Product images remain one of the most important factors that consumers consider before making a buying decision online. Virtual photography is an invaluable asset that can help produce high-quality images that your customers will love.
After all, people want to know what the end result of their purchase will look like when they complete the checkout process; any uncertainty might turn them away.
High-Fidelity Images vs. Site Speed: Do You Have to Choose?
However, virtual photography can help avoid another potential problem that might negatively impact customers' decisions to buy from you: site loading speed.
Unfortunately, having a lot of product images on your pages can negatively affect these pages' performance. High-resolution images can also come with a hefty file size. Enough of these images can significantly slow down your website.
The length of time it takes to load your web pages is a huge deciding factor when people browse an eCommerce website.
Consider the fact that one in four visitors will abandon a website if it takes longer than four seconds to load. Also, a one-second delay reduces customer satisfaction by up to 16%.
So, how can you balance top-tier image quality with a fast website? The answer is also virtual photography, which can combine quality with efficiency in a highly effective way.
Here we'll review what this technology is and how it can harness the power of both high-fidelity images and quicker loading speeds.
How Does Virtual Photography Work?
Virtual photography is a recently developed technology that's far more advanced and efficient than traditional photography. Many people associate virtual photography with real estate photography, open houses, virtual tours and virtual reality. But it's also used for product photography in the eCommerce industry, among other applications.
Unlike traditional photoshoots that require ample equipment such as DSLR cameras and lighting setups, virtual photoshoots simplify the shooting process to optimize quality, timeliness and cost-effectiveness.
To use virtual photography to your advantage, all you need is reliable virtual photography software and samples of your products. There's no need to schedule a photoshoot with a professional photographer and ship your entire inventory to a shooting location.
Using this software, you can create both top-quality 2D product images and 3D virtual assets that amplify the effects of good product images.
2 Key Ways to Optimize Both Site Speed and Image Quality With Virtual Photography
Do you want to take full advantage of the advantages that virtual photography has to offer? Then you can use this technology to truly revolutionize your customers' eCommerce experience.
Try these two approaches:
1. Consolidate product images into a single 3D model
Never underestimate the value of high-quality product images for your business.
People are far more likely to trust a vendor in peer-to-peer marketplaces with images of higher quality. The problem is that having too many high-res images for your products can negatively impact your website's load speed.
The more elements there are on each webpage, whether it's videos, images, or even text, the longer it will take to load those resources. If it takes too long, people will leave your site before they even have a chance to see those beautiful product images that keep them there.
You might be wondering how it's possible to include top-quality visuals without bogging down your website. The key is to use 3D interactive images.
Using a virtual photography solution, you'll have the ability to generate quality 2D images. You can also create in-depth 3D visualizations for each product and potential configuration.
These images are worth hundreds of individual images and can show your product from every angle.
Click here to learn more about Threekit's virtual photography solution and capabilities.
2. Implement an efficient product configurator
In addition to 3D visuals that combine multiple product images into one photorealistic image, you can enable customers to explore it using a central 3D product configurator on your product pages.
Instead of having a series of images taken from different angles, your website will only need to load an intuitive product configurator for shoppers.
From here, prospective customers will be able to rotate and zoom in on their products. They can also update their configurations in real-time as they select different options.
A product configurator will be significantly more efficient and effective compared to a gallery of images, functioning as an add-on for your eCommerce site. In turn, you can give your customers high-quality CGI images without negatively affecting load speeds.
A comprehensive configurator won’t just ensure that people don't leave your product pages. It will also keep them there as you differentiate yourself from competitors.
Other competing businesses stick to traditional product images and a less interactive experience. But you'll engage more visitors with a unique shopping experience.
The right configurator will even allow customers to view virtual products in the real world using augmented reality (AR) technology. Through an AR integration, shoppers could use mobile devices to view products in their homes or elsewhere, going even further beyond traditional professional photos.
Experience the Full Benefits of Virtual Photography With Threekit
Want to strike the perfect balance between high-fidelity product images and a faster website? Virtual photography is the key to your success. However, you need to implement the right tool for the job. This is where Threekit comes in.
At Threekit, we offer our customers a unique product configuration solution that can truly empower your eCommerce platform. With the help of our Virtual Photographer™ software, you can capture as many products and potential configurations as you want. You'll be creating top-quality 2D and 3D images for each one.
After converting your entire inventory into immaculate visualizations, we can integrate them into a user-friendly and powerful product configurator that seamlessly connects with your website. From there, customers can create custom product configurations with ease, separating you from traditional eCommerce experiences.
Finally, our AR solution can enable customers to view products in real-world spaces. They can explore products without any need to download a separate application.
Together, each of these tools combines to create the ideal product configuration platform for nearly any business. For more information about our virtual photography solution and the rest of our innovative platform, contact us today, and we'll get you started on implementation.
