SKU Rescue: Valentine’s Day Candy

As part of our Candy Visual Content Rankings Report, we analyzed image trends and best practices of Valentine’s Day candy on Amazon. Many of the listings had middling results but lots of potential—so we took matters into our own hands. 

We decided to provide creative updates to carousel imagery on the SOUR PATCH KIDS Soft & Chewy Valentine's Day Candy Hearts PDP. Take a look at how we revamped Sour Patch Kids’ carousel to increase Vizit Scores™ for the online chocolate and candy consumers audience.

Initial Analysis

Our initial analysis showed that Sour Patch Kids’ carousel could use some improvements to optimize appeal with online chocolate and candy consumers. Its carousel contains seven scorable visuals, with only two earning a high Vizit Score.

Upon examining the Valentine’s Day candy carousel benchmark, several prominent trends emerged. Audience appeal is particularly high for images featuring partners exchanging candy and children participating in Valentine's Day celebrations. Bulk candy displays also attract attention, especially when paired with festive elements.

Equipped with these benchmark insights, our design team made adjustments to the two lowest-scoring images, aiming to enhance the overall score of the carousel. Additionally, leveraging generative AI and Vizit studio, we created a lifestyle visual of a couple exchanging candy. 

Carousel Image 1

Sour Patch Kids’ first carousel image earned a low Vizit score of 23.3. Using Vizit’s Visual Appeal Detractor and Areas for Optimization image maps, we found that the floral candy arrangement featuring multiple candies was diminishing our target audience's appeal.

Our experimentation led us to replace it with a heart arrangement and then a single, enlarged candy, which proved more effective. We also introduced a banner at the image's bottom, featuring minimal text borrowed from the listing copy. Further enhancements involved tweaking the angle of the single candy, with a slight leftward tilt emerging as the optimal choice for our target consumers. These adjustments resulted in a remarkable increase in the image score from 23.2 to 64.5.

Carousel Image 2

The next carousel image we updated was one of the Sour Patch Kids’ stylized carousels. Through some simple changes, we increased the Vizit Score to 81.2.

First, we consulted Vizit’s Visual Appeal Detractor and Areas for Optimization image maps to identify areas requiring improvement. Both maps highlighted the pile of candy in front of the product and the abundance of heart balloons at the top of the image as possible areas for enhancement.

Our first modification involved removing the pile of candy and reducing the number of balloons near the top of the image. Subsequently, we further refined the image by experimenting with different quantities of balloons. Surprisingly, two balloons outperformed one balloon, ultimately raising the Vizit Score to 81.2.

Generated Lifestyle Image

Analyzing the Sour Patch Kids’ carousel, we noticed it lacked a lifestyle image featuring models, a popular trend in the Valentine’s Day Candy carousel benchmark. So, we decided to create one. Embracing the subcategory trend of a couple exchanging candy, we opted to depict a couple exchanging a heart-shaped candy product using Midjourney. Then, with Photoshop, we replaced the generated candy product with Sour Patch Kids. We also incorporated a red banner with minimal text at the bottom to complement the holiday theme.

Upon scrutinizing the Visual Appeal Detractor map, we identified the bottom left of the new image as an area for enhancement. Our designer promptly addressed this by adding the Sour Patch Kids figure to the vacant space, resulting in an improvement in the Vizit score from 89.9 to 93.4.

Further analysis of the image maps for this revised image revealed another potential area for enhancement: the collar of the male model’s sweater. Swiftly, we removed it, culminating in the final Vizit score of 95.8.

Before and After

How did we fare with this SKU Rescue? Upon rerunning the image analysis, we discovered that our alterations to just two of the original carousels, along with the inclusion of our new lifestyle image, significantly elevated the average carousel Vizit Score from a moderate 49.3 to a high 71.6, marking a notable increase of 22.3 points.

Vizit’s Visual Content Performance Platform puts more power in the hands of creatives. Learn more about how we can help teams get effective designs out the door faster by requesting a demo today.