5 Brands That Are Using 360-Degree Product Photography

360° product photography enables consumers to see every angle of a product, including getting a spatial understanding of its dimensions and size, in real-time. For customizable items, this means ensuring that your chosen aspects match your expectations before purchasing.

Key Takeaways

• 360-dregree product photography enables consumers to see all angles of a product, mimicking the in-store experience.
• This technology aligns customer expectation, resulting in fewer product returns and increased customer satisfaction.
• 360 "spin" photography is used in a variety of ecommerce industries.

360-degree product photography viewers can exist in many forms. Sometimes they’re GIFs, other times they’re videos, and in some cases—for brands that are truly ahead of the curve—they’re fully immersive, interactive experiences that use 360° spin images for ecommerce.

Of course, not all brands have given their shoppers 360° product images. But those that have are seeing their conversion rates soar and product return rate drop. Being able to visualize a 3D product from all different angles gives shoppers more confidence in their purchase. On the retailer's end, it's an innovative way to increase sales and reduce product returns, as well as providing an engaging customer experience.

Here are five examples of brands currently using 360° product photography, videos, and other media to give online and ecommerce shoppers a closer look at what they have to offer.

BMW

A car is a significant purchase for anyone. Customers who are in the market for a brand-new luxury vehicle like a BMW aren't just looking for something to get them from A to B—they’re looking to turn heads. It’s important that they get a detailed view of how they’ll appear on the road, or pulling up to that 5-star restaurant.

The BMW Build Your Own web page allows luxury vehicle browsers a chance to get a look at their well-designed vehicles from virtually every angle. This helps the user see how the side molding, sculpted edges, and overall feature of the vehicles from virtually every angle. There is a flaw in this spin product viewing experience, however. Users can only spin horizontally, meaning they can’t investigate how the vehicle might look from a standing height. Nevertheless, this interactive experience gives customers a reason to set an appointment at their dealership so they can get a feel for how it drives in addition to how it looks.

Sawyer Insect Repellent

It’s not just big-ticket purchases that can benefit from a 360° product viewer. Sawyer Insect Repellent gives online shoppers a full look at their spray bottles using an interactive 360° spin image. The drawback is that users aren’t afforded the luxury of clicking zoom. Why is that important? Customers want to know what types of chemicals they or their children may be exposed to, and insect repellent is by nature packed with unfamiliar ingredients. Having an opportunity to zoom would enable parents, or any health-conscious lover of the great outdoors, to learn what they’re agreeing to spray before making the purchase.

However, Sawyer's product page still demonstrates that even what may seem like small purchases are more satisfying for a buyer when they feel empowered by having that detailed view.

Heals Furniture

You don’t have to be an interior designer to want to find the perfect couch, armchair, or bedframe. While high-quality furniture may not be as intimidating a purchase as a brand-new vehicle, it requires a big commitment and will likely adorn your home for at least a decade.

That’s why Heals Furniture made a smart move when they added 360° product photography of their furniture. Any furniture retailer can provide zoom features or color palettes to provide shoppers with a few extra details, but Heals helps their shoppers envision how their products will appear in their living rooms, bedrooms, or dens. When shoppers can use their imagination, browsing can easily turn into buying.

The furniture category is also a prime candidate for 360° product viewers because customers usually have furniture shipped to their homes. This means that they’re comfortable making the purchase without being able to touch the product or test it out. That extra experience could be the nudge that convinces them to click "buy now."

Apple

Technology brands take as much pride in how their hardware operates as they do in how it looks. Apple is no exception. As the global leader in consumer technology, they spare no expense in their marketing endeavors, so it should come as no surprise that they have one of the most appealing 360° product viewer uses out there.

For example, their iPhone SE page uses a 360° product viewer that’s baked into the user experience. When the user lands on the page, they’re greeted with a sleek, dramatic photo of the beautifully designed smartphone. As they scroll, the image rotates at a pace of their choice showing the carefully sculpted edges and industrial-grade materials from every conceivable angle. It not only shows them what the iPhone SE looks like, but it also empowers them with full control from the very start. They’re in control of the 360° product viewer, which empowers them to feel in control of the product itself.

Rolex

A new watch isn’t always a big deal. But for most, a Rolex is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Obviously, you’re going to want to see it before you buy it. Rolex doesn’t just give users a nice view of their luxury watches. They provide a beautiful viewing experience that’s as much a work of art as the jewelry it depicts.

The dramatic lighting provides glistening reflections. The 360° spin video moves at an ideal pace—slow enough to take in all the details, but fast enough that the viewer doesn’t lose interest.

Much like furniture, luxury watches are often purchased online and shipped to the customer’s home. That, along with the product’s inherent beauty, makes a 360° product viewer a critical tool for luxury watch brands like Rolex.

Conclusion

The future of commerce is visual ecommerce, and as the above examples prove, brands that own their 360° product photography experiences will take the lead. At Threekit, we’re helping brands take advantage of 360° product viewers with AI Visual Discovery and other cutting-edge technologies. Ee also practice what we preach. If you’re ready to create your own 360° product viewer, schedule a demo with us today and our product visualization experts will walk you through the next steps.