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Breaking Down the Price of 360 Video for eCommerce Brands

What’s the Cost?

Behind the most perfect marketing campaigns, there will still be someone asking “but what will it cost?” Hesitation still remains in marketing decisions when it comes to media planning and visual branding, even with the chokehold that visual content continues to have on society. One of the largest up-and-coming media formats for online brands is 360 product photography. These multimedia beasts are becoming some of the most versatile and innovative endeavors of the AR and VR marketing industry. While seemingly complex and untouchable, we made sure to unpack the basics of 360 media content in our article found here.

The benefits of 360 product photography certainly outweigh the drawbacks. However, as many companies remain on the brink of choosing this technology, we decided to break down the realistic options that brands may come across in their decision-making.

What Are the Options?

360 photography and video is spread across multiple different facets of the online world. Whether 360 media is needed to better serve customers, to help brands with social content, or to create a new AR platform, the possibilities are vast…but the prices are as well.

Software for Purchase

One route to creating 360 media is through automated software. The technology can be purchased by a company to be used to automate images or videos already taken for 360 formats. These types of software range in price and levels of technical difficulty. Unless a company is quite tech-savvy and is capable of creating its own 360 images for automation, this may not be the most realistic option. However, if interested in having complete control of the capabilities and imagery of a company, this could be a great option.

Some 360 Software to check out:

Price: $33/per month

The concept of “virtual tours” has been skyrocketing since 2020. These tours are used frequently in industries such as real estate, car sales, and construction. With full 360 and VR capabilities, CloudPano includes a multitude of features like customized branding, embedded links, and website domain, all with no coding required.

Price: $495/year

Fusion 360 is a platform specialized in 3D product models but includes features such as 3D animation and design, which are great for bringing any object to life.

Price: $349.99 per month for businesses

With various products ranging from a 3D scanner to 3D app creation for businesses, Cappasity’s software seems to do it ALL. Their technology consists of their own SaaS platform, as well as a “client-based Easy 3D Scan software for 3D creation.” Their focus on e-comm brands and website development proves their commitment to easy and adaptable 360 creations.

Media Companies

Not looking to take on a hefty project? There are also companies that specialize in 360 that will do the work for their clients. These companies create 360 media with a variety of uses, including product virtualization, rotating product views, or 360 product videos. While VR and AR media is still relatively new in the grand scheme of technology, there are companies that can assist in the creation of 360 imagery.

Some 360 Software to check out:

Price: (Ranges based on company need)

The 3D technology of Emersya has been used by several big-name companies such as Kitchen Aid, BIC, and Billabong. Whether you are looking for product design, advanced 3D product experiences, interactive AR, or complete 3D web customization, they have it covered. For brand-specific customization, Emersya can take the reigns and create a fully interactive experience for any brand and its customers.

Price: (Ranges based on company need)

Focused on 3D product visualization, ARsenal assists companies in switching over to interactive media. Their goals are to help brands reduce return rates, drive more sales, and to innovate through 3D and AR technology. They have also managed to streamline communication with brands in order to connect on creative direction and technological needs throughout the entire process.

Product Studios

While using 360 and 3D media platforms and software companies may seem like a no-brainer, there may be a better option. Most of these companies ONLY offer specific and streamlined content possibilities. The first thought of any brand manager might be to take a 3D project on as a DIY or to go with a 360 specialized company as a safer option. However, those options will not necessarily take a company’s brand into consideration and have a limited range in the type of content they can create.

After scoping a project, sending products to be specially shot for 3D and 60 motion, and then figuring out what types of videos are needed, there will only be a few types of deliverables that could come from all of that time and effort. If a brand is looking for a broader scoped project, including 360 videos, GIFs, and product photography, a photography studio may be a better option.

Not only are there vast media possibilities, but a product photography studio has the resources, knowledge, and experience to craft 3D and 360 creatives designed specifically for a brand’s vision.

Learn more about 360 capabilities through product photography here

Just as companies were hesitant about social media and email advertising at first, 360 media seems to be going through the same social process of acceptance. However, they work and it’s only a matter of time before they take the eCommerce world by storm. Find out more about 360 product photography here.