37 Insanely Creative Ways eCommerce Brands Use Images

“What kind of images should I create for my eCommerce store?”, is something every eCommerce founder constantly grapples with – irrespective of the size of their store. 

Here’s why: images in eCommerce aren't exactly a one-time thing (design trends, seasonality, product updates).

PLUS, the tools constantly change. So, if you're looking for ideas on how to use images across your store, say huzzah – cause, we’re covering:

• 37 examples of must-use images in an eCommerce store
• 4 key trends in eCommerce images for 2025 (and beyond)

Ready to dive in, partner? 

37 Must-Use Image Examples from Top eCommerce Stores (+ Best Practices)

1. Hero Images – Reformation maintains an aesthetic

👍 What's great: Shows different photos for desktop and mobile, all while maintaining a retro-chic aesthetic. 

👉 Best practices for using hero images in an eCommerce store:

✅ Avoid making hero images too bright, or else they will overpower the text

✅ Change hero images according to seasonality, events, and brand promotions

✅ Reduce the number of subjects within the hero image on mobile

Also read: Our Favorite Hero Image Examples in eCommerce (2024)

2. Lifestyle Images – Mockingbird features a product

👍 What's great: Showcases a real-life scenario of the product in usage, against a not too busy background. 

👉 Best practices for using lifestyle images in an eCommerce store

✅ Leave space for text with semi-gradient overlays

✅ Feature a maximum of two human subjects in a single image

✅ Feature models who go with your brand's customer base 

✅ Create directional cues through intelligent framing (rule of thirds) to guide eyeballs toward the subject

Pro Tip: Feature plainer models for more complex products – like auto parts, gaming systems, etc. – this will help drive lesser distractions and signal greater expertise. 

3. Icons – Burrow shows unique design

👍 What's great: Unique icons that are appropriately sized showing unique brand benefits.

👉 Best practices for using icons in an eCommerce store

✅ Consider testing icons – for example test 3D images vs. 2D images, animated vs. static icons

✅ Avoid abstract concepts in icons – this will help shoppers understand the action represented within your icons

✅ Feature consistency in terms of icon styles – for example, if you’re using line icons (transparent ones), avoid using filled icons 

✅ Avoid using generic icon libraries – going the extra mile reflects a premium appeal as well as in the design (after all, the more common the icon is, the more likely it is to be ignored)

Also read: 22 Ways to Use Visual Cues to Drive More Conversions in eCommerce

4. Product-Usage Images – OUI the People shows the product in the hands

👍 What's great: Great contextual shot without showing people. 

👉 Best practices on how to show product usage through images

✅ Display text overlays on product usage shots to showcase product features

✅ Ensure there is adequate lighting within each product image, but not enough to overpower text

✅ Make sure the product takes up at least 80% of the image – the goal is to ensure that the product pulls focus

Remember: Feature people in product images when you need to establish context – or product quality.

Also read: 19 creative ways to display eCommerce products (w/ brilliant examples)

5. Product Variant Images – Madhappy shows mini-products

👍 What's great: Show a deeper border when a particular product variant image is selected.

👉 Best practices for creating images of product variants

✅ Ensure your product variant images have clear borders and clear backgrounds with subtle outlines

✅ Consider adding a hover action to display a larger version of the product variants within an on-screen pop-up

✅ Display other angles of the variants – like a top-down view to induce the CTR

How to Cross-sell on Product Pages—Without Being Pushy (+ Examples)

6. Product Options – MAAC Cosmetics shows diversity

👍 What's great: Shows the compatibility of the product in the style of an infographic. 

👉 Best practices for showing product options using images in an eCommerce store

✅ Show diversity within your product image,  like MAAC shows multiple lipstick shades with 3 different skin tones

✅ Make sure the images have high resolution to enable scrutiny from shoppers trying to arrive at a decision 

Pro Tip: Show all product variants through an animated GIF within the product gallery, but ensure there is some text to define the differences.

Also read: Reduce eCommerce Returns with Intelligent UX (+ Smart Handling ideas)

7. Grouped Images – Aesop shows what’s in a bundle

👍 What's great: Triggers comparative framing by showing normal sizes as well as bundle versions of the products.

