Why is it that buyers become more attached to a product they can see? Why does engaging with a product make us want it that much more? While it may seem like it, it’s not magic that marketers use to capture consumers’ desire, it’s psychology, and it affects anyone who ever buys anything.
Humans process visual cues 60,000 times faster than text, which means that if I show you a bike instead simply asking you if you would like a bike, or even telling you that you need a bike, your brain will process the bike and the possibilities that come with it exponentially faster. Taking that a step further, 90% of the information sent to our brains is visual, so the brain is best equipped to process visual information to evaluate products and progress through the decision making process.
This insight is key to optimizing the customer journey and creating an experience that increases engagement with your brand and higher conversion rates for your products. Research shows that interactive content drives a conversion 70% of the time, compared to 36% for passive content. When you are competing in a noisy media landscape and a crowded market, that difference adds up quickly.
The easiest way for a consumer to engage with a product is in a brick and mortar setting; however the majority of today’s buyers are rarely heading straight to a store, if they ever set foot in one at all. Only 20% of buyers say that they shop exclusively in store, while 73% say that they use multiple channels before making a purchase, which means that much of the process of convincing a buyer to purchase your product relies on a digital experience. Given the dramatic shifts in consumer behavior that we have seen in 2020 and the expectation that those shifts are likely permanent, the importance of those digital experiences is further elevated.
How To Create An Immersive Experience Online
To create more engaging shopping experiences, brands are turning to visual commerce. Also called 3D commerce or camera commerce, visual commerce includes using product visualization, 3D configuration, and augmented reality (AR) to bring products to life in during a shopping experience.
High quality images have shown to increase the rate of discovery for brands across industries, with more than ⅔ of consumers saying that images are the most important factor in their online purchase decisions. Once discovered, consumers expect a high quality experience, and a clear representation of exactly what they plan to purchase; the same kind of clarity that they would get from an in store experience.
What Is Product Visualization?
3D product visualization is the process of creating high fidelity, interactive 3D renderings to accurate represent products online. Product visualizers allow users to view products in full 360° detail, providing far more information than traditional product photography.
Product visualizers are perfect tools for brands looking to show off specific details or qualities that make their products unique. They are also one of the easiest 3D applications to deploy on a website, as the models are not altered during the shopping experience.
For more customizable products, brands will generally choose product configurators.
What Is 3D Configuration?
A 3D configurator is an immersive 3D experience that allows users to view and select options and features available for a product. 3D product confifigurators may also be referred to as 3D visual configurators. As with product visualization, users are able view the product in full 360 and zoom to evaluate the product with the options they have chosen.
As opposed to 3D product visualizxers, which are limited to one SKU of a product, 3D configuration allows a user to select and view additional colors, materials, and features that are offered for a specific product. A common example would be a sofa. Buyers often have several options for materials, such as leather or upholstery, in addition to colors and specific design features. With a product visualizer, a shopper is only able to view the black leather couch; but a configurator allows them to view and compare the leather to the upholstery as well as the difference between the black and grey options.
What Is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is an interactive experience in which users can view and engage with a computer generated object in their current real world environment. Unlike virtual reality (VR), AR experiences do not inherently require specialized hardware or equipment to access. Native AR capabilities in digital devices now allow brands to deploy AR experiences without requiring the user to download or open an app. Instead, the AR experience is triggered within the user's browser, or through a visual asset such as a QR code that may be placed in a digital or physical space.
AR can be paired with product visualization or 3D configuration to complete an immersive shopping experience. With this combination shoppers are able to view their exact product selections in their real world space, making the choice between grey and black much easier. 3D models developed for product visualization or 3D configuration are oftem used to create an augmented reality product experience.
Why Is Interactivity Important for Brands?
The ability to engage with and customize products creates a sense of ownership for the consumer, which can lead to an emotional attachment and thus a higher personal value placed on the product. By driving engagement with the product, you are making it a part of your customer’s reality, and increasing your chance of conversion.
To create that engaging experience, many brands have turned to 3D product visualization, 3D visual configuration, and augmented reality. Dopple offers an exceptional user experience and easy integrations with top tech and ecommerce providers to bring your products to life online. High fidelity product visualizations showcase the features that make your product unique and provide customers with a true image of the item they are looking to purchase. Beyond your site, these visualizations can be used in media and marketing materials to aid in discovery and drive attention to your brand.
For products that can be configured with options or customized, a visual product configurator delivers an immersive shopping experience designed to optimize the customer journey and continually engage the buyer, while augmented reality allows the customer to experience the product in a whole new way prior to purchase.
Visual commerce is here, and with Dopple you are ready to more efficiently promote your products, elevate your customer’s journey, and drive increased conversions online and offline.
