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What’s all the hype around 360 product photography?
The increased complexity of online selling and technical innovation has only made it more difficult for brands to stand out from the competition. Advancements such as animation, virtual reality, and live view, have upped the game for eCommerce and Amazon brands. While many of these new tactics to attract customers come with a hefty price and large learning curve, 360° product photography might be a great solution for any brand looking for an effective, but realistic, creative strategy.
What is it?
Trendy spin photography is taking over the typical photography business model. 360° product photography is a set of photos taken at various angles around a product, to create a video or GIF, displaying the rotating product.
The whole ordeal can be quite technical, which is why most brands typically seek out studios that are familiar with this type of deliverable. Not only does this technical media require conceptual knowledge, the equipment, software, and technical expertise might be much more than one person would want to take on themselves.
How is it Used?
360° videos are becoming more and more prevalent in a consumer’s life. Whether on a computer, phone, or TV screen, spin photography is now relativity mainstream. Online marketing and creative strategies are becoming increasingly strenuous for online brands, so the more complex might not make it to your shot list. However, 360° content might be more versatile than one may think.
One of the more basic types of spin photography is classic 360° videos, showing the product fully rotating on a flat display or on-white. These shots can be used as the main shot in social media posts, by adding some text or a caption, on a quick Amazon video, to highlight some of the product’s features, or as b-roll in a long-form advertisement.
A more automated approach to spin photography is one that allows for more consumer interaction, which is often used on product pages, allowing a viewer to move the product around with their mouse or finger, to rotate at their discretion. The interaction that 360° videos allow for, enables shoppers to digitally preview a product, giving them a better sense of what it would look like in person. No matter the need, this content can be used across platforms, in different formats, and for various goals.
What are the Benefits?
Most new and creative innovation is going to get your consumer’s attention. However, 360° has more benefits than it may seem. When it comes to increasing online engagement, client curiosity, and ROI, this type of product photography is the way to go.
Product Preview
Much of online marketing now revolves around bringing the “in-person shopping experience” online. The most detailed photos and accurate shots of a product can only do so much for a potential customer. Viewers have the ability to see the item all at once, while also allowing them to preview and interact with it, giving them a better grasp of the true physicality of the product. The more that a customer knows about a product before buying it, will decrease the chances of them making a return or being unhappy with their purchase. The better informed that a customer is, the less uncertainty there is, to be had, along the way.
Social Engagement
As previously mentioned, it is becoming increasingly challenging to capture the attention of an audience, especially when there is more competition for online brands, than ever before. 360° product photography is an easy way to create visually stimulating content for your consumers. These videos and GIFs are a great technique to use when there is a need for an increase in social engagement or content interaction.
Return on Investment
Not only do confident customers mean less money being spent on shipping and customer service amends, but 360° is usually worth it monetarily in many other aspects.
OmniVirt is spin photography and VR-focused company that has been committed to understanding the differences in value between 3D and 2D creatives. The results of their research have shown how valuable emerging technology can be to the eCommerce world. Their data collection was focused on ROI and the use of 3D and 360° in advertising and the results confirmed that 360° video and photo outperform 2D across all metrics.
While professional 360° product photography may require more resources, the efforts can really make a difference. The increase in exposure, engagement, and sales have the ability to pay off much quicker than normal 2D ads. The idea may seem out of the box at first, easy to push to the sidelines, or written at the bottom of a to-do list. However, companies hopping on board now are seeing real results and helping brands reach their goals quicker than ever before.
