However, even with the tragedies that continue to ravage our planet, it seems that a sliver of a silver lining is keen on keeping select others in good spirits. 

Though COVID-19 negatively impacted many businesses, some industries were able to take advantage of lockdowns and 6 feet distance requirements. The eCommerce industry may have been the biggest beneficiary, as eCommerce sales increased by over 43% within the first year of covid. 

With an increased demand for stores accessible at your fingertips and guidelines restricting gatherings, An already expanding service was sought out with vigor. 

We’re talking Virtual Photography. 

How has Virtual Photography impacted businesses?

Using CGI to create virtual representations of products, placed in settings and with different configurations, changed- not only how businesses were able to market. But also their ability to rapidly increase revenue with low initial costs. Enabling risk-free preorders, advancing focus groups to test customer sentiment, lowering marketing costs, and creating engagement with interactive scenes. A way to test, showcase, customize, and reuse, meeting all the needs at an affordable price. 

With another recession firmly gripping the economy. And inflation driving up everything from Rent to Gas; everyone is looking for an out. Or rather, an In. A way into the eCommerce industry. Many businesses had already switched their operations to being online during the pandemic. And when the world was resuming some semblance of normalcy, began to reopen their physical storefront. 

However, that was short-lived. 

Post-pandemic costs had skyrocketed, leaving businesses with much higher advertising and marketing costs that led to higher product costs to offset the increased expenditure. It became quickly apparent that the customer was suffering, and if the customers suffer, then so does your business. 

Virtual Photography is king. It has proven to be cost-effective, fast, and reusable. And a service that works alongside your brand strategy to maximize your business’s success. 

And as many businesses have found, moving operations online effectively keeps and expands their customer base, all while having a reasonable budget and materials that continue to work for them in a variety of settings and situations. 

The world is continuously growing into a system that values technology and accessibility. And with eCommerce being dependent on these features, you shouldn’t get left behind. 

Virtual Photography Services are here to stay.

For the last decade, talented CGI artists have refined their craft. Allowing the creation of scenes and products so hyper-photorealistic that they’re indistinguishable from actual Photography. And with COVID-19, MonkeyPox, and one thing after the next threatening the concept of direct human interaction, it is safe to say that Virtual Photography has become the future. 

Learn more about Virtual Photography with Jola. 

1. Be descriptive
2. Use text
3. Optimize your images 
4. Stay on Topic
5. Build site authority
6. Be detailed
7. Update
8. Stay on trend

Targeted Page Titles

When building your Website, be sure to have descriptive, targeted Page Titles. Put different services, products, and topics on separate pages. Why? Because having a clear, targeted topic helps search engines identify your content and the related information on each page. It’s the first line of defense used to Optimize your content.

Use Text

Video, gifs, and audio are excellent additions to your Website; they show your versatility and your ability to utilize different kinds of media to communicate with your audience. However, too much of a good thing can be bad! Search engines can’t recognize the content in videos. So be sure to add the necessary text that states and describes the topic of your content. 

Optimize images 

No website consists of only text. And the truth is, your images can work for you just as hard as your copy does. You just need to Optimize! Compress your images, use alt-text, add captions, and of course, use relevant images.

Stay on Topic

Using unnecessary descriptive words to fill space can negatively impact your Website. Instead, you should ditch the fluff! Stay on topic with all of your Website’s copy. Whether for blog posts, the about us page, or product and service descriptions, always be direct with your information. 

Build Site authority

99.7% of websites don’t appear in the first five pages of a google search for an unbranded keyword. And that’s because they lack Site authority which refers to the number of backlinks that your Website has. Backlinks tell search engines that your Website is an excellent place to go for certain information. A great way to get backlinks would be to Guest blog, blog, and build relationships with websites that have a high site authority, meaning they rank within the first three pages of a google search.

Be Detailed

 Establishing your expertise on a specific topic is best to become a high-ranked thought leader on search engines. 

