Before the internet and smartphone apps, businesses relied on print catalogs and other physical media to advertise their products, services, and brand. The digital age has completely upended this entire concept. Digital marketing enables anyone with a computer to create a website and social media presence for their business with just a few clicks.
However, more and more shoppers are turning to virtual reality as a means of visual browsing before making an actual purchase. With so many different ways to advertise your ecommerce business, it can be challenging to know where to focus your efforts. Whether you’re currently working to grow an existing online store or planning to launch one soon, there are several uses for virtual and augmented reality in ecommerce that might work for you. Here are five ways that 3D ecommerce can help your ecommerce business thrive in today’s digital landscape.
3D Product Imaging
A 3D product image can help potential customers get a closer look at the actual product that they’re thinking of buying. This is helpful if you sell items that are too large or fragile to ship or if you’re trying to sell an experience that can’t really be purchased. 3D imaging is also a great way to showcase items that are available in a limited quantity and otherwise difficult to find or purchase.
A good example of the practical uses for 3D image technology would be an ecommerce business that specializes in rare books. It would be nearly impossible to ship these items and make a profit on them, so you’d want to focus on showcasing them in a virtual way.
Virtual Environment Showrooms
For businesses that sell higher-end items, virtual shopping environments can be a great way to showcase your products. Sears has been using a virtual showroom to sell their Craftsman brand of tools, and several other businesses have followed suit. A showroom website allows customers to browse through your products as if they were in a shop. They can try out products, examine them more closely, and interact with them as if they were actually there. This enables shoppers to purchase items from anywhere in the world as long as they have access to the internet. A virtual shopping environment offers many advantages for both your business and your customers.
Virtual Object Tracking
Augmented reality allows you to place virtual items into a real-world setting that shoppers can view through their mobile devices. You can then have the app track their movements and adjust the virtual content based on their position in the room. This could be useful for, say, a furniture store that wants to show customers how a new couch would look in their living room.
By requiring shoppers to install a mobile app, you could also encourage them to engage with your brand on a regular basis. Moreover, this app could include additional content, such as tips on how to style a living room, which would help to put your business in the forefront of your customers’ minds on a regular basis.
Augmented Environment Display
Augmented reality can also be used in a stationary environment to display virtual images and information. This is often seen at exhibitions, trade shows, and other events. Shoppers can view products or receive information on upcoming events that they might not otherwise have access to. This is useful for businesses that regularly host events or have a product line that would be difficult to ship.
For example, an ecommerce business that produces surfboards could use an augmented environment to show surfboards in any part of the world as though they were actually there. Additionally, they could use augmented reality to display surf conditions and upcoming surf events in different locations.
360 Degree Video Marketing
Whether you’re using virtual reality or augmented reality, you can also use 360 degree video to show your products and services in action. This is helpful for products or services that wouldn’t be easy to demonstrate in a written product description.
One example is a real estate company that wants to advertise properties to potential buyers. Real estate properties are unique and vary widely, making them difficult to describe in a written advertisement. Video also enables you to host your content on third-party websites, including social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. This helps to increase the reach of your advertisements, with the added bonus of letting you segment your target audience based on the device they’re using.
Conclusion
Using 3D ecommerce in your ecommerce business has a number of advantages. It allows you to showcase products in a way that is easier for customers to understand than text alone. It can also help you showcase items that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to sell.
Keep in mind, though, that 3D technology is not for every business. You should have a clear idea of the products or services that you want to highlight, and then consider the ways in which 3D technology can help you to achieve this. If you’re unsure about which approach would work best for your company, you can also consider hiring an outside marketing agency for assistance.