A recent survey we conducted revealed that 88% of shoppers said high-quality product imagery is important when making an online purchase. We also found that product image capabilities increase consumers’ confidence in purchase decisions.

So how are retailers adapting their visual content strategy to reach increasing expectations? According to our recent findings from an independent research report in partnership with Dimensional Research, retail executives understand how crucial images are to driving customer engagement. With rising standards and a faster-paced environment, the pressure to meet business goals is mounting. However, 96% report facing challenges in creating product images.

Below, dive into the top challenges retailers are facing and how they’re turning to 3D and CGI technology to realize their product visualization strategies.

Retailers struggle to deliver effective product visuals

Traditional photography still poses a variety of challenges for almost all retailers.

Budget

Despite 86% of respondents having an annual photography budget of over $500k, and 27%  having an annual budget of over $1 million, 68% report often going over budget on photo shoots.

Speed to market

The average retailer used to release two collections per year. These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a retailer that has so few releases. Creative teams are feeling the impact of this. 55% said products change rapidly, and images quickly become obsolete.

Scale

Website imagery is just the beginning. Retailers expect creative teams to produce images for multiple social media platforms, email, print, and out-of-home advertising. 39% reported difficulty producing enough image options across all channels.

3D visuals offer a solution…

Combine the limitations of traditional photography with rising consumer expectations, and it becomes clear why retailers are looking to CGI and 3D imagery to augment their product visual capabilities. 87% see CGI and 3D image creation as necessary technologies to deliver their product visualization strategy.

With the increased ability to produce photorealistic images at scale, retailers are increasingly confident that CGI and 3D imagery can improve their online sales. 91% agree that great imagery has a clear positive impact across performance metrics.

With this confidence, adoption is poised to flourish in 2023. Today, 38% report they are currently using CGI “extensively”, and 52% plan to invest in next-generation product imagery in 2023.

…and are expected to fuel top and bottom-line business performance

The independent research supports retailers’ confidence, showing far-reaching advantages in the move away from traditional photography to next-generation CGI and 3D imagery, including increased purchase conversion rates (57%), lower image creation costs (40%), and scale of imagery per product (40%).

The benefits of CGI and 3D imagery are magnified for furniture retailers, for whom enough high-quality product images for each SKU is particularly crucial. The impact of rapidly scaling visual production while staying within budget is augmented by increasing sales and average order volume, while minimizing returns.

Nfinite customers have experienced firsthand the power and benefits of CGI, reporting up to an 85% decrease in visual budget and up to a 28% increase in website engagement.

Learn more about how Nfinite can help you overcome your visualization challenges.