👉 Best practices for using grouped images in an eCommerce store

✅ Test flat lays vs. mockups of bundles on bundled product images

✅ Include the packaging of the bundle in the cover shot to induce the click-through rate on the bundles

✅ Display text overlays with handwriting fonts to include information about the value of the bundle – or what the products are

Pro Tip: Extend padding in images and blend backgrounds to create a more luxurious approach

Also read: 15 product bundling examples that convert (& 10 proven ideas)   

8. Product Sizing Images – Yeti shows multiple product sizes

👍 What's great: Enables shoppers to scan quickly, the top-down view shows the difference in sizes. 

👉 Best practices for product sizing images in an eCommerce store

✅ Use enough padding around product images – this will help you adhere to design best practices (and also give your images a luxurious feel) 

✅ Display product measurement units alongside images (but avoid clutter)

✅ Add some shadows to the product shots to get that 3D feel – check how Yeti makes use of this

Pro Tip: Use downward angles in images to signal ease of use, and portability (bottles, food products, etc) – and upward angles to establish authority, power, and expertise (laptops, energy drinks, etc.).

Also read: eCommerce visual search: 9 smart optimization tips (+ 4 tools to use)

9. Measurement Images – Frank & Oak shows how to measure

👍 What's great: Shows a model without showing the face and minimal editing and text elements. 

👉 Best practices for using measurement Images in an eCommerce store

✅ Add overlays of product measurements and display brand policies

✅ Feature separate icon-sized images of body shapes to showcase other body types 

✅ Make sure users can see the instructional images in one fold – this is to help them view the instructions without additional user input

Also read: How To Use Visual Commerce To Improve Conversions

10. Quiz Images – Lulus shows how everyone can use their products

👍 What's great: Creates a premium feel, while subtly giving off visual context to the textual options. 

👉 Best practices for using quiz images in an eCommerce store

✅ Show non-gender-specific images in quiz questions

✅ Use illustrations to retain shoppers better

✅ Avoid adding more than 4 image options in quizzes (helps avoid complexity)

Also read: The Best Quiz Funnel Examples for your eCommerce Store

11. Navigation Images – Supergoop features top product categories

👍 What's great: The subtle drop shadows against each product image. 

👉 Best practices for using navigation images in an eCommerce store

✅ Add shadows to get in that extra bit of detail

✅ Feature a hover to enlarge effect on menu images

✅ Feature microcopy over images to announce product recency and offers

✅ Ensure there's a sync between the navigation photos on a menu item and the page it leads to

Also read: 15 Website Navigation Menu Examples for eCommerce Stores

12. Category Images – Wayfair shows what’s trending

👍 What's great: The incorporation of seasonality and the shot of all products in a category arranged to create visual appeal. 

👉 Best practices on how to use category images in an eCommerce store

✅ Showcase product groups together in terms of function within category images – this will aid in quick scanning and increase the click-through rate

✅ Offer single shots of symbolic objects to represent a particular category, as Wayfair does by indicating winter and Christmas with red backgrounds and cutouts of snowflakes

✅ Consider using a shaped frame or rounded edges to be in sync with your store’s design

Pro Tip: Use warmer and brighter colors on certain category images to leverage the decoy effect – note how “Thanksgiving”, “Christmas”, and “Hanukkah” are brighter than the rest of the category images. 

Also read: Build high-converting category pages (13 ideas + great examples)

13. Filter Images – Target shows product filters

👍 What's great: Minimal distractions plus real images, reducing the time to scrutinize each image. 

👉 Best practices for using filter images in an eCommerce store

✅ Show outlines of body shapes to showcase size filters

✅ Reduce the need to add extra text or find extra information by showing product variants

✅ Make sure you feature text below each image filter to add context

✅ Feature distinct silhouettes of products as product filters and close-ups of product patterns and materials as additional attribute filters

Also read: 16 proven ideas to improve eCommerce filtering for better shopping experience

14. Offer Images – Stitch Fix shows unboxing

👍 What's great: The stop motion animation and the subtle usage of brand colors. 

👉 Best practices for creating offers through images in an eCommerce store

✅ Maintain brand elements like product packaging within offer images as well – this will help build visual recall 

✅ Tease shoppers with the outcome in images, like showing a customer receiving a package – this will help signal value to shoppers and nudge shoppers toward conversions

✅ Show category and theme-specific images as offer images – like if you are running promotions for Black Friday, show black and gold color gift boxes, ribbons, and sparkles with the required products

Pro Tip: Repeat certain offer images to help prime shoppers about brand benefits.

15. Interactive Images – Last Crumb shows its unboxing experience

👍 What's great: The way shoppers get a sense of reward by seeing the outcome and opening the box. Plus the round-shaped CTA buttons with a subtle nudge saying “push the damn button.”

