Field notes on AI guided selling.

Virtual photography may sound like an oxymoron–or worse, a buzzword–but the digital practice is upending the world of eCommerce. Over the last year, virtual photography proved to be a game-changer, as shopping moved even further online due to the pandemic. Just look at these 2021 virtual photography stats by compiled by Threekit: Improves purchase rate by 11x 35% fewer returns 87% more views And more

In a world that’s becoming more dependent on the Internet with each passing day, it’s no surprise that the bulk of modern shopping is happening online. The eCommerce market is flooded with options for customers to choose from, and many brands are fighting to offer their own unique, high-quality shopping experience that sets them apart. Product customization is an increasingly essential component of that experience. The opportunity for shoppers to select the finer details of a given product and personalize it to their own preferences can be what makes or breaks a purchase–and what keeps certain retailers ahead of the competition. What was once a novelty in many brick-and-mortar stores has become a standard for online shopping. There are many reasons why offering product customization in your eCommerce experience is necessary for your company to succeed in the 21st century, and the following are some of the top ones.

As online shopping gains significant momentum, consumers expect a superior virtual experience. In the 21st century, personalization is making a huge stand. That's why allowing consumers to customize their products is the key to high conversion and retention rates. An interactive product configurator is a powerful tool that doesn't just allow customers to explore items from all angles–it helps them create a perfect product by playing around with different configuration options.

Augmented reality (AR) is the process of layering some type of organized digital information onto a real-world scene. The process augments–in other words, improves or makes more complex–our interaction with the world around us. Augmented reality has been available for several years, via smartphone apps like Niantic Inc.'s Pokémon Go and apps that let shoppers see what a certain piece of furniture will look like in their living room. Today, tech titans like Google, Apple, and Facebook have ambitious plans for launching AR-based products in the future. There is an infinite number of potential applications of augmented reality–it's not just for gaming anymore. These prominent companies know AR is required for state-of-the-art products and customer demands. Self-driving cars and smart factories have been touted as primary applications of augmented reality. But with 5G wireless service comes ease of applying AR technology to consumer-based products like smart glasses. It's time for every business to assess the ways AR can be applied to improve both in-house operations and customer experience. Below are some examples of tech industry investment in augmented reality.

Augmented reality is becoming far more than a fun toy. Today, augmented reality is an invaluable tool for businesses. High-quality 3D visuals have seen a growing demand in eCommerce for at least the past decade but the pandemic caused consumer expectations to spike and they’re here to stay. During quarantine, shoppers were forced to do nearly all of their browsing and buying from home. Brands stepped up to provide them with highly detailed, photorealistic 3D product visuals raising the bar for every player in the digital marketing game. Some brands went a step further and designed augmented reality experiences enabling customers to view products in their spaces in real-time. Today, the competition is a short keyword search away and consumers have voiced their preference for brands offering AR for ecommerce. In fact, a recent study found that 66% of shoppers said augmented reality increased their confidence that they were buying the right product. So it’s clear that augmented reality can increase customer confidence, and therefore boost sales, but how can businesses go about designing and deploying an augmented reality solution? Fortunately, with rising demand has come new opportunities to incorporate augmented reality into your marketing plan. There are multiple avenues to that end of varying levels of complexity. Let’s take a look at a few options.

Consumers today are craving highly visual online shopping experiences. Showcasing products in real-life environments via augmented reality (AR) certainly seems like it would meet that criteria. But is AR an effective tool for eCommerce? We’ve all seen AR apps used to share fun, whimsical animations with friends and family but AR has far more potential than a few laughs. Think about it. With high-quality 3D visuals, AR gives consumers a chance to envision real, tangible products right in their own space. This gives them even more confidence than being able to browse a store’s physical inventory at a brick-and-mortar location.

In digital marketing, Augmented Reality (AR) has been all the rage for quite some time now, and for good reason. But what’s the best AR app for eCommerce? There are plenty of variables to take into consideration when rating the AR apps available to digital marketers but before we dive in, let’s take a look at what AR is and why it’s so critical for eCommerce today.

Sapphire Balconies, already the leaders in modular balcony construction, have partnered with Threekit to support COACH, an innovative new tool for designing and specifying balconies. COACH makes it easier than ever for designers, architects, builders, and everyone else to design custom, compliant balconies, as well as the necessary design outputs for manufacturing. That makes COACH a perfect example of how Threekit makes it possible for smart companies to transform the way business is done. Let's take a look.

At Threekit, we help our clients build amazing eCommerce customer experiences mostly because it's really fun to watch it transform our clients' online business. We don't do it for recognition, but we'd be lying if we said it doesn't feel nice to be appreciated. That's why we were thrilled today to see our collaboration with TaylorMade Golf featured in an article by ZDNet contributor and Salesforce Evangelist Brian Solis called "2021: The year that 3D and augmented reality for commerce cashes in."