New quarter, new website - 3 ways to increase online sales this year

Want to know the secret to start the quarter off with a bang? We have seen companies almost double their sales after simply updating their product photography. Yeah, that’s no joke…

This time of the year, we always hear the same thing. Every business is looking to refresh their brand and update their visual content to start the year off strong. Especially after a year like 2022, companies across the country are jumping at the chance to produce new, captivating visuals for their website, social media, product pages, and ads.

Because of that, we have put together a list of 3 things you should be thinking about as we go into the new year.

1. Prioritize the customer experience

In our research, the customer’s experience is the most overlooked element of online businesses. What do we mean by customer experience? We aren’t just talking about a happy customer who got great service for a fair price. We are talking about the end-to-end online brand experience every customer has that decides whether or not they return.

As we transition into the new year, now is a better time than ever to take a step back and re-prioritize your business’ online experience.

• Visual Content: Even if you are confident in your business’ online experience, our research shows us that customers crave new content every time they visit your site. Every month update your headers and product images, giving your customers a fresh experience every time they log on.

• Interactivity: Every time a customer visits your website, you should have new engaging content for them: new educational articles, polls, interactive visual content like 360° product spins, or videos about your brand and product. Keep them engaged, keep them curious.

• Navigation: Even though customers crave new visual content every visit, they still want the navigation they are used to. Don’t confuse your viewers, find the perfect navigation across your website and keep it that way.

2. Increase sales with new content

January and February are great months to conduct business. People are motivated after the holidays to start the year off strong and complete their resolutions. But how can you take advantage of that rush?

You may be surprised to learn that, in our experience, we have watched online stores double their sales after updating their website’s visual content.

Yeah, you read that right.

We have measured the sales of a store before and after updating their product imagery, headers, and social media content. When they run the same curation of products during the same time of year, their sales have increased anywhere from 50% to 100%.

Why? Because the customer is more picky than even they know, and they want a fresh experience online. Most of the time they will never think twice about the quality of photography content when you update your store, but subconsciously we have proven that they are more likely to convert as a customer.

So, this year, as everyone is rushing to buy new gadgets and products to help them achieve their resolutions, captivate them with new, fresh content about your brand.

3. Evolve your brand

Picture some of your favorite, most famous brands. Try to think of one Fortune 500 brand that has stayed the same over the course of its existence. Same logo, same website, same color scheme, same social media content…

We couldn’t think of one either.

Business owners don’t think about it enough, but it seems to be a no-brainer that updating your brand as time moves on is essential to staying relevant and driving sales.

Whether you are running with the same website you made in 2012, using the same stock imagery you bought last year, or selling products with low quality images, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Constant evolution of your brand is key if you want to grow in the 21st century.

Trends seem to change as fast as time itself:

• When was the last time you thought about your brand’s color palette?

• Is your logo still living in 2010, or have you modernized it yet?

• Have you updated your product copy to be more conversational?

• How active are you on social media?

• Are you still using photos exclusively to show your products, or have you invested in 360° spins and video?

• Are you boosting Facebook posts and running targeted ads for brand awareness?

Don’t get us wrong, we know that modifying your brand too much too fast could alienate your loyal customers. But a slow, intentional evolution over time, staying in line with industry trends, is one of the most underrated ways to engage old customers and bring in new ones.

What do you think?

So, based on what you just read, are you doing everything you can to start the new year off with a bang and have your best first quarter yet?

If not, let us know. We are a photography studio that produces visual content for brand storytelling. From clean, on-white product photography, to stylized advertising photography, to cutting edge 360° spins, to product video, we have you covered.

So help us help you, update your online store by placing an order with us today.