As important as first impressions, product imagery is an essential part of powering digital retail sales. And yet, for the longest time, an alternative to expensive product photography did not exist.

Thanks to advances in 3D technology, retailers are discovering that not only is there another option when it comes to providing product visuals, but that for certain things 3D is, in many ways, also a better choice.

Until now, big-name brands such as IKEA, Nike, and Apple have been leading the transition from product photography to high-quality 3D renders. But with customers now calling for more immersive product experiences as 3D and AR enter the mainstream, will 2022 be the year that others follow suit and make the great switch to 3D?

The Changing Role of Product Imagery in Digital Retail

The Covid-19 pandemic changed a lot of things about life as we know it. Among all the changes, more people were introduced to online shopping and many more started doing it more frequently. As a result, eCommerce sales in 2020 grew by a record 32% in the US compared to the previous year, likely hastening the shift towards eCommerce by around five years. 

Once seen as a threat and replacement for the high-street, digital retail is now in the midst of a grand repositioning. With the introduction of social commerce, live streaming, apps, QR codes, and other innovations, not only is eCommerce now regarded as a complement to traditional retail, but the very definition of online shopping is also expanding as the number of channels grows. 

Retailers are having to adapt their strategies just to keep up. And that includes adjusting the type of content that is created in line with customer expectations and channel suitability. As the number of images that the average online shopper expects to see has jumped from 3 to 8 images per product, so have the costs of product visualization. 

Although a single photoshoot can cost many times what the product itself is worth, the expense is often justified as one of the most important factors driving purchasing decisions. Except, as people are now spending even more time online, shoppers don't want to be inundated with thousands of static images. In response, retailers are starting to look beyond 2D product imagery and rethinking both the online and in-store customer experience. 

The pandemic also caught a lot of retailers off-guard. Those that did not invest enough in building up strong product pages and conversion-optimized websites no doubt experienced poor results and abandoned carts. Not to mention, a huge proportion of products purchased online is sent back. In 2020 alone, consumers returned $428 billion worth in products at an estimated cost of $101 billion to the industry. 

In search of solutions, retailers are discovering the impact that technologies like 3D and augmented reality (AR) can have on improving returns. In partnership with 3D companies like ARsenal by CGTrader, furniture and fashion brands, for example, are finding that interactive product visuals perform much better than static images. The ability to examine products in greater detail and even visualize them in their own environment enables customers to shop with greater confidence leading to more conversions and fewer returns.

The Great Switch to 3D Product Visualization

Driven by these changes, a major shift towards 3D in product visualization is gaining speed. Speaking about these shifts, Dalia Lasaite, CEO and Co-Founder at CGTrader explains: 

"Traditional photography – in person shoots with a set and a photographer – is something people know and understand, but as the technology and AI evolves and more digital artists come on board, 3D product visualization is the natural successor to traditional photography and looks set to hold the future of imagery for online retailers."

Not only is 3D a lot more cost-effective, on average 6x times cheaper than traditional photography, but it also carries many more benefits for both customers and retailers compared to traditional photography. 

For retailers, 3D is a lot more versatile than photography, as you only need to create a 3D model once, and from there, it's easy to change colors and textures, or swap products in and out of different lifestyle scenes for each new season. Importantly, it gives the ability to create infinite marketing materials without ever shipping a single product. The digital format of 3D models is suitable for usage across all marketing channels, from social media to print, and for taking advantage of the new 3D ads. 

For customers, 3D product visualization gives greater confidence and control when shopping online through the ability to interact and visualize products almost as they would in-store. And as customers get used to their new superpowers, like the shift from keypads to touchscreens, retailers who fail to adapt will no longer cut it in an increasingly competitive digital space.