👉 Best practices for creating interactive images in an eCommerce store

✅ Add an animation to your image overlay buttons, so as to grab attention

✅ Use bold contrasting colors to pull attention – in some cases making the image sticky may work wonders 

16. Background Images – BooHoo US uses contrasts to feature discounts

👍 What's great: The reflection below the models, the AI-generated models touched up with a product mockup.

👉 Best practices for background images in an eCommerce store

✅ Add a semi-transparent overlay over background images to ensure text stands out 

✅ Maintain consistency in terms of background colors, and textures – like BooHoo does 

17. Infographic Images – Eye Buy Direct features schematics

👍 What's great: The schematics give off the feel of a well-designed product.

👉 Best practices for infographics in an eCommerce store

✅ Maintain loads of whitespace so as to help reduce information overload

✅ Consider testing schematics vs. mockups in terms of measurement sections for which gets the most clicks

Pro Tip: Show exploded animated product views to show the product’s layers, with each part being labeled.

18. Social Proof Images – Briogeo Hair shows before and after

👍 What's great: Shows statistics and data, along with a great change in the before and after images.

👉 Best practices for social proof images in an eCommerce store

✅ Never display retouched photos, but ensure both the before and after images offer the same lighting and composition 

✅ Use directional cues, so shoppers know what to look at – note how Briogeo Hair does this

Also read: 15 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Social Proof (eCommerce)

19. Animated Images – Nuna shows an animated product feature

👍 What's great: Shows the product in action, while maintaining the text-to-image proportions. 

👉 Best practices on using animated images in an eCommerce store

✅ Avoid adding lengthy animations (aim for the length to be less than 5 seconds) 

✅ Ensure the number of images doesn't overpower the text  

✅ Opt for video file formats over GIF file formats

Pro Tip: Shoot all angles of your products and combine them in post-production to add movement. 

20. Seasonal Images – Rad Bikes adapts the hero image

👍 What's great: Shows when to order, three products, and Christmas-themed elements

👉 Best practices for creating seasonal images in an eCommerce store

✅ Use symbolic shapes to showcase seasonality – like a Christmas tree-shaped wrapper, gift packs, candy canes 

✅ Create symbolic shapes through image composition, here’s an example of shoes hanging like tinsels:

21. Blog Images – Unspun.io provides context

👍 What's great: The sci-fi appeal of the images in really dramatic lighting, and also the presence of captions. 

👉 Best practices for using blog images in an eCommerce store

✅ Display only what is contextual to the blog

✅ Avoid using stock photos in blog images at all costs

✅ Try curating mood boards of models using your products or show flat lay tutorials 

22. 360° Product Views – Caraway shows a video

👍 What's great: The speed of the 360° animation, and the subtle shadows. 

👉 Best practices for 360° images in an eCommerce store

✅ Use a GIF or a video, instead of using intensive code to create a 360° view

✅ Consider adding multiple angles as well as colors against a clear white background, so shoppers can take in the product without being distracted

23. Image carousels – Birddogs creates a comic strip

👍 What's great: The storytelling on offer and the humor, which improves the shopping experience, as the whole comic strip is a nugget to anchor the shopper to the product.

👉 Best practices for using image carousels in an eCommerce store

✅ Put additional image carousels below the fold

✅  Offer guided storytelling in your image carousels to add a story to your products 

✅ Don't be afraid to use humor within your image carousels – like Birddogs does

✅ Showcase the product to bring out various product settings – like a glow-in-the-dark watch face in daylight and night

24. Process Images – Drink 818 shows a timeline

👍 What's great: The gamification element by showing a timeline with different images under each point.

👉 Best practices for using process images in an eCommerce store

✅ Show process shots that go with your brand tone

✅ Going the extra mile and amping up brand elements like subtly showing employees wearing apparel with the brand logo

✅ Try showing the impact of the product on the environment as well, showcase how you dispose of excess

✅ Feature process images on your product pages too, but you should make sure to explain brand features – like how your subscription works, show real users, delivery persons, product manufacturing shots with doodles and handwritten text

25. Conceptual Images – Last Crumb squashes lemons

👍 What's great: The raw detail and the way the copy ties together to the image.

