Quick Start Product Images Guide

2024 | Version 1.2

Last updated November 2024

The way you present your products influences a customer’s decision to buy them. To attract customers to your products, always provide clear and concise product information in a consistent format. Use this document when making a new catalogue submission to check that your images meet the minimum requirements before submitting.

This guide addresses the most frequently asked questions and errors we see in catalogue submissions. For extensive rules and requirements, please refer to the Product Information Requirements Guide.

Table of Contents

Avoid these common errors

Common errors with image files and links

Technical Checklist

Common errors with primary images

Primary Image Checklist

Common errors with secondary images

Secondary Image Checklist

Step-by-step assistance

How to submit your image links

How to get your image link(s)

How to check your image links

Error 1: the link is not accessible

Error 2: the link is not direct

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you resize images?

If you use an API, how does the system read your pictures?

My images are not online - what platform can you recommend?

If I host images on my own website, can I use those direct links?

Can we give Google Photos or Google Drive links?

Do I need different images for variants?

Common errors with image files and links

Technical Checklist

Use the checklist below to ensure you avoid the most common quality and system review rejections. The following must be true:

you have pasted an image link on each unique product/variant
you have tested image links by opening them in an incognito/private browser window:

you can see the image (there are no error messages)
there are no buttons, menus or text around the image i.e. it is the image, not the image page

if you download the image and right-click to check the properties

you see the pixel dimensions are at least 600 px and no more than 2048 px
you see the DPI is at least 72
you see the file format/extension is .jpg or .jpeg or .png (no transaparent backgrounds)

Common errors with primary images

Primary Image Checklist

Use the checklist below to ensure you avoid the most common quality review rejections.The following must be true:

it is a high-quality photo (not a drawing) of the product
the entire product can be seen
the product is shown against a white background and there are no rough editing edges
the product is outside of its packaging
the product is new and does not look used
only the product for sale is shown e.g. if you are selling a teddy, do not include another toy in the primary image
all product attachments that are in the primary image are listed in the What’s In The Box field
where a bundle is being sold e.g. a phone and tablet - both of these are shown in the primary image
no mannequins or human-use (lifestyle/model images) are included for the primary image

Common errors with secondary images

Secondary Image Checklist

Use the checklist below to ensure you avoid the most common quality review rejections.The following must be true:

you have checked whether your category requires more than 1 image (e.g. fashion)
you have ensured the product is showcased in each additional image
it is not a collage

Understanding Image-Level Catalogue Rejection Type

Product images are essential in converting page views into sales, as customers rely on high-quality images before consulting the provided product details. During the catalogue submission process, you must ensure the images you submit comply with the guidelines outlined in the Product Information Rules & Requirements guide to avoid receiving a catalogue rejection. We recommend uploading at least 5 high-quality images per product displaying different angles, sizes, textures, etc. Below is an explanation of image-level catalogue rejections to help you understand its meaning.

Image-level catalogue rejections provide specific feedback on individual images within a catalogue submission. If one image of a product is rejected, the entire product within the submission is considered rejected, regardless of whether other images are acceptable. This feedback helps you identify and address issues with specific images. They differ from submission-level catalogue rejections because they are image-specific rejections, and submission-level catalogue rejections affect the entire catalogue submission.

Remember, you can find both catalogue rejection level types in the Catalogue Rejection Look-Up Sheet’s Quality Review Rejections and System Review Rejections tabs.

How to submit your image links

All image links must be publicly accessible and the direct URL/link of the image as it is found on the internet (links must start with http:// or https://). Examples of sites that should not be used to host images Google Drive, Facebook and Dropbox (please do not attempt to submit these links).

How to get your image link(s)

Step 1: go to the webpage where the image can be found

Step 2: right-click on the image and select “copy image” address

Step 3: check that it is the correct link by pasting the copied link the URL bar of a private/incognito window

See the visual example below. See you if you can get to this link: https://shopfront.takealot.com/static/media/optimise-your-growth-f0bbb70bbda9bb55ef5cb41078e8580e.jpg

Step 1: go to https://www.takealot.com/sell:

Step 2: right-click on the image and select “copy image” address

Step 3: open an incognito/private browser window and paste the link into the URL bar

Check your answer:

Do you see the image as per our example?

