How To Speed Up Time-to-Market by Outsourcing Product Photo Editing

“Time to market” in eCommerce refers to the time taken for a product to go from the planning phase to being available for sale to customers. It’s like the journey of a product from the ideation stage to the store shelf or online website. A shorter time to market is always better because it means the company can start making money from the product sooner. But how do you bring products faster to the market?

In eCommerce, it’s simple. You enter the product details (title, description, product photos, pricing, etc. ), and list them on your eStore to make them available for your customers. However, the sheer volume of required product photos can be overwhelming. Each image necessitates professional editing and retouching to meet the standards necessary for an impactful catalog and adhere to the specific image size guidelines of different marketplaces. This creates a dilemma: how can businesses strike the delicate balance between maintaining high-quality visuals and ensuring a swift time-to-market?

Outsourcing Product Photo Editing: A Strategic Solution

By leveraging the expertise of skilled professionals, businesses can streamline their workflow, enhance the quality of their product images, and ultimately accelerate their time-to-market. Here’s how outsourcing can help.

Expedite the Store Development and Product Listing Process

To facilitate a seamless website launch, it is imperative that each new listing is accompanied by a set of professionally edited images. Failure to obtain catalog-ready product images may lead to a significant slowdown in the website launch. Outsourcing the image retouching task to a professional photo editing company can cut store development and product listing time by a considerable amount.

Enable Efficient Use of Time and Resources for Speedy Product Launch

Photo editing is a time-consuming task and can be a drain on resources that could be better spent on product improvement, customer service, or market research. Delegating this task to a professional photo editing service provider is a strategic move that frees up internal resources to perform other important tasks essential for bringing products faster to the market.

Ensures Swift Response to Market Trends

The eCommerce landscape is dynamic, and the key to success lies in the ability to swiftly respond to emerging market trends. Businesses need to launch their products quickly to meet market demands, and outsourcing eCommerce photo editing is a strategic approach that facilitates this agility.

Service providers equipped with experts and cutting-edge tools are poised to match the rapid pace of changing trends. Unlike in-house professionals who may grapple with time constraints or lack specialized expertise, outsourcing ensures a seamless adaptation to the evolving market landscape. This means that when a new trend emerges, businesses can have their visuals ready for marketing campaigns or website updates in a fraction of the time it would take through in-house efforts. 

Grants Access to a Worldwide Talent Pool

One of the key advantages of outsourcing product photo editing is the ability to leverage time zone differences to expedite the editing process. Outsourcing partners operating in different time zones enable a round-the-clock workflow. Businesses can also get access to a global talent pool that can handle bulk product photo editing requests. As a result, products can be swiftly prepared for market release, directly contributing to a significant reduction in time-to-market. 

Tips To Outsource Product Photo Editing

1. Clearly define your requirements: Before outsourcing, make sure you have a clear vision of how you want your product images to look. Provide detailed guidelines regarding background, lighting, color correction, and any specific editing style you prefer.

2. Choose the right editing service provider: Research and select a reputable photo editing company that specializes in eCommerce product image editing. Look for reviews, portfolios, and testimonials to ensure they have the expertise you need.

3. Ensure transparent communication: Maintain open and clear communication with the editing team. Regular updates, feedback, and discussions about your expectations will ensure that the final product aligns with your vision.

4. Set quality standards: Establish specific quality benchmarks for your edited images. This includes aspects like image resolution, color accuracy, and overall visual appeal. Providing sample images as references can be helpful.

5. Understand the editing process: Familiarize yourself with common photo editing techniques like background removal, color correction, and retouching. This knowledge will help you communicate your requirements effectively.

6. Consider turnaround time: Discuss and agree upon a reasonable turnaround time for receiving the edited image.

7. Protect your images: If your products are unique or proprietary, consider watermarking images before sending them for editing. This adds an extra layer of security.

8. Build a long-term relationship: If you find a reliable editing service provider that consistently delivers high-quality results, consider establishing a long-term partnership. This can lead to a smoother workflow and a better understanding of your brand’s requirements over time.

On an Endnote

The eCommerce industry is growing at a rapid pace. You are competing with thousands of online stores that sell the same product and you can’t simply afford to slow down just because of a lack of sufficient and effective product photos. Outsource eCommerce photo editing requirements to expedite the time taken for the products to reach the market by following the tips discussed in this post.