We are really curious to understand what percent of the saree sellers already selling online or willing to sell online have second thoughts on arranging the importance of product images. To be more specific, the images that have the sarees draped on fashion models to showcase the saree design they intend to sell to their customers.
We also know that the saree market is a highly crowded and fragmented market making it competitive across different target customer segments. So, this makes it all the way necessary for the online saree sellers to showcase their saree designs through quality product images wherever they are selling online – be it on the marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, PayTM, Snapdeal, Voonik, Etsy or on their own ecommerce website or social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp or social reselling platforms like Meesho, Glowroad, etc.
In fact, this would be a very much relevant question to all the online sellers selling any primary fashion category and not just sarees alone – be it, salwars, kurtis, chudidars, tops & bottoms for men, women & kids.
So, given Drapezy’s market, we planned to launch our blog with our first post on the various alternatives a typical saree seller could consider to arrange product photographs or images for selling their sarees online. If we have missed out anything important, we would love to hear & learn from you. Please feel free to send us an email to contact @ drapezy.com.
1) Creative or Flower Fold (Product Photoshoot)
In this option, we fold the saree in a unique & creative way before the photograph is taken. All of it depends on the individual’s creativity. Refer to the image below for one example. We would like to call this a flower fold. Imagine the time it takes to fold every saree you want to sell. Also, ensure whatever creativity you apply in folding does not override the basic guidelines of eCommerce photography. The guidelines being – showcasing the color(s), design & maybe, the fabric of the saree. We also heard that the creative folds should allow the light to reflect properly showcasing the saree color variations. This is apparently one of the reasons behind folding a saree that way.
2) Regular Product Fold (Product Photoshoot)
This is the easiest & the most economical option. We fold the saree in a way the important elements of the saree (like pallu, body, pleats/ patli, blouse) can be photographed using a good quality mobile phone or a digital camera. This alternative could be done without anyone’s assistance. The only word of caution is that we will need to place the folded saree in such a way there is ample & even lighting falling on it.
3) Using Mannequins
This alternative is not new to all of us. We have seen in many showrooms the way the mannequins are used to showcase sarees or any fashion products. With an affordable, one-timecost, one could purchase a mannequin and use it to drape sarees before taking the photographs. Also, this requires arranging a small studio-like setup – space, proper background & lighting for the mannequin before the photoshoot. As per us, we end up spending some time in draping the saree on a human-like thing but, the final appeal is not going to be upto the mark. We believe that this is due to the subtle difference in the reflection of light on a human versus mannequin, lack of flexibility in getting the right pose, etc.
4) Family is the savior
This is a mid-way choice available to arrange your saree images draped on a person whom you know in your circle. Note that the photoshoot requires basic expertise in ensuring a proper background, lighting, saree draping, make-up, hairstyle and finally, getting the right pose suiting the design & type of the saree. If you are new, keep aside a lot of time to get all these aspects right for every saree. Also, keeping your friend or family member engaged & motivated for that right-click. In addition, consider the skill and time required to finally edit the images before you use them in your catalog.
5) Model Photoshoot Services
In this alternative, we hire professional resources on a per-day or hourly basis for an agreed date. Resources being – the studio, photographer and fashion model(s) via a modeling agency. We need to ensure the studio have good backgrounds & lighting options; dress-change rooms, etc. We also need to ensure the sarees & related garments, cosmetics & accessories are all available on the day of the shoot. The photographer coordinates with the fashion models to agree on the right pose to get the right-click.
We also need to understand that the fashion models do not get ready by themselves. A majority of them expect a beautician, hair-stylist & a saree drapist to assist them in getting ready. We also have an option to hire a fashion stylist to make overall suggestions on the hairstyle, make-up, draping style basis the appearance of the model & the saree design. After the shoot, the photographer takes some time to edit & finalize the images for you to use.
There is no second thought on why we call this the best option among the available traditional options. However, this is a big hassle & of course, very expensive; time-consuming; difficult to manage the execution & ensure all the sarees are in good shape throughout the shoot. Thus, it becomes naturally suitable only for a few sellers who have big margins. Also, let us not forget that we need such photoshoots on a repeat basis. We need whenever there is an arrival of new stock throughout the year. It is just crazy.
6) Digital Draping
It is now clear that there are a decent number of choices to evaluate the right one for arranging the ecommerce photography. However, not all the options are well-rounded & balanced in terms of convenience, time, money, speed, resource accessibility & availability. If one option is easy & affordable then, it does not fully serve the purpose. The purpose being the arrangement of images in an acceptable quality that showcases the design, color & fabric for the online buyer to make the right decision.
To bridge this gap but, in a non-traditional route using technology, Drapezy is trying to solve this problem for all online saree & salwar sellers of different sizes in an affordable & easy way. All you have to do is to take photographs of your products using our mobile app, choose the model / pose from our portfolio and add these images as well as pose selection to the cart to place an order. Next, Drapezy will fulfill your order as a digital draping service. Lastly, the final images having your sarees draped digitally on the selected models/poses will be available in the app. You can review & download them from the gallery at your convenience. It is very simple and easy.
For more details, feel free to browse our website or click here to submit your details. One of us will call you for a FREE trial. We welcome you to our world of digital draping.
