Field notes on AI-native CPQ

In 2020, eCommerce skyrocketed beyond all expectations and changed the way that everyone buys and sells. eCommerce was supposed to grow 18% but actually grew 32% in 2020 and according to eMarketer US eCommerce reached $794 billion in sales last year.

A Partnership to Promote Sustainability and Reduce Environmental Waste A not so fun fact: Ecommerce product returns last year led to 5 billion pounds of waste and 15 million tons of CO2 emissions. Unfortunately, as ecommerce sales increase during COVID-19, this problem is only growing.

This post is part of our Threekit Webinar Series, a blog series where we recount the most pertinent takeaways from the Threekit insiders and guest experts who are thought leaders in the 3D and augmented reality space. With more and more consumers doing the bulk of their shopping online, consumers are seeking additional confidence when making decisions. Providing immersive, user-friendly, interactive 3D experiences helps show them exactly what they’ll be purchasing while making them feel more in control. Threekit and inRiver have teamed up to provide eCommerce brands with those 3D and augmented reality (AR) experiences to increase online sales. In a recent conversation, Hilary Murdock, Lead Product Marketer at Threekit and Scott Bears, a Senior Sales Engineer at inRiver explained how they’re making that happen. The following is a summary of what they covered.

This post is part of our Threekit Webinar Series, a blog series where we recount the most pertinent takeaways from the Threekit insiders and guest experts who are thought leaders in the 3D and augmented reality space. In today’s world of eCommerce, visuals are everything. 360 product viewers and 3D configurators are helping brands give their consumers what they want: an up-close look at what’s available. In a recent conversation, Hilary Murdock, Head of Product Marketing at Threekit, discussed the importance of visuals during a customer’s journey. Here is a summary of the key topics she touched on.

Product customizers—software that enables customers to customize products to fit their own needs and preferences—are seeing a huge uptake by manufacturers and retailers. The Configurator Database, a project dedicated to tracking the use of customization software, currently lists 1359 configurators used by 420 brands in 17 industries.

When you visit an online store, images are the element most likely to draw you in and capture your imagination. This isn’t simply conjecture—83% of shoppers point to product images as the number one factor impacting their purchase decision. And those shoppers also expect to see at least 8 images per product page. In short, ecommerce websites need more images of higher quality than they ever have before. For these reasons, 3D product photography platforms (also referred to as virtual product photography) are emerging as the ideal product image photography solution for growing brands and B2B businesses alike.

With the availability of numerous eCommerce stores, online customers have a number of options to choose from. But what guides their decision-making when it comes to choosing the best store of them all? Can you guess?

3D and Augmented Reality (AR) appear to be shifting the advertising landscape already. Just how significantly will only become clear in the upcoming months and years, however huge businesses are already using it to great effect, understanding that now is the time to deploy this comparatively new technology to produce new experiences for customers.

Selling isn’t for the weak-spirited.

We’re living in a time of rapidly accelerating change. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, a new normal has emerged with the overnight growth of eCommerce sales.

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.