How To Display Clothes For Sale Online

Jun 05, 2020

Photo by Sven Brandsma

Originally Posted On: https://www.harrisguide.com/display-clothes-for-sale-online/

Selling clothes online can be a great way to make some extra money, but how you display the clothing is key to getting people to purchase. Below you will find some of the top tips for displaying all types of clothing online.

Live Models

If you have friends, family, or have the budget to hire models, taking pictures of the clothing items on actual people can be a great option.

People love to see what clothing items look on people rather than just on a mannequin or hanging up. Furthermore, if you can take the pictures on various models, more people will be able to see what the clothes look like on people with similar physiques to themselves.

If you do much online shopping, you will notice that most professional companies use live models, that is because it is one of the best ways to display clothing online.

So how do you photograph live models? When you are shooting clothes on a live model, you want the customer to see themselves in the clothes. This means you do not want the model to pose in any way that appears unnatural.

Having your model pose as if they are walking or with a hand in their pocket are great posing options. Additionally, when you are photographing a clothing item on a live model, you are not just capturing the one-piece, but rather an entire outfit.

Plan out outfits with everything from shirts to shoes to accessories beforehand, and make sure each outfit is something the person buying the clothing item would wear. If they do not like the outfit, they probably will not like the item you are trying to sell.

Mannequins

If you have friends, family, or have the budget to hire models, taking pictures of the clothing items on actual people can be a great option.

If you do much online shopping, you will notice that most professional companies use live models, that is because it is one of the best ways to display clothing online.

If you are putting a dress or shirt on a torso mannequin, you can take a photo of the one clothing item, but if you are using a full-body mannequin, you should still style a whole outfit, just like on a live model. The majority of the time, you do not want a half-undressed mannequin in your photo.

Hanging Up

If you do not have access to live models or mannequins, you can photograph your clothing hanging up. All you need for this is some hangers, but there are still some things you need to keep in mind.

First of all, do not lay the clothing item on a bed or a table or the ground. Hang it up on a hook or line of some sort. When you lay a clothing item on a surface, it loses all depth and movement. Hanging it up, still shows some depth and movement, even if it is not as much as a live model or mannequin might give.

Next, if possible, you want to get white, clear, or even black hangers to use. You do not want your customers to look at the hanger rather than the clothing, so try to keep it as minimalistic as possible. Some people even get technical and edit the hanger out of their photos later.

Shoes And Accessories

If you have mannequins or live models, use those for shoes and accessories, but if not, you can still take great photos.

For shoes, you want to photograph them sitting up as if someone’s foot is in them. A lot of shoes will do this themselves, but if the shoe tends to flop over or collapse in, you can put a pool noodle or paper towel roll inside it to force it to stay propped up.

Pool noodles work exceptionally well to hold up boots. There are also forms you can purchase to hold up the shoes for you.

For accessories, you can just lay these flat on your background. Lighting is critical with accessories. If you are photographing shiny jewelry, you do not want the light reflecting off the jewelry and creating glares.

You also do not want a lot of shadows making the items appear dull. Most of the time, lighting up high over the accessory works best.

Backgrounds

Just like you should use plain hangers, you want your background to be plain.

You do not want the background to draw more attention than the product you are selling. Most of the time, a plain white background is the best option to use.

You can order a white backdrop online (links below), or you can use a white wall or ironed white sheet for a cheaper, at-home option.

If you are photographing a white product that blends in too much with the background, you can get a gray or black backdrop to photograph the item on

Take Lots Of Photos

No matter what method you are using to take your photos, you want to take lots. You want to take all sides and angles.

Furthermore, you should include pictures of any labels, beautiful detailing, and flaws. Flaws may not add to the price point of your clothing, but including them helps your customers know what to expect and improves your reputation.

If it gets out that you are selling clothes with flaws and not publicizing them, it can turn away lots of customers.

Finally, include images of size charts (most companies have ones you can download online.) Having all the information and lots of photographs included can help customers feel safe buying your product.