2021: The Year of 3D

Posted here is an excerpt of a new piece by Threekit's VP of Marketing, Marc Uible entitled: "Gradually, and then Suddenly." In the piece, Marc outlines a number of key facts drawn from validated research into customer and business behavior online. From those facts, he shows an inevitible consequence: the coming proliferation of online customer experiences powered by high-end 3D visuals and augmented reality applications. Marc shows a number of compelling examples of brands leading on the edge of this trend and invites all brands to consider how they can ride this wave and not be capsized by it.
BUSINESS FACT #1

3D product configuration allows businesses to scale way beyond the limits of traditional photography.

 

 

 

 

In 1930, photography started to be used commercially for products. It quickly grew into the primary way products were depicted visually for marketing and advertising, and it maintains that status today. Over the years, there have been innovations to speed up the photography process, but overall it remains a time-intensive and costly one. The majority of brands today are held captive by a technology that’s more than 90 years old.

The frustratingly slow speed and high cost of photography has only been magnified by the rise of customization. The average cost of a finished product image in 2020 was $25. If you have 10 products with just three simple customizations each and you want the recommended eight photos of each configuration, you now need 240 photos which will cost $6,000, before accounting for other costs like shipping, time spent, etc.

For brands with a product that’s configurable or customizable, or that has any set of rules really, product photography severely diminishes the overall returns of offering customization in the first place.  

But with a high-end 3D platform, brands can escape this trap. For example, with Threekit’s help, Crate & Barrel created over three million images of every potential configuration of a couch in less than a month, for a small fraction of the cost of traditional photography.


The whole piece contains awesome, actionable insights that businesses can use to transform their customer experience for a new online era. Enter your email below and we'll send you a free copy of "Gradually and Then Suddenly."