As eCommerce takes off in unprecedented fashion, 3D product customization and augmented reality have become integral parts of an innovative online business model. As an agency tasked with developing creative solutions as well as driving traffic and sales for your clients, you've likely started to encounter the challenge of how to generate 3D and AR product experiences. These capabilities are complex, requiring specific skillsets...they don't just come off the shelf.
The solution? Find yourselves a 3D product configuration partner.
Here, we explore why outsourcing 3D product configuration is the optimal choice for creating best-in-breed websites for your clients.
3D Configuration for Products is Still a New Phenomenon
Due to both ever increasing technology and convenience, as well as the safety of online shopping in the Covid-19 era, eCommerce has exponentially taken off. According to BigCommerce.com, in the United States, eCommerce sales are expected to exceed $740 billion by 2023. It is believed that 22% of all global retail sales will be done by eCommerce by that same year.
To put this in perspective for how quickly the market has changed, in 2019, eCommerce sales accounted for 14.1% of all global retail sales. Both B-to-B and B-to-C businesses need ways to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape.
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Online 3D configuration is now in higher demand (perhaps your clients have even asked about it), but easier said than done. After all, there are only so many 3D artists and developers to go around and a lot of them work in technology and development, not at agencies.
Additionally, it is difficult to build an entire department of 3D specialists from the ground up in any environment. To do so is time consuming and requires significant financial investment. And it could be years before you see that kind of investment pay off. A trusted 3D product configuration partner is truly the most cost-effective way to accomplish the advanced 3D product customization and augmented reality needs of your clients.
Building Product Configurators One-by-One Does Not Scale
Even if you do employ a small 3D team, taking on and building product configurators project by project does not create economies of scale. In addition to the financial and time investment discussed above, there is the fact that in order to reuse different materials, finishes, and parts, you will need some kind of software solution to store and manage these assets.
For example, if you create a 3D product customization for one product on a client’s website, they might want to replicate and reuse aspects of that product configurator for different configurator on your site. However, you cannot just take parts of one 3D product customization and apply them to another without a software solution to support that. You would have to start the new configuration entirely from scratch, which again costs more time and money than being able to apply the work from the previous customization to the new one. Without a more sophisticated system or solution, it's not scalable.
Using a software solution means that you will not need to spend valuable time or money on the costly internal infrastructure and processes of 3D configuration. The right partner can provide that solution.
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Expertise Matters
Rather than hiring someone in-house who will need to learn the ropes as they go, partnering with a 3D configuration company ensures that you have the necessary expertise to create high-level digital assets for your clients’ eCommerce platforms from the get go. Surrounding yourself with experts who have been at the forefront of this technology since its inception means that not only will it get done faster and for less money overall, but that the quality will really stand out from other 3D product configurators out there. This in turn, sets your agency apart from the rest.
If you are looking to expand the type of digital offerings you can provide your clients, do keep a 3D product configuration partner, such as Threekit, in mind. We specialize in visual technology software that creates 3D product customization. Threekit is a great resource for all of your 3D product customization needs, no matter the client.
Threekit was founded by one of the foremost voices in the 3D industry, Ben Houston. You might have seen the origins of his work before in the CGI of films such as Twilight, Harry Potter, and The Avengers. In 2014 when WebGL launched, companies could all of a sudden show interactive visuals on their websites. Ben’s work instantly became in demand for the product market, not just Hollywood films.
In addition to the expertise that he brings to the table, he also surrounds himself with the best in the industry: fellow 3D veterans. There are four ways in which the Threekit team really stands out:
1) They take the creative approach to solving 3D product customization challenges.
2) They are always looking for how to improve their products and work and love to collaborate with partners to learn more.
3) They are always innovating new techniques and technology.
4) They truly have the expertise. (To wit: In 2018, Threekit collaborated with SaaS investor, Godard Abel, and have been innovating the visual aspects of eCommerce ever since.)
With eCommerce looking at continued growth in the next few years, your clients would be sorry to underestimate the impact of 3D visuals as the competition grabs hold of this emerging technology. And your agency would be missing out an a great tool to add to its arsenal.
A 3D product configurator partner is cost effective, scalable, and you’ll get the expertise needed to do projects right the first time. Not to mention, you'll be providing client's with the increased engagement that spells higher sales conversion--something they're always looking to achieve.
If Threekit sounds like the right partner fit for you, schedule some time to talk to us.
