More than ever before, we have the ability to create experiences for our customers that not only solve their immediate problems but also leave them feeling delighted by the process.
We have that ability, but not all companies are yet creating delightful and highly engaging shopping experiences. So this is a moment of opportunity. This is the time when brand owners get to choose whether they will lead or follow in their industry. Whether they will set the standard for an excellent customer experience — which involves interactive digital shopping and zero surprises upon delivery — or struggle down the road to catch up with their competitors.
We can either define what our space will look like moving forward or let someone else do it and end up adapting to their vision. Those who choose to lead by creating the kind of immersive, engaging experiences 360-degree images allow can enjoy higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, resulting in stronger sales.
Better Explain Products & Reduce Returns
Maybe the most compelling reason to add 360-degree images to a website is to communicate more clearly than any product description can.
Customers and clients can manipulate images to see what they look like from every angle, which means there are no surprises when they open their order shipment. The differences between similar packages are subtle (for example, round jars and oblong jars); with 360-degree images, customers can see that difference and understand products in a way that just wasn’t possible with traditional two-dimensional images.
Using 360-degree images lets shoppers know what to expect when they receive a shipment from us — no surprises. Crucially, this can help reduce product returns as well as drive customer satisfaction.
Demonstrate Experience and Expertise
Given that the majority of B2B buyers leans heavily on web-based content during the research process, brands that want to win buyers over must have content that communicates their products’ quality, illustrates their function, and offers insight into potential applications.
Marketing teams can lean on both interactive spinning images and the many stills used to create those spins to create everything from compelling web content to engaging social media posts to emails that drive conversions.
In other words, armed with 360-degree spins, brands can ensure they portray a professional, sophisticated product experience even for business owners whose customers encounter them unmediated by a sales rep.
And while B2B buyers may be engaging with web content more than ever, there’s no evidence that sales reps are becoming obsolete. In fact, having 360-degree images lets salespeople be more effective by making them better able to demonstrate our capabilities and illustrate success stories.
Instead of the time-consuming process of shipping samples to prospective customers, sales reps can instead share 360-degree images of your products, which gives customers an instant understanding of a product’s look and feel.
Again, this means no surprises for customers: From the very beginning of their engagement with your products, they will know exactly what each item looks like and how it can enable their success.
Increase Web Traffic & Conversions
Since adding 360-degree images to the TricorBraun website, there has been a significant increase in web traffic and online sales. That’s likely because about 27% of all Google searches in 2017 were specifically for image results. More recently, Google has started serving more image results for all kinds of searches.
In the future, many analysts expect that “visual search” — searching based on an image you capture with your phone’s camera — will become much more popular. Which means that, in order to be found, your website must contain multiple images of the product potential customers are searching for.
Because someone can snap an image of your product at any angle, having 360-degree photographs on your site uniquely positions you to succeed as search engines and search behavior continue to evolve.
What’s more, the technology needed to showcase 360-degree spins is lightweight and relatively easy to install and use on various platforms. This means it won’t affect page load speed, which is crucial for keeping the interest of mobile visitors.
TricorBraun is a global packaging leader providing innovative solutions across a wide array of customer end markets in plastic and glass containers, closures, dispensers, tubes and flexibles. TricorBraun operates from more than 40 locations throughout North America and around the world. TricorBraun.com snap36.com
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3 Tips on Using 360˚ Images CHOOSE A PARTNER, NOT A VENDORNew technology, like 360-degree images, is exciting. Your team will have a lot of ideas about how to use it. Choose a photography partner that will help you brainstorm and find ways to achieve what you want to achieve, rather than one that simply offers a capability or product and plans to execute on your orders. COMPARE THE COSTSCompared with traditional still photos, 360-degree photography is incredibly cost-effective. The ROI for 360s is especially high when you consider the multitude of assets, differing use cases, and increased customer satisfaction. Even more important, 360-degree images are the future of e-commerce; if you want to lead your space, you must use them. Otherwise, you become a follower. CONSIDER ALL APPLICATIONSPart of that ROI calculation should involve considering input from various stakeholders. Product photography may be handled primarily by your content team, but I recommend including leaders from product, sales, marketing, and elsewhere in the company as well. You may find many applications you never thought of that will significantly improve your ability to serve customers and sell products (and further increase your ROI), including push, pull, digital, social and more. |
