Our brains are built to prioritize visuals. In fact, we humans process visuals up to 60,000 times faster than we process text. That’s why we instinctively know to stop or flee when we’re walking in the woods and encounter a slithering noodle-shaped reptile in front of us.

As an Amazon seller, how do you best harness the human brain’s propensity to process images in order to attract buyers and increase conversions for your Amazon product listings?

By delivering compelling images and videos, of course. 

Amazon continually provides new ways for sellers to showcase products in their listings, both visually and otherwise. Here’s what’s slick, eye-catching, and now available.

Amazon now offers sellers in select categories the ability to upload 360-degree product photographs.

In these photos, the product appears to spin so that the buyer can examine it from all angles. This technology is a way for online sellers to emulate the in-store shopping experience via their Amazon product listings. While it doesn’t put the item in the shopper’s hand, it comes closer to the in-store experience than anything else right now.

Snap36, a company that helps online sellers create these specialized product photos for Amazon, claims that 360-degree product photographs increase conversions and decrease returns . Their website also states that Amazon prioritizes 360 photography over all other views.

Categories currently enabled for sellers to use 360-degree product views include:

• Home
• Home Improvement
• Furniture
• Lawn & Garden
• Lighting
• Kitchen
• Sports & Outdoors
• Toys
• Cameras
• Automotive
• Pets

Ready to get started with your own 360-degree product photos? Here are some pro tips for creating a 360 product video: 

• Use a DSLR or other camera with manual mode (No, your phone won’t cut it.)
• Invest in a rotating turntable so you can rotate the product, not the camera.
• Use a white or neutral background.
• Light the product to avoid dark spots and shadows.
• Use a 360-viewer app to turn your images into 360-degree images.

Currently, Amazon sellers who sell on Amazon.com and on Amazon UK, Germany, and France can enable 360-degree photography in product listings for the categories listed above.

DTSPhoto offers complete solution for 360° Product Photography .

Remember the Home Shopping Network and QVC? Amazon is keeping this tradition going with Amazon Live . And it’s encouraging brand owners to livestream with Amazon . Why? Because 73% of buyers say they are more likely to buy a product after they’ve watched a video about it .

Broadcasting your own livestream through the Amazon Live Creator app is absolutely free. Brand owners can also apply to be included in Amazon’s own livestreams by contacting your Account Executive or an Amazon Advertising Consultant. 

Camera shy? No worries. Amazon also allows the use of pre-recorded video, though they do recommend using other livestream-specific features, such as live chat with viewers, during your broadcast. 

Pro Tips for Livestreaming on Amazon:

• Showcase your complicated products: A video is a perfect way to demonstrate all the bells and whistles of a product when photography and text description might otherwise fall short. Demonstrate a complex kitchen appliance or a very technical hiking backpack.
• Highlight your product’s unique attributes: Every phone case provides protection, but can your phone case protect a phone from a 100-foot drop? Keep the focus on what makes your product stand out from your competitors.
• Go someplace unexpected: Show off your product in its natural element. Take your trekking poles out to the trail rather than showing them off in a studio.
• Show, don’t tell: You’re on camera, so keep the focus on the product rather than you talking about the product!
• Promote Livestreams off Amazon: Make the most of your live video content by also promoting via social media and your mailing list.

As ever, Amazon sets strict rules about livestreaming content on the platform. This includes limiting claims about the product, strict guidelines for the use of reviews, and disallowing content targeted at children. Check out the Amazon Live Creator Community Policy to stay on Amazon’s good side before you begin planning your livestream.

Currently Amazon Livestream is only available through the Amazon Live Creator app on iOS enabled devices.

It’s vital for sellers to make use of Amazon’s photography and video features to stand out from the pack. But don’t lose sight of the fact that the best video and 360-photography out there won’t save your listing if your titles and product descriptions aren’t well written and thorough, or your keywords aren’t optimized for Amazon’s search algorithm. The best listings are those that are robust, clean, helpful, friendly, accurate, and preemptively answer buyers’ questions before they even need to ask. That requires copy, visuals, reviews, Q&A, and of course, a really good idea made into a really good product.

Copyright © This article is reblogged from https://www.sellerlabs.com/blog/amazon-product-listings-360-images-livestream-videos/.