Want To Boost Holiday Sales? The Right Ultimate Product Visualization Guide Will Help
By Kosta Popov, Cappasity
3D visualization should be part of every holiday retail sales strategy.
The holidays are in full swing, and this is the time of year that is the jolliest for e-commerce! It’s no secret that retailers and merchants look forward to this time of year as it is the most gratifying period in terms of sales. With the National Retail Federation projecting a 4.3 to 4.8 percent increase in holiday sales this season over last year, retailers should be ready to add extra oomph to their usual website visualization. No doubt, lots of prep has gone into getting ready for customers to storm their online stores in order to get the best possible presents, but what else can be done?
First impression is everything, most would agree, and especially when it comes to holiday gift shopping. Some would even take it a step further and proclaim that proper visualization is the first step to a satisfactory purchase. Since online shoppers can’t physically examine the item they’re considering, the only way to help them get over their uncertainty is to present them with comprehensive, high-quality imagery.
Yes, displaying high-resolution product photos is good, but it’s not good enough anymore. In short, customers want more. In response, here is the ultimate product visualization in three steps:
The Importance Of The Seamless Zoom
Once customers find an item that catches their interest, they usually go to the product page to check out the potential purchase in greater detail. Since zippers, jewelry clasps, and footwear soles rarely appear on the front catalogue page, they require a particularly careful examination.
Consequently, the seamless zoom has become a must-have feature for e-commerce, as it allows customers to zoom in on specific details and to get a better feel for the product without physically touching it.
Say Yes To Video, But…
To enhance the online shopping experience, merchants should also consider using short videos to show products in motion. Many consumers say that watching product videos make them more confident in making decisions with their online shopping. However, according to recent research, 95 percent of respondents prefer an interactive 3D representation rather than video playback, which brings us to…
3D Is The Future Of Retail
While there’s no “one-size-fits-all” holiday present, some products are almost guaranteed to go hand-in-hand with any gift, i.e. wrapping paper with holiday cards.
It’s only recently that 3D technologies have advanced enough to be able to process product features frequently present on products like these, such as glitter, foil, and embossing.
The ability to showcase challenging products interactively is not the only benefit of 3D product imaging, as it also boosts metrics that are especially tangible during the holiday season, with conversion rate being a prime example.
The case study of TSUM, one of the largest luxury goods department stores in Eastern Europe, proves that it’s possible for 3D product imaging to increase the conversion rate by almost 40 percent while also having large catalogues (40,000 stock keeping units) digitized in a reasonable time frame.
While not a specific part of the plan laid out here, one other element to consider in all this is artificial intelligence. Here’s why: in order to choose the ultimate product visualization, one might need previously non-existent data, and that’s where AI analytics tools come into play.
The AI analytics of today can track the way potential customers interact with product imagery embedded into retailers' websites, whether 2D or 3D images, and present the most important metrics on a heat map. Besides increasing customer dwell time, the tool also highlights points of customer interest and the best angles for thumbnail product positioning.
With a combination of 3D View, seamless zoom feature, limitless configurations option, and cutting-edge analytics tools, holiday shopping is bound to transform into an experience that boosts both spirits and sales.
About The Author
Kosta Popov, CEO/Founder of Cappasity, has a successful track record as a software company CEO, and is an expert in 3D, SaaS, and mobile applications. Kosta can be reached at info@cappasity.com.