3D commerce is an immersive technology designed to enhance the online shopping experience. It is the optimal online “try before you buy” option. Since 75% of shoppers say their biggest misgiving about making an online purchase is the inability to try a product, or see how it fits on them on or into their space, the more immersive you can make their experience, the more trust the customer will develop and the higher your conversion rate will be — and as a result your revenue from online sales will increase!
What Is 3D Commerce?
3D commerce and augmented-reality ecommerce use cloud-based solutions to turn any image into a 3D model that can be layered onto a real-world environment (in the case of augmented reality) or viewed in 360 degrees to get a better feel for the product’s attributes. 3D commerce helps online shoppers:
- Envision items such as clothing or accessories on their body or face
- Place furniture within a room to get a feel for the look and actual size
- Explore product features from every angle, just as shoppers could in a brick-and-mortar store
Who Can Use 3D Commerce?
Any industry where the look, size, and details of a product can help a consumer make a buying decision can benefit from 3D commerce. The technology lends itself especially well to:
- Furniture and home decor
- Beauty products, such as makeup and hair color
- Fashion, including clothing,accessories and jewelry
- Consumer electronics
For instance, you might want to see how a lamp will look on your end table, or even how a new TV might fit with your wall decor. And you definitely would want to explore the cut of a pair of jeans before making an online purchase. 3D commerce enables customers to make informed buying decisions.
Brands should take care not to simply promote their most popular product using 3D and augmented-reality ecommerce technology. Instead, they should think about entire product lines and project which products will benefit most from being seen from every angle or in a personalized setting that can help customers make their decision.
What Are the Benefits of 3D Commerce?
The most obvious benefit of 3D commerce to etailers is increased sales from website visitors. ZDNet.com reports that putting a 3D configurator on a website can increase a brand’s conversion rate by 30%. Besides increasing sales from website visitors, 3D commerce has many other financial benefits. It can reduce the rate of returns by as much as 50%, since buyers can be more confident in their purchases.
3D commerce can result in upsells when you combine it with relevant, technology-driven product suggestions — and then show online shoppers how the two products may work well together in their space. Beyond the immediate financial benefits and return on investment that 3D commerce offers, it can also help build brand loyalty. A recent Harris Poll showed that 60% of shoppers want to see products in AR and 3D before making an online purchase.
Additionally, 3D assets can be used as the basis for promotional photography, in some cases replacing the expenditure and waste of traditional photoshoots and allowing brands to begin marketing products earlier and more efficiently than ever before. These assets can also be used in new immersive ad units such as Google Swirl or for social commerce in a Snap Lense.
A Brief History of 3D Commerce
The first examples of 3D modeling occurred in the 1960s, primarily for architects to design building plans in multiple dimensions, helping their clients better visualize the space. By the 1980s, computer-aided design (CAD) software had become a bestseller. Coupled with the introduction of IBM’s personal computers, the rise of CAD software made it possible for people with an interest in art and design, as well as businesses in automotive, aerospace, and other industries to create 3D models.
Today, it’s easier than ever to create 3D models of merchandise from photos, making 3D commerce accessible to ecommerce retailers of virtually every size. 3D modeling has evolved to include augmented-reality functionality, giving rise to the immersive commerce experiences that are in demand today.
The Future of 3D Commerce
Experts are calling 2022 the year that 3D commerce and augmented reality for ecommerce to cash in, enabling customers to feel more comfortable choosing online shopping over a traditional brick-and-mortar experience. The ability to transform 2D photographs into 3D imagery and immersive content suitable for augmented-reality settings makes it easier for even small etailers to compete with larger ones in terms of consumer experience. As 3D commerce technology becomes easier to use and more intricate in detail, it will become the expectation for online shoppers.
When that happens, you’ll want to be on the cutting edge, with a vast library of 3D images on your website and be ready to move to the next level of immersive shopping. Hexa is here to help you get started.
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