Last updated: 3D advertising: How to wow consumers and drive conversions

3D advertising: How to wow consumers and drive conversions

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The landscape of internet advertising is overwhelming. The number of ads people see every day – often upwards of 4,000 – has resulted in about a quarter of internet users using some kind of ad blocker. 

That means it’s gotten a lot harder to get consumer attention for your brand’s ads. But there’s a new type of ad on the scene that stands out amid a barrage of banners: your products, in 3D.

We know that a great CX is engaging, interactive, and customized. And in the visual world of e-commerce, that experience is shaped by what your customers see. 3D advertising leverages product visuals differently, letting you make your advertising experience – your “AX,” let’s call it – a natural extension of your CX.

Here’s why 3D ads should be part of your CX strategy.

3D advertising: An interactive experience that drives conversions

3D is compelling in e-commerce because high-quality, interactive product images boost trust, engagement, and ultimately sales:

  1. Research has shown that the more a shopper can interact with a product (e.g., zoom or rotate), the more they’ll trust the vendor.
  2. In one study, 82 percent of visitors to a product page activated the 3D view.
  3. One brand saw a 66 percent increase in engagement after offering a 3D configurator instead of a 2D solution.
  4. Shoppers who view a product in 3D are eleven times more likely to purchase than those who don’t.

Simply put, 3D is persuasive.

And all of these benefits of on-site 3D visuals can carry over into the advertising experience. Just as holding a product up-close in a store makes a shopper more confident, a photorealistic 3D rendition of that product is the next best thing: It showcases all the product details that are important in every buying decision, from size to shape to sheen, in HD. 

If you already have 3D product visuals on your website, you can use those same assets. And once you have them, you don’t need a specialist to start building your ads. 

Let shoppers customize their products within the ad with 3D configuration

Most ads on the internet, whether text, image, or video, are one-size-fits-all experiences. While aspects of the ad can be targeted based on consumer behavior, the ad itself is seen by thousands. If the product color or style displayed in that ad isn’t a shopper’s cup of tea, they’ll keep scrolling. 

3D advertising is like a choose-your-own-adventure.
It’s not only interactive in terms of zooming and rotating – it’s configurable.

A customer can play around with different product colors, shapes, or materials in real time, right within the ad, just like they’d do on your website. In other words, a customer can discover the custom features they want before they click through to your site.

Say you’re a furniture retailer. A 3D display ad of one of your sofas could include selections for all the inputs you offer, like different fabric options or add-on ottomans. This way, you don’t have to pick just one sofa configuration to advertise. You can advertise all the possible configurations, and speak to a thousand different shoppers’ personal preferences, in one single ad.

Make tailored recommendations with 3D advertising

Amp up the personalized advertising experience even more with tailored recommendations. While a targeted ad is a best guess of what a shopper might like, configurable 3D advertising lets that shopper play around with exactly what they want. 

If you already leverage targeted ads based on past purchases or website activity, consider how much more impactful a 3D recommendation might be. You might suggest a matching carpet to a customer who recently bought a set of drapes, and instead of a 2D image, they can zoom in on the pattern and material and swap in different colors.

Bring your on-site experience directly to a scrolling consumer

Think of 3D advertising as an ambassador of your on-site CX.

By giving a consumer a sample of what it’s like to shop on your site through an ad, you not only highlight the quality of that product in stunning 3D, you highlight the ease of your customer experience – something that’ll keep your brand top of mind, whether they purchase that sofa now or later.

Once your future customer lands on one of your 3D ads, the transition from ad to product page will be so seamless it’s hardly noticeable. Your ad will be, though.

Every digital moment matters.
Are you making the most of them?

1,000 business leaders dish on how to stand out from the crowd with a great CX. Get the details HERE. 

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