👉 Best practices for using conceptual images in an eCommerce store

✅ Write the copy first and then visualize it as Last Crumb does – check how the title and the concept shot tie together

✅ Avoid compressing key photo shots, but make sure key product details like size, and texture, are all easily made out

26. Product Images – Graco Baby highlights a product feature

👍 What's great: The partial bar within the product image. 

👉 Best practices for using product images in an eCommerce store

✅ Display product certification badges as image overlays, but ensure they don't take up more than 10% of the image 

✅ Highlight key features and blur out the rest of the image, to pull focus to the feature being highlighted 

27. Product-Only Images – Moooi

👍 What's great: The product sizes, showing images of the best sellers.

👉 Best practices for showing product-only images in an eCommerce store

✅ Use these images primarily on category pages to help drive consideration 

✅ Use a hover to reveal effect on desktop mode to showcase contextual shots as a shopper hovers their mouse pointer over the images

✅ Experiment with layouts and image sizes on different screens, but always ensure users don't have to work extra hard to make out what the icon is 

Pro Tip: Feature product ranges with animated backgrounds to bring out the USPs on category pages. For example, you can remove the backgrounds from the product images to showcase an all-weather jacket range and keep a time-lapse video of changing seasons as the section background.

28. 3D Images – Saks Fifth Avenue shows a hollow mannequin

👍 What's great: The hollow mannequin shots give off a better product display than hanging shots.

👉 Best practices for using 3D images in an eCommerce store

✅ Show the textures of the product by animating your hollow mannequin images

✅ Maintain uniform lighting across your 3D product shots 

✅ Offer zoom-in capabilities on 3D images 

29. Illustrated Images – Clean Cult showcases their UVP

👍 What's great: Gives off a holy and clean vibe, which works perfectly with what Clean Cult stands for. 

👉 Best practices for using illustrations in an eCommerce store

✅ Avoid creating unrealistic expectations by showing larger-than-life photo angles 

✅ Loop in the visual branding – note the staircase made of clouds

✅ Change image styles to showcase your brand values – minimalism for luxury brands, and colorful loud patterns for mass market brands

30. Additional Information Images – Winc shows ingredients

👍 What's great: The use of layouts and mini product images to display a great deal of product info, without making it boring. 

👉 Best practices for displaying additional information through images in eCommerce 

✅ Showcase visuals to display allergen information 

✅ Show illustrations of ideal users for the products – like displaying outlines of infants of various ages 

✅ Adapt the display style to showcase the origin of the product – for example, you can show Asian origins by looping in visuals like oriental lamps, earthy tones, and floral patterns/paper textures as backgrounds

31. Texture Macro Images – Furla shows intricate product detail

👍 What's great: Really helps showcase the finish of the product, the stitching, and the finish of the material. 

👉 Best practices for using close-up shots in an eCommerce store

✅ Ensure a high enough resolution on macro shots

✅ Avoid using vignettes on close-up images

✅ Enhance images with AI, show key details like the finish of materials like suede, leather, and wool

✅ Ensure the background isn't way too overly lit

✅ Shoot photos on a professional camera with adequate lighting as well an increased depth of field

32. Images with hover to zoom – Auto Zone shows products up-close

👍 What's great: Shows the groove and finish of the auto part, helping shoppers find the perfect replacement. 

👉 Best practices for creating hover-to-zoom images

✅ Offer zoom levels instead of zooming to the maximum possible level

✅ Consider offering a separate image showing the product details up close

✅ Offer an option to zoom in on product demo videos as well

P.S. Offer plain images first and then stylized shots later.

33. Virtual try-on images – Moscot makes it really easy to try products

👍 What's great: Offers a before and after functionality in the virtual try-on function. 

👉 Best practices for using virtual try-on images in an eCommerce store

✅ Display the generated images of the virtual try-on as a product image in the product gallery

✅  Always offer an option to save looks – allow users to share the images to their social networks as well as messaging networks like WhatsApp 

34. Video Thumbnails – Our Place starts in the middle of the action

👍 What's great: Starts off in the middle of the action, which makes shoppers click. 

👉 Best practices for using video thumbnail images in an eCommerce store

✅ Always display text overlay to help shoppers scan quickly

✅ Avoid over-branding or stylizing your thumbnails (like you would do with a YouTube video)

✅ Use foreshadowing on thumbnail images to make shoppers click – like displaying peak action or in the middle of some action (like a still image of a flaming pot) 

35. Product Packaging – Royo features product information

👍 What's great: Shows the nutritional information on product packaging, along with other shots of size and scale.