Update!

Search engines show users the most relevant, recently available information on the topic they’re searching for. That’s why it’s important to make consistent updates to your Website’s content, namely your blog! Revising old blog posts and updating them with new information and publish dates tells search engines that your content is relevant, recent, and up to date. 

Stay on trend

Seasons change, and so do your deals, discounts, seasonal offers, and articles. Be clear about featuring the items you have available in the right season.

Written by Teace Findlay

Designing quality virtual photography scenes takes time, dedication, patience, and most importantly, a deep and thorough understanding of the client. 

Ana,  an Interior Designer, says that “creating a room scene is like designing any room in your home. It’s an adventure because it’s fun. However, it’s also stressful because you don’t know if it’ll turn out the way you want. And very uncertain because you don’t know if what you’ve explained to the digital artist is what you’ll see at the end.”

By taking the time to understand the client’s needs, goals, products, and who they are as a business, Ana is able to design awe-filled renders that are then turned into amazing scenes by the CGI team.

When asked how Ana establishes a working relationship with the client, she said that she meets with the client to understand what they want to achieve. 

In her words, “Generally people want a room with lots of light and open space. And of course, it should be beautiful. But then, I take a look inside the client to see what they really want or if I’m able to assist them on this journey based on what they’re looking for. And in my experience, it’s much easier to start the conversation and get into the process when they know or have a fairly good idea of what they want to see.”

Ana and I dove into some of those comments, and what I’ve learned is that most people want what they perceive to be a beautiful room; tall ceilings, lots of light, and clean spaces. However, it’s essential to dig deeper and gather the unique elements for each client to design the perfect scene. 

Inside the Process

Having those initial thoughts in mind, with an understanding of what the client is looking for, Ana broke down her process from beginning to end. 

She said, “To narrow down the design, I usually make an inspiration board which contains a lot of similar spaces to what the client expressed.”

 “From that, they pick an image that they like best. Then I create a mood board using the image the client picked. Dividing into separate details for how each individual element should be done.” 

Ana describes this as the freer part of the designing journey. Allowing her to carefully look at notes and start bringing this room scene to life. Defining the style, color scheme, product locations, and mood takes a couple of additional sessions with the client, but it’s all worth it once the client gives the go-ahead.

Ana uses Sketchup to create clay models(above) to capture the final scene’s angles and desired product placements. 

From there, the model is handed over to the CGI team and then revised by Ana upon completion. Take a look at the scene’s progression. Going from a Clay model (above) to a Photorealistic room scene (below).

Ana says, “the most important thing to remember is what the client is selling. The room you’re creating isn’t a personal space. However, the product is very personal to your client.” Ana goes on to note that “a successful scene does not look staged; it has a kick to it! Hopefully, that kick is your client’s product, and even if it isn’t, everything should sit right. Every component must be designed with your client’s products in mind. To give them the result that best suits their needs.”

Find the right team

At Jola, we’re committed to creating solutions to help your products look better and sell better. We treat all of our clients with the respect they deserve. And offer them the time and dedication necessary for each of their needs. Connect with us today to start designing your Virtual Photography scenes.

Written by Teace Findlay 

The eyes. 

Shakespeare said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. And it’s true because your eyes are the key to building desire. Engrossing yourself in a book, picking out an outfit, engaging with media, and anything else you do throughout your day. Science confirms that your eyes account for 90% of the information received by your brain, so it’s perfectly reasonable to say that your shopping experience is 90% reliant on your eyes. 

Visualization is the key to making any decision, especially when purchasing on an eCommerce website. The less you see, the more you lose interest, and it’s one of the main reasons why online businesses lose potential customers. 

Giving your customers a solution to an age-old problem is the key to securing and continuing to build their loyalty. But unfortunately, a lot of online businesses miss the mark. Taking great display pictures and having a trendy public figure as a spokesmodel is terrific, but customers undoubtedly want the full details on what they’re getting. And the best way to give them this knowledge is through Visual Configuration.

