Enhancing E-Commerce with 3D Images: Top 8 Types of Product Views

As e-commerce marketing continues to expand, the importance of visual content in driving sales and customer engagement has never been more crucial. In fact, 70% of businesses invest heavily in content marketing, including images. They recognize its power to attract and keep customers.

Photorealistic product images play a pivotal role in the online shopping experience. Approximately 75% of online shoppers rely on product photography when purchasing. However, a mere photo is no longer enough. 22% of people return items because they don’t look as they do in the photo. This shows the need for more immersive, detailed, and true-to-life pictures.

Enter 3D images - the next big thing in e-commerce. Providing an interactive, 360-degree view of products, 3D photos are transforming the way customers shop online. They increase the chances of sales and significantly reduce return rates. A testament to this is Etsy, where shoppers claim that good-quality photos influence 90% of their purchasing decisions.

This article will explore the top 8 types of product views enabled by 3D images. It will also explain how these views enhance e-commerce. Let’s dive in.

Product-only Images

Product-only images are the most common type of product photography in e-commerce. As the name suggests, these photos focus only on the product. They show the product against a neutral, distraction-free background. This minimalistic approach ensures the customer’s attention goes straight to the product. It highlights the product’s features without any extra elements to detract from it.

In traditional photography, product-only images are typically taken from multiple angles to provide a comprehensive view of the product. However, they cannot still fully capture the depth and details of the product due to their two-dimensional nature.

With 3D imaging, product-only images are taken to a whole new level. A 3D model image of the product is created and displayed against a clean, neutral background. Customers can interact with this model, rotating it to view the product from all angles and zooming in to inspect specific details. This image provides a far more immersive and detailed product view than traditional photos.

Lifestyle Images

While product-only images are essential for showcasing the features of a product, lifestyle images bring a product to life. They show it in action in contexts that help customers see how it might fit into their everyday scenarios.

Lifestyle images go beyond the product, providing a narrative and setting that can resonate with potential buyers. These images tell a story, whether it’s a piece of furniture styled in a beautifully designed living room, a dress worn by a model at a trendy location, or a smartphone used by someone on the go. They create an emotional connection between the customer and the product, increasing its perceived value and desirability.

Moreover, lifestyle images provide a sense of scale and function. They show how the product works and how it can be used, which can help to address any uncertainties or doubts a customer might have. This is particularly important for online shopping, where customers can’t physically touch or try the product.

With the advent of 3D visualization, lifestyle images can be made even more powerful. 3D images can be integrated into real-world environments, creating realistic and immersive experiences. For instance, augmented reality (AR) can add a piece of furniture to a customer’s room. This allows them to see how it would look and fit.

In addition, 3D models can be animated to show the product in action, adding a dynamic element of human action and move to the lifestyle image. This can be particularly useful for complex products with multiple parts or functions.

360-Degree Product Views

A 360-degree product view is a digital product representation. It lets customers view it from all angles. It’s created by combining multiple images or using a 3D model of the product, which can be rotated on both horizontal and vertical axes. This gives the viewer control over the viewing experience, allowing them to inspect the product from every angle as if holding it.

From a consumer perspective, this interactive feature significantly enhances online shopping. Customers can understand the product comprehensively, including its size, shape, color, texture, and other key features. This helps them make informed purchases. It reduces returns due to unmet expectations.

360-degree product views provide transparency that traditional photos can’t match. They reveal all aspects of a product, leaving no room for doubt about its appearance or condition. For instance, if you’re selling a watch, a 360-degree view lets the customer see the front, sides, back, and even the underside. This detail adds credibility to your listings and builds trust.

Moreover, 360-degree views can highlight the quality and craftsmanship of a product. For example, in the case of a handcrafted leather bag, a 360-degree view picture can show the stitching, the leather’s quality, and the hardware’s finish. This full picture conveys the product’s value better than a simple front-view image.

In e-commerce, physical product inspection is impossible. So, 360-degree product views are vital. They bridge the gap between online and offline shopping. They also provide a realistic and interactive view of the product. This enhances product transparency, builds customer trust, and drives conversions and satisfaction.

Zoomable Product 3D Images

In the world of e-commerce, every detail matters. Customers want to see the products they’re interested in up close, similar to how they would inspect them in a physical store. This is where zoomable product 3D images come into play.

Zoom functionality is a critical feature in e-commerce. It allows customers to enlarge an image or a part of an image to see finer details. Traditional 2D images suffer from loss of quality or pixelation when zoomed. This limits the feature’s effectiveness. However, with 3D images, this issue is resolved.

