Quality assure images

Quality assure images for market and planogram

Quality assured images are needed to keep a high standard in the product images that we consumers meet in the store or online. When images and information are presented in a consistent way, it becomes easier for consumers to understand and buy. Information with high quality also means better sales for both retailers and suppliers.

The industry shares a view

In Sweden, retailers, wholesalers and pharmacies together with their suppliers have a common view of how product images should be presented.

The industry has agreed on a standardized way of photographing and with clear definitions of image quality and how it should be linked to product data. When the right image is linked to the right product information, it creates crystal clear information to us consumers and we understand what we are about to buy.

Retailers and companies that receive product images have specific requirements on how suppliers should create the images and which quality criteria that must be met in order for the product to be sold.

Common guidelines for images

You come across quality assured images almost daily, for example when shopping in a web shop, browsing in an advertisement or when self-scanning in the store.

The common denominator is that the images are photographed and quality assured according to quality assurance rules for product images based on GS1´s Global standard for product image Product Image Specification Standard.

Benefits when shelf planning

The work of the product image actually begins well before the launch itself. When a store plans its sales areas, they use planograms, which is a detailed outline of how the products should be placed in the store shelfs.

The planograms are used to help stores that work with Space Management programs to streamline sales. With the help of the images, the store can plan shelves and thus optimize sales per square meter.

Quality assure images in Validoo

Quality assurance of images is divided into two areas: automatic validation and manual quality assurance. This also includes a comparison to the trade item information validated in Validoo.

Automatic validation

The first part is an automatic validation of a series of parameters, such as file format and image size. Validation occurs when uploading. You will be notified immediately if the image does not match the requirements so you can correct and upload a new image.

Manual quality assurance

Here, your product image is manually reviewed by a specialist and we ensure that the image meets specified quality requirements for market and planogram images. Here is reviewed over 20 image quality rules, metadata and that the image object complies with the trade item information in Validoo.

This is how it works

The image object is consistent with trade item information

Here we check that the correct image is uploaded. Our specialists review if the GTIN, trade item description, brand and package size of the image object is in accordance with the trade item information you have published in Validoo.

Review of the image metadata

Here, it is examined that metadata in the image file is filled in (for example, the angle of the image). We check that all filled in attributes follow the rules and help you correct the metadata. Metadata contains standardized information that helps identify your image with the product’s (GTIN). The information makes it easy to distinguish different image types and angles when downloading.

Review of image quality

The final step in the quality assurance involves a review of the image quality. Here we check that the image is professionally photographed and properly cropped. We also check that the correct clipping path is used so that the seller of your product can add the image object to another background, for example in a web shop or in an advertisement flyer.