E-commerce can learn a thing or two from print catalogs

According to a recent report by comScore, desktop-based e-commerce sales were up 13 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2013. The study found that e-commerce sales have seen double-digit growth for 10 consecutive quarters.

As more E-commerce web sites pop up I believe that competition to grab those sales will become more difficult with time. E-commerce web sites remind me of printed catalogs we received in the mail, which was incredibly popular in the decades leading up to the turn of the century. In the past, I was an Art Director who specialized in print catalog design and layout. I worked for the largest catalog agency at the time, as well as in-house for some large catalog merchandisers. There were some very specific things that separated the larger successful catalogs from the smaller less successful catalogs. I believe the same things will separate E-commerce web sites into the two categories as well.

I am referring to great design and photography. The more successful catalogs and E-commerce web sites have well-designed layouts with quality photography to match. Too many E-commerce sites today unfortunately have no branding carried through the page design, poor layout design and the product photography looks like it was taken with a smartphone camera.

Photography is extremely important when creating an E-commerce website. Just like a printed catalog, a website is a non-tactile experience for the visitor since they do not have the ability to feel or sense a product with touch, smell, taste, etc. You must present products in an attractive manner with lighting, composition, styling, propping and more, all captured by a professional photographer.

It is even better if the photographer is collaborating with an Art Director or Designer so the images work with the aesthetics and brand that surround the products on the pages. Good design will extend into an easy shopping experience. The shopping cart should be simple with a layout and interface that are easy to use. The ability to cross-reference similar products or bundle items into groups for promotions and discounts will help keep a site visitor shopping on your website and increase the average spent. Good design will enhance and tell a story (brand image) for the business as well as the products.

These two attributes (design and photography by talented professionals) are crucial to making an E-commerce web site stand out and be impactful to encourage sales. Many web sites are missing the two elements that drive branding and help tell stories to the viewers. Unfortunately, there is a flood of cookie-cutter, template based, do-it-yourself, monotone, boring web sites created by individuals who are not qualified. All this is similar to the period of time when desktop publishing became widely available to the masses. Suddenly, Graphic Designers were getting less work and less pay while unqualified individuals handled design and production in-house for many businesses. That turned around as smart businesses started to see the degradation and in-effective print collateral being passed around. In time the same thing will happen with web sites and especially E-commerce sites. Be ahead of the curve and put creative talent to work so you can gain more from your online offerings.


Freddy Uson is the Creative Director and owner of Uson Consulting, llc. Visit usonconsulting.com A Web Design & Creative Marketing business that offers web design, development, e-commerce, SEO and site optimization, marketing and all print collateral. Based in the Central New Jersey, Princeton, NJ area and serving all of NY/NJ. Contact us at (551) 265-8762 or email info@usonconsulting.com