography Pricing
Calculating e-commerce photography costs is essential to use your money best. Let’s discuss how you can calculate e-commerce photography costs:
01. Hourly Rate Calculation
Creating a profitable pricing structure involves different methods. You have to make a plan considering the type of photo editing.
Consider the studio rental costs if you want to shoot in the studio. And you have to bear the location cost and hire a model for lifestyle photography.
Start with calculating the expenses for equipment rent, software subscriptions, studio rent, taxes, and travel expenses for outdoor shooting.
Then, calculate your annual profit from the e-commerce photography. Thus, you will get an idea of your expenses and estimated income.
Finally, determine how many hours you can work on a project. Hence,
Hourly Rate = Expenses + Profit / Workable Hours
Additionally, if you provide photo editing services to your clients, you can give a quote to your clients by calculating the total cost.
Total Cost=(Shooting Hours+Editing Hours)×Hourly Rate
02. Cost per Image Calculation
The cost-per-image calculation is another standard method for e-commerce photography. Like the hours are rate calculation, here you also have to estimate your expenses for the equipment, studio, software, taxes, travel expenses, etc.
Now, determine the hourly rate by dividing the base cost by the estimated hour for the project. Estimate the hours required to complete an image. Hence,
Cost per Image= Hours required per Image×Hourly Rate
Similarly, Total Project Cost per Image=Shooting Cost per Image+Editing Cost per Image.
Competitive Analysis Setting |Photography Pricing
Competitive analysis is vital for setting your pricing. First, determine the companies that are your competitors. Then, determine how much your competitors are charging for a particular niche. If they charge more, you have to undercut the price. Thus, you can attract more customers to your service.
Moreover, try to identify the pricing gaps between the competitors. You will get several websites to do that research. Thus, you can set a competitive price and capitalize on the price gaps. Here are the steps you can take for a competitor analysis:
- Identify your closest competitors
- Use online resources
- Contact your competitors directly
- Consider using a price-tracking tool
Marketing Costs for Ecommerce Photography Pricing
Marketing is essential for every business. You have to reach out to your customers and tell them that you are there with the best services for them. That’s why you must take marketing campaigns to attract customers to your website or page.
So, marketing campaigns like SEO, advertising, and social media improve your online brand presence. You can plan a specific marketing campaign for particular demographics. Thus, you can create a potential customer base for your niche. As a result, it will help you to get the desired sales.
To be specific, you need marketing for the following reasons:
- Increase brand awareness
- Drive traffic to your website
- Increase conversion rates
- Build customer loyalty
- Boost sales
However, you also have to examine the marketing cost closely. It depends on the size of the business, niche, platforms, etc. That’s why experts suggest using 7-10% of your revenue for marketing. Here are some marketing campaigns to take for the e-commerce business:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
- Social media advertising
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Affiliate marketing
Starting Your Ecommerce Photography Studio
A well-arranged studio rent is so high. You start your e-commerce photography studio by following some simple steps. First, you have to choose your niche. Then begin collecting equipment. Here is a list of equipment that you must ensure for e-commerce photography:
- A camera
- Lenses
- Lighting
- A tripod
- A backdrop
- A lightbox (optional)
- A computer
- Photo editing software
- Reflector,
- Diffuser, or softbox
Then, ensure that your studio has enough space for these equipment, models, and 10-15 people who will work on a project. Also, ensure that the studio has enough ventilation and lighting facilities.
If you are tight on your budget, you can use the spare room in your house. However, it is better to have a separate ample space for the studio.
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Conclusion | Ecommerce Photography Pricing
So, there are five factors affecting ecommerce photography pricing. So, you have to consider these issues while selecting an e-commerce photography service.
Then you can use an e-commerce photo editing service to polish the images. I have also provided the pricing of these services.
Finally, there is a simple calculation method for setting up hourly rates and per-image rates for ecommerce photography. You can follow these methods to set up your price.
Moreover, an image editing agency like Clipping World is here for you. Contact them for any kind of solution related to ecommerce photography pricing.