3D images are created from detailed product models that can be viewed from any angle and zoomed in without losing quality. This means customers can inspect the product closely. They can see its texture, material, craftsmanship, and other key features in high resolution. Whether it’s the engraving on a piece of jewelry or the intricate design of a home decor item, 3D images provide a level of detail that brings the product to life.

Rotatable Product Models

Rotatable product models are another innovative feature made possible by 3D imaging technology. These are interactive 3D representations of products that customers can rotate horizontally and vertically to view from all angles. 

The ability to rotate a product model provides several benefits to the customer. It gives a comprehensive view of the product, revealing details that might be hidden in a traditional image. This includes elements like the back of a piece of furniture, the underside of a gadget, or the interior of a bag. Allowing customers to rotate the product gives them a fuller understanding of its dimensions, design, and features.

Rotatable product models are particularly beneficial in industries where the physical attributes of a product play a significant role in the buying decision. For instance, in the furniture industry, customers can rotate a 3D model of a sofa or table to understand how it would fit into their space. A 360-degree view of a garment in the fashion industry can reveal details about its cut, fit, and drape. Similarly, in the electronics industry, rotating a 3D model of a smartphone or laptop can provide insights into its design, ports, buttons, and other features.

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Interactive Product Configurators

Interactive product configurators are dynamic tools that allow customers to personalize a product according to their preferences. They can change colors, finishes, materials, and other customizable features in real-time, viewing these changes on a 3D product model.

The significance of interactive product configurators lies in their ability to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction. This innovative tool gives clients control over product design. It provides a sense of ownership and engagement that traditional shopping cannot offer. This makes online shopping more personal and enjoyable, leading to higher conversion rates and customer loyalty.

The use of 3D images is crucial in enabling this level of customization. With a 3D model, changes made in the configurator can be immediately reflected in the product view. This allows customers to see how their choices affect the final product from every angle and in detail.

PIXREADY’s clients have successfully implemented interactive product configurators to enhance their customer experience. For example, La Marie is a New York-based wedding shoe manufacturer. They allow customers to design their shoes. Customers choose everything from the color and material of the upper to the pattern on the sole.

In the furniture industry, Hoodsly, a leading custom wood range manufacturer from Denver, USA, provides configurators that let customers customize kitchen hoods. Such configurators enhance the shopping experience and help customers visualize how the customized product would fit into their space.

Virtual Try-On

Virtual try-on is a transformative technology that’s redefining the e-commerce experience. It allows customers to virtually “try on” items, such as clothes, shoes, glasses, and even makeup, from their homes. This technology is particularly advantageous in industries where fit and appearance play a significant role in the buying decision, such as fashion and beauty.

3D imaging plays a crucial role in facilitating virtual try-on experiences. Using advanced algorithms and 3D models, customers can upload their photos or use their device’s camera to see how a product looks on them. For example, a customer shopping for eyeglasses can virtually try on different frames to see how they look on their face, or someone shopping for clothing can understand how a garment would fit their body shape.

The advantages of virtual try-on technologies are manifold for both retailers and consumers. Clients can try on multiple products quickly and easily, making online purchasing more similar to the in-store one. This technology also eliminates the need for physical fitting rooms, making shopping more convenient and efficient.

Augmented Reality (AR) Product Visualization

Augmented Reality (AR) is a ground-breaking technology. It overlays digital info onto the real world. This enhances our perception and interaction with our surroundings. In e-commerce, AR allows shoppers to visualize products in their environment before purchasing.

3D images are key to creating these AR product visualization experiences. By using 3D models of products, AR technology allows shoppers to place virtual items in their real-world surroundings, as seen through the camera view of a smartphone or tablet. This gives customers a sense of the product’s size, design, and how it would fit or look in their space.

There have been several innovative applications and commercial use of AR technology that are transforming online shopping.

For instance, PIXREADY’s client - furniture retailer Majuno, used a 3D product configurator (with AR) to let customers virtually place furniture in their homes. This helps them visualize how different pieces will fit and look in their space, reducing the uncertainty often associated with buying large items online.

3D Technology: a Powerful Tool for Commercial Use

The impact of 3D images on e-commerce marketing is significant, offering customers an immersive, interactive, and comprehensive understanding of products. This technology has revolutionized how consumers shop online, making it more engaging and personalized.

The top eight types of product views facilitated by 3D images - provide a detailed product perspective. This helps reduce purchase uncertainties and increase consumer confidence, leading to higher conversion and lower return rates.

In an increasingly competitive e-commerce landscape, embracing 3D product visualization can give businesses a significant edge. Embracing 3D product visualization can provide that much-needed competitive edge. 

Contact the PIXREADY team to leverage the power of 3D product visualization and make your mark in the world of e-commerce. Let’s transform your online store together and create unparalleled shopping experiences for your customers.

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