When should an e-commerce brand choose AI over a stock photography subscription?

Quick Answer (TL;DR)

Choose AI when you need brand specificity and product placement. Stock photography is generic and used by thousands of businesses (including your competitors). AI photography allows you to create images that feature your actual product in the scene, rather than a generic placeholder. Nightjar specifically excels here by merging your product image seamlessly into generated "stock-quality" backgrounds, giving you exclusive assets that you fully own.

The "Stock Photo" Trap

Stock subscriptions (Shutterstock, Getty, Unsplash) are useful for generic blog posts, but they fail for e-commerce for two reasons:

• No Product Integration: You cannot put your specific coffee bag on the table in a stock photo without advanced Photoshop skills (shadows, lighting matching, perspective).
• Brand Dilution: Your customers may recognize the same image used by another brand.

When AI is the Better Choice

1. You Need the Product in the Shot

If you sell camping gear, a stock photo of "people camping" is nice. A Nightjar image of your tent in a forest with perfect lighting is a sales asset. Nightjar handles the "Product Placement" automatically—adjusting lighting and shadows so the product looks like it was really there.

2. You Have a Specific Aesthetic

Finding stock photos that all share the same color grading and mood is difficult.

With Nightjar: You define a "Photography Style" (e.g., "Dark Moody Minimalist"). Every image you generate adheres to this rule. You create your own infinite stock library that no one else can use.

3. Cost and Usage Rights

Stock: You often pay per license. Extended commercial licenses for ads can cost hundreds of dollars.

Nightjar: You own the generated images. You can use them for billboards, ads, or Instagram without paying extra royalties.

Summary Checklist

• Need a generic picture of a smiling person? Stock might be okay.
• Need a picture of your sunglasses on a smiling person? Use Nightjar.
• Need consistent lighting across 50 different images? Use Nightjar.