What is Visual Configuration?

Visual Configuration is the process of selecting and changing design features on a product on an eCommerce website. Simply put- customers make the changes and see them in real-time. That way, they’re able to be completely confident while having absolute control over the decision they’re making.  

A few types of software can be added to showcase the various options offered by an eCommerce business.

Why should you use Visual Configurators in your eCommerce business?

I’ve mentioned this before; Visualization.

And to take it a step further, interaction, delight, competition. Adding  Visual Configurators to your eCommerce business can benefit you in more ways than one. Quite notably with a definitive increase in customer retention and online sales. 

The harsh truth of having an eCommerce business is that you’re unable to take photos for all or, at times, any of your products. And that’s where Visual Configurators come in. With the software, you’re able to create digital representations of your products and all of the options available to your customers. Giving them the freedom to browse and ultimately select the option that’s best for them. 

Visual Configurators allow customers to change, reshape, customize, personalize and ultimately design a product that is uniquely theirs. Adding the key benefit of being able to see every single aspect of the changes applied right in front of them.

Which Configurator best suits your business?

With more than a decade of innovation, Configurators have come a long way. With the enhancement of bandwidth, people are browsing and consuming online information faster than ever. According to (Akaimai), bandwidth in 2009 was a mere 3.8 Mbps compared to the year 2019, which was at 96.25 Mbps on avg.  That’s an over 2000% increase. It makes sense that anything online now has higher usability than it did over ten years ago. 

This links directly to Configurators. 

Faster internet speeds mean faster loading on product renders, higher resolution images, and speedy visualization of applied changes. It’s absolutely a no-brainer why Configurators are now a dominant and ravaging force in the eCommerce industry. 

Let’s get to know some of the Configurators. 

The first is the 2D Visual Configurator.

It is the simplest and most cost-effective. It’s lightweight, has a hyper photorealistic display quality, and allows for minor changes to the product. Meaning if it’s just color/texture options that are available, the 2D configurator is the best choice. 

This Configurator comes with limitations. Businesses with an excessive range of configurable options will find that rendering costs get much higher as their number of purchasable options grows. 

With that in mind, if you’re a company that offers products with a fair range of texture options and not any notable physical modifications, then this is perfect for your business. It’ll give you the ability to focus on offering the best visuals to your customer while showing them the options you offer.

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The next is the 360 Visual Configurator. 

Though quite similar to the 2D Configurator, the 360 allows for a full 360-degree view of the product by stitching together a host of different images from different angles (minus any above or below).  This makes the product rotatable so that a customer can see all the changes they’ve made in one seamless rotation. 

However, it also cannot be animated. Meaning objects which have moveable parts cannot be manipulated. Doors on cabinets, or folding beds, for example, won’t be shown in continuous motion. Thankfully, the AR capabilities, paired with the hyper photorealistic quality, give customers a stunning and interactive experience. Thus making up for the lack of animation.

This Configurator is ideal for a business that needs its customers to understand the product features fully but doesn’t allow for shape customization. 

The final and possibly most immersive configurator is the WEB GL 3D Configurator.

It boasts the best kind of technology for businesses with products that allow for changes in shape and carries an expansive collection of options. Product combinations that can get to thousands or tens of thousands, millions even, are best built using this software since configurations are virtually limitless and will give your customers options beyond their comprehension. When using WEB GL 3D, customers can see the product with physical shape changes applied in real-time.  

And that’s not all; products that consist of moving physical parts can be animated. 

For Example:

That new bathroom cabinet that’ll be installed near a shower, your customer wants to know how far back the door goes. Well, with this Configurator, they can. Just the click of the button allows them to see the cabinet with open doors. A bonus, once they’re done applying changes to the product, they can view that cabinet where it will be ultimately placed using the AR feature, allowing them to check for a more accurate fit, as well as the color and height.  