👉 Best practices for using product packaging images in an eCommerce store

✅ Show product packages first, if the product on display is a daily-use item (bread, coffee, medicines, etc.)

✅ Avoid over-stylizing images – instead, display high-resolution images with minimal backgrounds

✅ Always include key information like size, scale, and labels in product images

✅ Stylize food items if they cater to niche audiences (like gluten-free foods – or are seasonal (like eggnog during winter)

Pro Tip: Feature isolated product-only shots first to drive consideration first – then display lifestyle images.

36. Scale Images – Lumens shows their product in a real-life setting

👍 What's great: The way the image is colored and framed to make the lamp stand out. Plus the vertical image size and aspect ratio to adapt for mobile screens. 

👉 Best practices for using scale images in an eCommerce store

✅ Consider making the image shoppable with interactive callouts over products in the images

✅ Shoot all photos with a high depth of field and adequate lighting to ensure the featured product does pull focus 

✅ Make sure you show a realistic use case that caters to your ideal customer profile (ICP) in mind – for example, someone buying a low-end lamp should be shown realistic home settings 

Pro Tip: Display brighter and more colorful images for products with short purchase spans – and muted colors for products with a longer purchase span.

37. Customer Generated Images – Maddleboard highlights customers having fun

👍 What's great: Gives off a raw unedited vibe, making it feel that the review indeed comes from a real shopper. 

👉 Best practices for using review images in eCommerce stores

✅ Leave high-quality images in reviews, but don't doctor them

✅ Avoid displaying more than three images for one reviewer – research shows using too many images can be detrimental to store trust

Pro Tip: Allow raw, imperfect images to be featured in your gallery – but make sure they don’t look like they were shot in the 1990s.

Tl;dr: How to Use Images in eCommerce Stores?

↪ Aim for low file sizes, but not at the cost of resolution

↪ Place products centrally and add at least 3 angles of the product in your images

↪ Make the images appropriately sized, in response to the screen size

↪ Aim for faster scanning. If needed, show quick callouts or show the use case of the product in action

↪ Images should make the consumer feel that the product they're viewing will actually change/cater to their life/needs

↪ Focus on simplicity and richness in detail across images for data, comparisons, and social proof 

↪ Plush, vibrant backgrounds with smaller relative objects beside the key object increase the interactivity of the image (invoking emotional triggers)

↪ Make the customer a part of your images – that way they're invested (which also helps reduce returns in the long run)

↪ Ensure all images are consistent in terms of lighting, colors, and feel to increase your website’s design score by 26%

↪ Shoot in high aperture settings to ensure all images are sharp with a high depth of field

↪ Leave clues about the social demand for a product through the images – like showing photos of your products, shot by shoppers

↪ 82% of shoppers can recognize the differences in lighting, color, contrast, and saturation in images within an eCommerce store

↪ Skip backgrounds and shadows on the first photo of your product page – as it allows shoppers to examine the product in great detail, without any distractions

↪ 90% of the participants cite product images as the top influence after price when shopping online

↪ Ensure the models in your product images reflect your brand values

Key takeaway: The goal isn't to follow some cardinal rule, which says "make this x-sized or place it like this." Conversions will follow if you make it easy for shoppers to understand images. 

4 Powerful Trends in eCommerce Images from 2024 to 2025

1. Feature AI-Generated Packshots

Why: Shows the product as easily accessible, along with the raw materials. One look at the image above, and you can tell the product is built with plum and the goodness of citrus (yuzu). 

How: Use image generators like Leonardo AI to generate the concept image first – and then use an editing tool to place your product.

2. 3D looks are in

Why: Helps you show the texture in the maximum possible detail. 

How: Create the 3D rendering through photo illustration tools or use photo to 3D A.I. tools. Then use video generator AI tools like Runway ML or Comfy UI to generate the movement. 

3. Retro trends are back

Why: Doesn't feel too glamorous, making the products feel really accessible, and in tune with the 90s vibe. 

How: Shoot the shot first, and then use any doodling tool (even MS Paint works) to loop in doodles and text. 

4. Maximalism + Minimalism = A new trend

Why: Follows the Gestalt principles – maximalism is about taking up screen space – whereas the minimalist approach is about giving space to form opinions. 

Note how the first image shows similar products, thus the closeness, while the second screen shows unrelated products, and thus the gap, but not too far apart. 

How: Close gaps between each product display when they are closely related, and increase the space between each product display if they're not too closely related.