How Layer boosted online sales by 50% with Photoroom

Life before Photoroom

• Struggled to make product photos look professional online

• Spent £500+ per photoshoot without getting the images they needed

• Website visuals didn’t reflect the quality of their products

• Hard to showcase product features like linings and pockets clearly

• Time-consuming manual uploads and edits across Shopify

Life after Photoroom

• 50% increase in online sales

• Saved hundreds of pounds on studio and lifestyle images created in-house

• Faster creation of motion ads for social media

• More engagement, likes, and follows on social channels

• Seamless Shopify integration, editing, and publishing in minutes

From side project to sportswear brand

When Dan Bacon co-founded Layer with his partner, it wasn’t part of a grand plan. The brand began almost by accident, as merchandise for his sports travel business that organized cycling, walking, and running tours.

But the response from the community was immediate. The merch sold out, again and again, prompting Dan to pivot fully into e-commerce and build from scratch a functional fitness brand offering performance wear for running and gym training alongside lifestyle staples.

Despite a background in elite professional sports and working with some of the biggest names in the industry, Dan had no experience growing a small local business. They began by selling at sports events in Nottingham, testing demand face-to-face.

“I thought the Nikes and Adidases of the world had some unknown knowledge the rest of us didn’t. Actually, we’ve learnt so much just through trial and error. Just having a go, talking to our community and getting to know the people involved.”
- Dan Bacon, Founder, Layer

Dan describes how they did really well in person, but the “online side of things was the biggest struggle, just making the website look professional.”

They tried model shoots using friends and themselves, hired photographers, and even booked their local sports centre for a full-day session, spending £500 to photograph 25–30 products. Some images were good, but creating consistent, high-quality collections for each product proved difficult. Lighting varied, colours weren’t always accurate, and key product features didn’t stand out. Ultimately, the visuals didn’t reflect the brand’s quality.

Bringing products to life in Photoroom

The turning point came on their kitchen floor. They’d been struggling to get a T-shirt photo right; the colours weren’t coming through, and nothing looked the way it did in person.

Then Dan’s partner, who had spotted Photoroom on social media, picked up her phone and tried it herself. She photographed the T-shirt lying on the floor and handed the screen to Dan.

“She just took a picture of a T-shirt on the floor and said, ‘Wow, you need to look at this.’ To the naked eye, it looks completely real. I don’t think you can tell it’s AI.”

Within minutes, they were generating clean, professional visuals that looked like they’d been shot in a studio. “All of a sudden, we saw these products come to life,” Dan says.

AI product photography

Before Photoroom, every product launch meant coordinating shoots, chasing photographers, and spending money Dan didn’t have. Product photography was slow, expensive, and difficult to scale for a small team.

With Photoroom’s AI product photography, Dan can now turn simple at-home photos into high-quality, studio-style visuals in minutes. He creates lifestyle scenes, generates new backgrounds, produces realistic model images, and automates batch edits, all without photographers, studios, or models.

“When I think we paid £500 for one photographer compared to what we pay for Photoroom, it’s not even close. It’s a no-brainer.”

- Dan Bacon, Founder, Layer

The results have been immediate: Layer has seen a 50% uplift in online sales and a faster turnaround on new product launches.

Video generator

Social content used to mean lots of extra work. Now, Photoroom's Video generator turns static product shots into motion ads in a few clicks, with subtle movement that makes all the difference on a busy feed.

“It’s only simple, but it just adds a little bit extra. And we’re seeing so much more engagement, so many more followers and likes on our socials.”

– Dan Bacon, Founder, Layer

Virtual model

Getting product fit and shape across on a product image was always a challenge. The Virtual model tool changed that, turning product shots into realistic model images instantly, without organizing a shoot.

One early breakthrough came with Layer's two-in-one running shorts, featuring an inner lining and a phone pocket; details that had been nearly impossible to capture in traditional photoshoots. "In Photoroom, I did it in about five minutes, and it looked perfect," Dan says.

From there, the Edit with AI tool makes refinements effortless, adjusting colours, tweaking logos, refining backgrounds, or retouching small details without regenerating the whole image.

“You can retouch parts, completely edit new parts just by typing a few keywords. You can change the colour of a T-shirt if you want. That little function, so you don’t have to keep regenerating new pictures, is so good.”

– Dan Bacon, Founder, Layer

Shopify integration

For a two-person team running their own store, every extra step in the publishing process adds friction. Photoroom’s Shopify integration removes multiple steps, meaning fresh images and edited product shots can be pushed directly to their Shopify store in just a few clicks.

“It’s so easy. All your images are just there. You edit them, and they’re straight back on your website before you know it.”

Bigger than a team of two

Photoroom has quickly become central to Layer’s workflow, cutting photography costs, speeding up time to market, and giving a two-person team the creative control of a much larger brand. “From the outside, our website looks like we’re bigger than just a team of two,” Dan explains. “I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.”

With growth accelerating and ambition clear, Dan’s advice regarding Photoroom is simple:

“Just try it. Photoroom has changed the way we work. It’s changed our output. It’s changed the professionalism of not just our website, but our whole business. If you’re sat on the fence – just give it a go.”

– Dan Bacon, Founder, Layer