Photo Studio Helps Canadian Retailers Boost Online E-Commerce Presence

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By Angela Westfield

Many Canadian retailers have been slow to embrace e-commerce, and plenty still lack websites to promote their products and services. This is particularly concerning, considering how rapidly Canadians are embracing online shopping. Studies show the importance of visuals to websites and to address this, Montreal-based Nat Gorry is working with retailers to put their best foot forward with an online presence.

Images are powerful – they can tell a story, inspire, and persuade consumers to make purchases. Even restaurants find that menu photos can increase sales of a particular dish by as much as 30%. Instragram’s popularity is growing exponentially, now with over 500 million active user. Video takes things to a whole new level with videos on Facebook, for example, getting over 8 billion views daily.

Recognizing the importance of quality photos and video to e-commerce, industry leader Nat Gorry set out to help Canadian retailers build better websites, including both photo and video content. The Nat Gorry studio works with some of Canada’s top brands, including Marie Saint Pierre and SSENSE to create quality images for their sites, helping drive sales growth through that channel.

Ms. Gorry explained how she recognized how consumers are increasingly shopping online, which is corroborated with statistics from Canada Post showing that 76% of Canadians shopped online last year. One concern, however, is that a considerable amount of Canadian online shopping is done in the United States, where retailers have been ahead of Canada in developing e-commerce businesses. To level the playing field, Nat Gorry Studio is working with companies to create high-quality Canadian e-commerce sites. 

eCommerce, Photo: Studio Nat Gorry

SSENSE. Photo: Studio Nat Gorry

High quality images can make the difference between selling and not selling, Ms. Gorry noted. Because online shoppers aren’t able to actually touch the product, having clear product photos is crucial to not only just selling the product, but creating trust between the retailer and consumer that the product is as described, not to mention reflecting the brand’s visual identity while telling its story. The reality of e-commerce is that if there are no photos, there are likely to be no sales.

Video is increasingly being used in e-commerce as well, with some retailers actually providing videos of models walking in garments, for example. Instagram also supports video uploading, and the Nat Gory Studio has been working with Canadian retailers both on video for the web, as well as for Instagram.

La Canadianne. Photo: Studio Nat Gorry

Marie Sainte Pierre look book, Photo: Studio Nat Gorry

Marie Saint Pierre eCommerce. Photo: Studio Nat Gorry

Marie Saint Pierre eCommerce. Photo: Studio Nat Gorry

Taking the ‘right’ photos can be challenging, as product placement, styling, lighting, editing and other components must be considered. Ms. Gorry explained how some of her customers send products to her studio so that photos are profiled consistently, artistically, and fashionably. Although it may look easy, there’s a lot of skill and effort required to make a quality photo or video appear effortless, she explained. For larger companies looking to shoot their own photos, she said that she can set up and organize their studios as well as organize workflow, train photographers and stylists, and make other recommendations to ensure success – sometimes taking several weeks to do so.

For smaller Canadian retailers unsure of where to begin, Nat Gorry can also assist with website design. It’s an important service particularly in the province of Quebec, where an alarming two thirds of retailers lack online stores. Contact Nat Gorry at: studio@natgorry.com telephone: 1.514.381.8884.