One buzzword (coined back in 2013) didn’t really take off as expected. Almost ten years ago, the phrase “me-commerce” appeared in the lexicon of consulting firms like McKinsey.
Back then, the idea of me-commerce seemed impossible to achieve. A shopper would choose a dress from her closet to wear to a party. She would then create an augmented reality image of her wearing it. Finally, she could browse through different pairs of shoes from a retailer with photorealistic renderings to see if it matches her outfit. Once she finds the pair she likes, she completes the purchase on her mobile phone.
The integration of algorithms, databases, personalization engines, and visualization technologies required to provide this shopping experience seemed decades away.
Luckily, we no longer live in that primitive world.
Today, photorealistic renderings are everywhere. Technology has come a long way since the humble beginnings of the first 3D CGI movie in 1973. Retailers now have the power to create photorealistic renderings online to help sell their products.
The technological landscape envisioned back then is already prominently featured on ecommerce sites for brands like Louis Vuitton, Ray-Ban, and Ralph Lauren.
However, what is photorealistic rendering, and how can it help you sell products online? Let’s take a closer look.
Photorealistic rendering allows brands to create images of products that are near to reality. So near, the products are often indistinguishable from the real item. Behind the scenes, many components make it possible to create photorealistic visualizations, but the technology is now part of most browsers available on mobile phones and computers.
Just look at the Fender Mod Shop.
Here, customers can see full photorealistic renderings of customizable guitars. Not only can they see exactly how the guitar looks in 3D, but they can also interact with the image by rotating, zooming, and flipping the rendering.
If you play around on Fender’s custom guitar ecommerce site, you’ll quickly see just how powerful photorealistic renderings can be for your brand.
Using a 3D CAD model and the latest WebGL engine in browsers, any brand can now create complete, photorealistic visualizations of their products.
Brands that want to create photorealistic renders of their products will need a 3D model of the item.
The 3D model (or dataset) usually forms part of the product design, so you should have it available. You then use software to create a product rendering by incorporating realistic effects like lighting, backgrounds, textures, and colors.
On the customer’s side, the image appears in a browser using the WebGL (Web Graphics Library) standard in full, photorealistic luster.
In the past, each “view” of the product required a different render. Now, with the help of WebGL and the generic 3D polygons, customers can interact with the 3D model to view the product from any angle.
Because the textures, colors, and lighting are part of the rendering, the image is available in full 3D and interactive. Photorealistic visualizations are helping today’s brands to bridge the digital and physical divide.
3D photorealistic renderings open up a whole new world of opportunities for brands. For one, the promised “me-commerce” revolution is now at your fingertips.
Consumers want interactive shopping experiences with all the convenience modern technology offers. Photorealistic renderings provide brands with the ability to give consumers the four Ps of customer behavior:
By giving customers these four Ps, brands can create loyal customers with engaging, immersive shopping experiences. Combining product personalization, photorealistic visualization, and augmented reality technologies is the future for brands that want to boost sales and increase product appeal.
Investments in concepts like the “Metaverse” show that ecommerce, technology, and customer psychologies are changing fast. What these future shopping experiences will look like will depend on photorealistic rendering and augmented reality technologies.
More than two-thirds of customers already expect to use virtual technologies to investigate products over the coming years.
Brands that embrace these technologies can:
ConfigureID is a product personalization platform that enables you to create immersive, engaging, and personalized shopping experiences online. The technologies available make it possible to create photorealistic, interactive renderings of your products and deploy these visuals across any device.
With the product personalization features, customers can express themselves and see the effects of the changes they make to items in real-time. Not only can customers view products in 3D, but the augmented reality features available from ConfigureID can close the gap between your brand and your customer’s worlds.
There has never been a better way to design engaging shopping experiences for online customers. Brands that want to stand out from their competitors have to stay ahead of the curve, and photorealistic renderings are essential for all future product visualizations.
The world’s leading brands trust ConfigureID with their product visualization, customization, and augmented reality shopping experiences. An intuitive user interface makes it easy for shoppers to modify items, interact with the visuals, and share their creations on social media.
With greater engagement, easy personalization, and engaging visuals, brands can boost online sales and increase average order values. As the future of shopping moves online, you should start using 3D photorealistic renderings for all your products today.
You can start creating photorealistic renderings online for your products by booking a demo from ConfigureID here.
