• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Blogs » Think Tank » Why Brands and Retailers Are Opting for 3-D E-Commerce

Think Tank
Think Tank RSS FeedRSS

Why Brands and Retailers Are Opting for 3-D E-Commerce

Why Brands and Retailers Are Opting for 3-D E-Commerce
July 25, 2020
Tom Connard, SCB Contributor

Product manufacturers, e-tailers and traditional brick-and-mortar stores alike are leading an emerging generation of e-commerce and web experiences built with 3-D visualization technologies. A growing number of these companies — like Apple, Amazon, Walmart and more — understand their e-commerce sites are becoming the primary vehicles for engaging with consumers.

The research firm eMarketer predicts e-commerce sales will jump 18% this year. The pandemic's impact on bricks-and-mortar retail outlets will be devastating: It will take up to five years for offline sales to return to pre-pandemic levels. 

Yes, the pandemic-imposed lockdowns and business closures have forced people to do the bulk of their shopping for essential and non-essential goods online. But this is not a new trend. Digital Commerce reports that online's share of total retail sales reached 16% in 2019 — up from 14.4% in 2018 and 13.2% in 2017. 

"Those numbers represent a massive acceleration in the shift of retail from in-store to online," writes The Motley Fool's Adam Levy. "Retailers that are unable to adapt to online commerce — more likely, those that haven't already — will get left behind as more shopping moves online." 

As the pandemic forces retailers to embrace online commerce, it's also prohibiting manufacturers from releasing their new products. Trade shows, flashy launch events, and other in-person gatherings have been canceled. Product marketers have had to postpone or cancel 2-D photography sessions, hampering the development of new sales and marketing collateral. Supply chains have ground to a halt, and the vision for the industry's near future remains cloudy as infection rates spike in several states. 

However, the crisis also presents product manufacturers and their retail partners with the opportunity to use 3-D visualization technologies to overcome these challenges and modernize their e-commerce strategies. 

Consider just how tedious and time-consuming the process of creating 2-D images is, especially when working with multiple variations of one product to reflect options like different colors, sizes, and materials. The manufacturer must supply various products or build individual prototypes. The photographer must capture images of all those variations, often in multiple scenes (e.g., the kitchen, living room, the office, etc.). The marketing team must maintain enormous image libraries to meet their retail partners' requirements for images in various formats and standards that are challenging to track.

The pandemic has not impacted the production of 3-D assets. Most 3-D providers are seeing a surge in new business as manufacturers realize they can quickly realize the benefits 3-D offers, including lower marketing costs while driving sales, improving customer service before and after purchase, and maintaining strong retail partner relationships. 

A common question for manufacturers is whether they should build up their in-house capabilities or work with a 3-D strategy partner. Both are viable options as the technology has become more widely accessible that does not require an organization to hire additional personnel or make significant investments in new technologies. 

Every organization is unique, but a good recommendation for a first step is to work with an outsource partner with expertise in the broad field of 3-D to speed adoption and enable the marketing team to focus on priority projects and achieving campaign goals. 

Once a company starts to build a 3-D content library, it may decide to hire one person or a small team to manage the creation of new content — just as they likely do now with 2-D photography sessions. Eventually, the internal team can assume responsibility for managing 3-D vendors, assessing technology changes, managing asset libraries, and finding ways to maximize 3-D asset value across various departments.

While evaluating potential 3-D strategic partners, here are some key capabilities to insist on:

  • Asset ownership. The brand's marketing team — not the vendor — should own all 3-D assets and 2-D images produced from it. This ensures that once 3-D models are created and applied to a specific campaign, brands can continue to extract value from them. 
  • File storage and management tools. Marketing teams must have the ability to upload their existing 3-D assets to an online repository, and anytime, anywhere access to those assets.
  • Ease of use. Brands should be able to generate effects like 360-degree spinners, use mini-configurators, and create augmented reality experiences with the click of a button.
  • 3-D configurators. These can show variations of a product that traditional photography cannot. The technology is proven to deliver a minimum 10% increase in sales compared to conventional methods, which translates to recouping the initial investment within 3-6 months, depending on the product. Compare that to traditional CPQ (configure price quote) systems that are complicated to integrate and do not help generate excitement among consumers for a product.

Brands and retailers that are not incorporating 3-D technology into their e-commerce strategies are already falling behind. Consumers won't be satisfied with scrolling through static 2-D product images — they want to view a product from all angles, up close and far away, and see what it looks like in customized scenes and environments. At a time when marketing budgets have been cut and uncertainty reigns, investing in 3-D today will not only help a brand survive the pandemic. It will gain a significant competitive advantage in the long-term.

Tom Connard is co-founder and chief operating officer of 3D Source.

Technology E-Commerce/Omni-Channel High-Tech/Electronics Retail

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • karen-jones.jpg

    Watch: Four Industry Disrupters Impacting Logistics

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • THE SPACE AROUND A COMPUTER KEYBOARD IS CLUSTERED WITH IMAGES GENERIC SHIPPING BOXES

    How Suppliers Can Overcome E-Commerce Supply Chain Challenges

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • A CSX TRAIN IS SEEN FROM THE FRONT

    CSX’s New CEO Has a Big Idea for Railroads: Carry More Freight

    Rail & Intermodal
  • A ROBOT ARM AND A HUMAN ARM ALMOST TOUCH FINGERS

    AI + SCM: A Formula for Automation and Optimization

    Supply Chain Planning & Optimization
  • A SEATED PERSON HOLDS A SMARTPHONE, SHOPPING

    Retail Consumer Data: The Key to Personalization, or Privacy Violation?

    Regulation & Compliance

Digital Edition

Scb q1 2023 cover

2023 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide: Packing for a Difficult Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Holman Logistics Honeywell Intelligrated
IFM Infor Inmar
Keelvar Kinaxis Korber
Lean Solutions Group 2H Liberty SBF Locus Robotics
Logility LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems
MCA Connect MPO Nvidia
Old Dominion OpenText ORTEC
Overhaul Parsyl PMMI
QIMA Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash
Saddle Creek Logistics Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG
Ship4WD Shipwell Shyft
Sourcemap Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing