The varieties that a lot of people are looking for by name will sell without photos or description. For less famous varieties, I notice listings with no photo sometimes linger long past the time when others in the catalog are sold out. I can be really influenced by photos, even though I know that the reality in my garden can be very different, even if everything goes right. When a supplier is new, cautious buyers seem to be reassured by them (unless they recognize the photos from another catalog). There are suppliers where you have to click on a link to see the photo. In the past I have made and shared pages with all the photos expanded for my own pleasure as much as to be helpful, and it caused me to order things I missed in browsing the text catalog. I didn't have time this year, and I noticed things did not sell out as fast and wonder if it's related. Maybe it was better for them to sell more slowly.
I don't need a ode, but I would at least like bloom size, especially in new intros!
