Perceptions of Online photos - a focus group study with young consumers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify young consumers’ (18-26 years of age) perceptions of product photos on online platforms such as Instagram. In this thesis, the main focus is to identify what are the elements of a product photo that attract young consumers the most and to find out the differences in male and female perceptions of the photos. The product photos are within cosmetics, specifically skincare products. A qualitative method is used to collect data, using two online semi-structured focus group interviews with 24 young consumers. Three levels of a photo were used, Esthetical, Referential and Communicative, to study the visual stimuli on Instagram. According to the results, the highlighted elements by the participants are colors, photo composition and so-called props. Some minor differences in perceptions between male and female participants were also noted.