In a world where consumers have higher expectations for product visuals than ever before, companies that sell their products online are under increased pressure to deliver a premium buying experience. Today, we're excited to announce the Threekit 3D and augmented reality extension on the Magento Marketplace. 

Images play a huge role in the success of an eCommerce website. They can impact conversion rates, return rates, and even the number of people who actually see your merchandise . Obviously, with so much at stake, it’s important to get your eCommerce images exactly right – which means you have to master not just product photography but also planning and some post-shoot optimization. Here, we lay out a can’t-lose strategy to ensure your eCommerce images are up to the task of boosting your conversion rate, lowering your return rate, and improving the overall experience of customers who visit your site.

The world of commerce is rapidly evolving. From the increased competition from direct-to-consumer brands to the myriad ways to define “customer experience,” brands must stay informed and agile to keep up in the visual economy. And the simple truth is, that when it comes to product visuals, photography has not evolved enough to meet the demands of today’s fast-paced eCommerce market where buyers expect incredible visual experiences.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of visual content on an eCommerce website. It feels like “product imagery” includes more advanced formats like video, interactive 3D and augmented reality and has to do the work that was once done by physical products themselves: helping shoppers make a decision about whether or not to buy what you’re selling.

  Until recently, most online retailers didn’t have the technology to make product customization feasible. Now that it’s possible to create real-time images and interactive 3D depicting shoppers’ customized products, many brands are taking advantage.

The visual economy has introduced a new paradigm for retailers - Augmented Reality (AR). The marriage between retail and AR unlocks a whole new experience for buyers to be delighted by, which means more customers for businesses.

As part of our Visuals Make a Difference launch, we’re taking a close look at the problem of eCommerce returns and what retailers and shoppers can do to prevent them. Guide: Part 1: 6 Tips Guaranteed to Cut Return Rates for Retailers Part 2: 7 Easy Ways YOU (the online shopper) Cut Back on Product Returns

As a young company, we're always looking for innovative, differentiating ways to help our customers improve their product experiences. But it's not every day that we spy an opportunity to improve the world at large. That's why, when we started to read up on the growing epidemic of product returns and their negative impact on the environment, we felt compelled to get involved. Not because product returns are always "bad," but because, based on data, many of them are preventable.

Today, shoes are right up there with designer purses as a subject of obsession for collectors. There is nothing more exhilarating than scoring a rare release...and the rarest of all are ones they customize themselves. But the desire to personalize a pair of shoes isn't confined to the collector circuit. As Jacob Metzger of the designer retailer, Grailed, notes,