How to check your image links

Step 1: test all image links in a private browser window. This allows you to view the image as our system will see it.

for Google Chrome users, open the Menu in the Browser and select “New incognito window”. The window will turn dark grey and display “You’ve gone incognito”

for Safari users, click on File in the Safari menu and select “New Private Window”. The window will turn dark grey and display “Private Browsing Mode”.

Step 2: paste the link in the URL bar at the top

Error 1: the link is not accessible

If you receive an error message or request to login, your image is not accessible.

See the example below of an image that is not accessible.

Error 2: the link is not direct

This may be more difficult to spot, depending on the hosting site used, because no error page will display. Your link is “not direct” if you have provided the URL/link of the webpage and not the image address. You can only tell that is a web page if you see menu buttons, functions, arrows etc. on the screen.

Avoid this by always selecting “copy image address”.

Overview of the Initial System Image Validation Process for Uploaded Images

A “View 1 Error” banner appears when a recently uploaded image fails the initial system image validation process. Hovering over the error banner displays a message indicating that one or more images of a product(s) within your catalogue submission did not meet our catalogue requirements during the initial system validation checks. The image below illustrates an example of a product image that did not pass the system’s image validation process.

Suppose your recently uploaded image fails the initial system image validation checks. An error message will be displayed indicating the specific issue with the image. You must address the problem shown in the error message, re-upload the corrected images, complete the remaining fields in your cataloguing journey and then submit your catalogue.

Once you submit your catalogue submission, it will go through further quality and system review to ensure it complies with the catalogue requirements. Once the Catalogue Team reviews your submission, you will receive an email with your summary of results. Navigate to the Catalogue Submission page on your Seller Portal to download your Results File and view the New Products created and/or rejected products. To learn more about managing your catalogue submission results, click here.

Frequently asked questions

Once Takealot has accepted the submission, does the link still need to work?

Once your catalogue has been successfully created, the image link is no longer required. This is different to simply submitting the catalogue via the Seller Portal.

How do you resize images?

There are many free platforms available. Simply search for “image resizing platform” to find the platform that works for you.

If you use an API, how does the system read your pictures?

We do not currently have a Catalogue API available to sellers - we do have an Offers and Sales API available.

My images are not online - what platform can you recommend?

Takealot cannot endorse the use of any website or platform outright. This is due to the fact that these platforms are not owned or operated by takealot.com and may opt to alter images on upload e.g. resizing images, expiring links etc.

We will provide the top 5 platforms used successfully by Sellers in the past. We do not accept responsibility for the use of these platforms and our Support Team will not be able to

troubleshoot issues relating to these platforms. We encourage you to explore and learn about the

capabilities of these platforms independently. Here are the top successful platforms used by sellers (in no specific order):

image links from your own/manufacturer website
image links from Shopify
https://cloudinary.com/
https://imgur.com/
https://media.adeo.com/wcm.jspz

If I host images on my own website, can I use those direct links?

Absolutely! Please ensure that your images meet our requirements before submitting. We also encourage you to test the links in a private browser window to confirm that the link is direct and accessible.

Can we give Google Photos or Google Drive links?

Google Photos has presented 2 challenges which has caused us to discourage the use of the platform:

Mixed results with regard to accessibility: Google Photos tends to expire their links without warning. This has resulted in mixed outcomes when our system attempts to create your catalogue.
Confusion with regard to getting the direct link: the preview of images looks similar to that of a direct link causing sellers to provide the incorrect link (links of web pages). Our system requires the direct link to create the catalogue.

Do I need different images for variants?

This depends on whether or not your variants look different to each other:

I am selling a shoe in different sizes - the shoe looks the same for each size, provide 1 image on the first variant line
I am selling a shoe in different colours - each colour is different, provide a picture of the colour variant on each variant line

What should I do if I see a "View 1 Error" banner after submitting a product image?

If you see a "View 1 Error" banner after submitting a product image, your image failed the initial system image validation process. Click on the banner to understand and address the reasons for your image’s failure. Once you’ve addressed the issues, you can resubmit your product image for review. Once it passes the initial system image checks, populate the remaining fields and submit your catalogue submission.

To ensure your images meet our catalogue requirements, refer to the Product Information Rules and Requirements guide for guidance.

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