Project overview
There are many items available at Gigi's Apparel. However a previous owner had purchased too much inventory of certain items. Therefore, the main objective of this project was to help facilitate lowering the inventory of these items. This project went about this in two ways.
- First, to re-photograph these items in a way to make them more attractive to buyers. Then to provide these photographs to the clients to be uploaded to the website.
- Second, to identify potential ways to outsource these items and to gather all of the information necessary determine the pros and cons of working with each seller in a concise document. I also would provide my thoughts on which outsourcing methods/sellers would be the most productive.
Project Objectives
- Photograph inventory items in a manner to increase sales
- Research which outsourcing methods would be most productive to implement
- Provide my thoughts on which methods should be implemented & how to implement them
Project Process
Photography:
- Researched the do's and don't of online merchandise photography
- Researched what types of images better market online merchandise
- Researched methods of edited photographs to acheive a white background
- Gathered inventory items from Jane
- Prepared lighting setup and inventory items for photoshoot
- Photographed inventory
- Edited inventory to acheive white background
- Distributed finished photographs to the client
- Return inventory items to the client
- Compiled list of potential outsourcing methods
- Researched the pros and cons of each outsourcing method
- Compiled my analysis and recommendations for which methods to implement or avoid
- Distributed analysis and recommendation to the client
Project outcomes
Photography:
Originally Jane and I were going to meet and I would photograph the images with her, however schedules changed and we instead decided that I would borrow several inventory items from Jane and photograph them at my convenience. This proved to be the better method as there was a great deal of trial and error as I learned the best way to photograph the items. I tried photographing in several different lighting setups but eventually decided to invest in a few clamp lights to create a makeshift lightbox that provided the lighting I required. Prior to photographing the items, I began searching for methods to achieve the white background that was both professional in appearance and also required by some sellers (Amazon). I discovered a free software called GIMP that I downloaded and became familiar with to create the desired white background. Since I was completely new to any Photoshop style programs I searched on the web for other individual’s recommendation on how to achieve a white background. I tried several methods including making the background transparent and removing the background entirely before I decided upon a method that was both quick to apply and produced the desired result. After photographing the inventory items, I began working to edit them all to have a white background for consistency when they are uploaded to the current business website and for future use on outside seller websites. Editing all the pictures was time consuming but also incredibly satisfying since I was very happy with the results and proud of myself for learning some (granted small) amount of Photoshop software. The final edited photos can be found in the Appendix under "Photographs". |
Research:
To acquire outsourcing sellers and recommendation I first created a list of potential methods through my own knowledge, asking reputable individuals, and searching the web for what options were available. When researching different outsourcing methods some were obviously inappropriate early on due to fees, attracting the wrong market of buyers, or other various reasons. I chose to focus on options that provided the most potential for either sales or revenue (preferably both). I looked into each option’s various rules, fees, or specific requirements. I approached this research as though I was trying to sell the products and when applicable would compute various equations and scenarios to determine the potential of money to be made and how many items would need to be sold to break even using sellers. At the conclusion I compiles my thoughts on each option to provide reason for my decisions of why the client should, or should not pursue selling through that outsourcing method. This information can be found in the Appendix under “Options & Recommendations”.
To acquire outsourcing sellers and recommendation I first created a list of potential methods through my own knowledge, asking reputable individuals, and searching the web for what options were available. When researching different outsourcing methods some were obviously inappropriate early on due to fees, attracting the wrong market of buyers, or other various reasons. I chose to focus on options that provided the most potential for either sales or revenue (preferably both). I looked into each option’s various rules, fees, or specific requirements. I approached this research as though I was trying to sell the products and when applicable would compute various equations and scenarios to determine the potential of money to be made and how many items would need to be sold to break even using sellers. At the conclusion I compiles my thoughts on each option to provide reason for my decisions of why the client should, or should not pursue selling through that outsourcing method. This information can be found in the Appendix under “Options & Recommendations”.