Having visually stunning product photographs is the first and arguably the most important step in converting your Amazon visitors into customers. Since humans are visual creatures with low attention spans, the importance of having visually stunning imagery cannot be overstated.

According to industry experts, a staggering 90% of shoppers searching for products on Amazon make a purchasing decision based solely on product images. This means that product images are the most critical aspect of your product listing, even more so than product descriptions or other brand content.

Product images give you the highest ROI and can often be the difference between a customer buying your product or moving on to the next listing.

However, when it comes to using product images in your Amazon store listing, you must make an important decision: decide on what type of product images to use.

On Amazon, you can add 3 types of images: the primary or the main image, infographic images, and lifestyle images. Amazon requires a white background image for the primary image, but you also have the option to add lifestyle images and infographics to your product listing.

In this article, we will focus specifically on lifestyle images and how they can be a game-changer on Amazon. We will discuss what lifestyle images are, the perks of using them, a checklist for successful lifestyle images, and best practices for creating effective lifestyle images on Amazon.

Let’s get started.

In the context of eCommerce, lifestyle images are the type of images that allow online sellers to showcase what their products would look like in real-life settings. They help shoppers visualize using the product in their natural environment, depicting how products are actually being used by people in their daily lives.

Lifestyle images are essential for your Amazon store listing because they communicate to consumers the benefits of using your product. They also allow you to build an emotional connection with your target audience by showcasing scenes that resonate with them.

For instance, a lifestyle image for kitchen equipment can feature a person standing in a kitchen and using the equipment to cook food.

If done right, your lifestyle images can have a powerful emotional impact on your target audience, motivating them to make a purchase.

Side note: While lifestyle images are crucial, to get people to make a final purchase, other factors also come into play like a competitive price, good reviews, and a great hero image. But that’s a discussion for another day.

In addition to enhancing the overall appearance, there are many perks of using lifestyle images in your Amazon product listing. Let’s discuss some of them.

1. Lifestyle photos bring your products to life: By showcasing your product in a real-life setting, lifestyle photos can help your customers visualize the product's features and benefits more effectively, making it more appealing to them.

2. Lifestyle photos tell the story of your product: Lifestyle photos go beyond showcasing a product. They tell a visual story about your product's purpose and how it fits into your customers' lives, helping them connect with your product on a deeper level.

3. Lifestyle photos can appeal to customers’ emotions: Lifestyle photos have the power to evoke emotions and create a sense of desire in your customers. By showing your product in use and in a relatable setting, customers can envision themselves using the product and feel more compelled to purchase it.

4. Lifestyle photos reinforce your brand’s personality: Your brand's personality is an essential element in creating a loyal customer base. Lifestyle photos reinforce your brand's personality by creating a consistent visual style and tone that aligns with your brand's messaging and values, helping you differentiate yourself from competitors.

5. Lifestyle photos allow customers to see the product in context: Customers want to know how a product fits into their lives. By using lifestyle photos, you can show how the product is used, its size and scale, and how it looks in a particular environment, giving customers a better idea of what they're getting.

6. Lifestyle photos are great for social media: Social media is all about visual content, and lifestyle photos are perfect for catching your audience's attention. By sharing your lifestyle photos on social media platforms, you can showcase your product's unique features and build a loyal following.

7. Lifestyle photos are popular on Amazon: Lifestyle photos are becoming increasingly popular among Amazon sellers. By using lifestyle photos on your Amazon store listing, you can stand out from the competition and give your customers a better understanding of your product.

Now that you understand the advantages of lifestyle images, it's time to consider how to create successful ones for your Amazon listings.

But before using any lifestyle images, we recommend asking yourself a few questions to ensure the images serve their intended purpose. Here’s a handy checklist of questions to ask yourself that will help guide your decision-making process in getting successful lifestyle images -

To create a powerful lifestyle image, it is crucial to evoke a particular emotion in the viewer. Achieving this effect requires subtlety and an innate understanding of how to construct a scene that elicits an emotional connection without being too obvious.

This might sound tricky but by following some best practices, you can effectively create compelling lifestyle images that resonate with your audience. Here are some essential tips to keep in mind -

Before creating lifestyle images for Amazon listings, it's important to fulfill the platform's guidelines for product images. These guidelines include -

We recommend checking out the Amazon product image requirements page for more information. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your lifestyle images meet Amazon's requirements and are optimized for success.

It is essential to ensure that the lighting in your lifestyle image complements your brand. While natural lighting is often recommended for Amazon product photography, it may not always be the most suitable option for your brand identity. In some cases, the use of direct sunlight can even have the opposite effect.

For instance, showcasing a sports supplement using soft focus, and ambient lighting can be irrelevant and jarring. Similarly, using high-contrast lighting may not send the right message about a sleep supplement that promises a peaceful night's rest.

Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the lighting used in your lifestyle images reflects your message and is consistent across all your shots.

The focus of your lifestyle image should be on your product, not the background.

For example, if you're selling an outdoor product, it's important to ensure that any greenery in the background is blurred out. The background should not blend in with the lifestyle image or dominate it.

By understanding basic color psychology, you can gain insight into how to effectively incorporate the atmosphere of the background into your image while keeping the focus on the product.

Working with models for your product photos is one of the key aspects of lifestyle photography. But to effectively use models in your images, it’s crucial to have a good understanding of your target audience.

While age and gender are significant factors, other elements also play a vital role in selecting the right model. For example, a rugged and outdoorsy model may not be suitable for promoting maternity care products whereas a smiling infant would be more appropriate. Additionally, consider how lighting and backdrops can accentuate your model's features.

Let’s look at some other best practices to follow when creating lifestyle images for your product listings -

While we've shared some helpful tips for capturing high-quality lifestyle images, we understand that it can still be a challenging and costly process, particularly when it comes to utilizing product photography services offered by professional photographers and studios. Fortunately, there's a solution that can help you create stunning lifestyle images without breaking the bank.

DoMyShoot is a user-friendly eCommerce product photography app that enables online sellers to capture professional-grade product photos for Amazon and other major marketplaces using just their smartphone cameras. You can create both white-background images and visually appealing lifestyle images with the app's in-app guides and thousands of lifestyle templates.

This AI-powered solution is designed to optimize your images for different marketplaces, making it easy to quickly create A+ product listings on Amazon. With DoMyShoot, you can scale your Amazon product photography workflow and get the images you need to succeed within a few hours.