On the reverse side, due to the reshapable features of the WEB GL 3D Configurator, it lacks the hyper photorealistic display qualities present in the Configurator mentioned earlier. 

Check out this WEB GL 3D configurator

Benefits of using Configurators

Revolutionizing modifications

Visual Configurators have revolutionized the traditional buying experience. Before, the only way to personalize a product was to go through a sales rep, working with them at a desk as they showed you the different options for an available product. And if the customer wanted modifications, it took a while to see the renders. But with Configurators, customers can skip the middle man, the wait time, and the back and forth and create the product they want on their own in little to no time. 

Increase Sales

According to Forbes, using Visual Configurators can significantly boost sales and increase conversions by up to 40%. Having a Configurator allows your customers to spend their time productively finding the option that suits their needs, which means a decrease in cart abandonment and a higher chance that your customers will make a purchase.

Buyer confidence

Which company would you choose to buy from? 

One that allows you to see the changes you’re applying to a product you’re going to buy? Or one that only allows you to see a standard product image as a representation of what you’re going to buy?

The answer? You guess.

Giving your customers the ability to visualize what they’re considering builds buyer confidence. Purchasing a large item online is often met with anxiety as it’s hard to get a good look and properly customize parts. But with a Configurator, customers can view all of their changes on the fly, giving them complete confidence over their decisions and allowing them to feel more comfortable placing their order. In the end, they’re able to build what they want and buy what they want.

Remain competitive. 

You want your customers to choose you, always. But in an ever-evolving digital world filled with like-minded competitors, Visual Configurators will keep your business ahead of the curve. Offering customers solutions in different forms ensure that they’ll seek out your business to answer their problem. And there’s more to this. By giving your customer unique solutions, they’re more likely to share their experiences with friends and family, and in turn, name your company as the one to find answers with. This word-of-mouth practice is an invaluable tool when it comes to staying ahead of the competition.

Cross-Platform Compatability

According to csoinsights.com, 70% of buyers self-serve through their phones, laptops, or tablets. Meaning they spend most, if not all of their time, making decisions on their device without the help or professional input from sales personnel.

For this reason, it’s essential to give customers the same immersive experience through a variety of devices. Allowing the same level of visualization across all device types ensures that you’re serving your customers in the way they desire, no matter what device they’re using.

These shots were taken on different devices from the same automobile customizing company 3Dtuning. However, both devices allowed for seamless modification while still maintaining quality.

Ways to implement a Configurator

Now that you have this information, how do you implement a Visual Configurator to help your business?

Should you build a Configurator? Should you find a plugin that you can add to your site that can work for your business? Those are just a few questions to get your mind pointed in the right direction. Generally, there are two main options to implementing a Configurator on your website;

    1. Pay to License and Host

This option entails paying an ongoing licensing fee to a company that will install the Configurator on your website. That’s great, considering there will be little to no additional programming necessary. However, you never technically own your assets as they’ll be hosted by the vendor. And you must continue to pay the licensing fee, which does add up over time. 

In addition, Licensing fees range depending on traffic to the configurable products, and also the number of products and options. Remember that you don’t own your code when licensing. And also you and the vendor will be partnered for life. 

     2. Pay a one-time fee

The one-time fee option allows you to design and customize a solution specific to your business requirements.  That makes it possible for you to provide the most refined solution to your customers. Though with a higher upfront cost than the licensing counterpart, those costs will be significantly lower over a short time compared to continuously paying a licensing fee. 

The most important thing about this option is that the Configurator and the assets will be owned by you. Meaning you can make any changes you deem necessary.

In the end, your goal is to provide your customers with solutions that leave them feeling satisfied. And the best way to do so is to offer them an innovative and progressive way to find what they need. 

Visual Configurators have grown, evolved, and cemented their place in the eCommerce industry; it’s time to add your business to the list that customers brag about by getting in contact with Jola Interactive, a North American leader in Business solutions through the use of Visual Configurators.