Visual Innovation
According to Kissmetrics,
93% of consumers place visual appearance above all other factors when shopping
online. So how does this affect online retailers? Well, the same as product
placement and store layout does in bricks-and-mortar stores. As always, it is a
case of fight or flight for retailers, with global competition and
technological changes confirming the need for visual innovation on eCommerce
sites.
Emotional
Connection
It seems that online retailers
sometimes forget that people have always communicated in a visual manner,
dating as far back as the days of prehistoric cave painting.
Nowadays, we connect emotionally to
images more than video, audio or text. People make decisions and take action
quicker when prompted by images, rather than by reading a lot of text.
According to Hubspot,
90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are
processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text.
So why is there a need for a visual
revolution? It’s simple. eCommerce sites are yet to perfect the art of visual
display as well as physical stores have, and now there is a generation
demanding it.
Visual Revolution
The demographic ranging from ages 18-34, are the driving force behind the
visual revolution that is and must take place in eCommerce. This key demographic is part of a new
‘visual generation’ that is driven even more so than the generations before
them by visual imagery. We all know how the saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words.
This could not be truer in today’s society where images have become even more
popular reinforced by the ability to take and share photos with smartphone
cameras. WeSEE report that 40% of consumers aged 35
and under have used their mobile devices to take photographs of products
in-store that they wish to purchase later on. Why wouldn’t online retailers
quickly encourage and even influence this behaviour?
The visual generation readily adopt
new shopping technologies but they are hungry for more to further enable their
online and mobile shopping. Research confirms that at least 40% of young consumers
expect a richer visual experience while shopping online. These shoppers are not
only more visual in their web usage, but it is a part of their inherent nature
to share their shopping and purchasing ideas with friends, hence the demand for
greater visual technologies in eCommerce.
Visual Technologies
If you want to make your site more
appealing to shoppers, the time is now to put your visual foot first. Here are
some technologies that allow online retailers to engage and delight the visual
generation.
Interactive display’s such as Show.
See. Sold. powered by thereitis, help shoppers browse an entire
collection finding items that catch their eye, while increasing time on site,
conversion and average spend for online stores. Online shoppers can spin, zoom
and click through items delivering a more immersive interactive experience.
Zoom technologies like Magic
Toolbox allow online
retailers to showcase their products up-close in stunning detail, providing a
rich visual experience for site visitors that is second only to physically
viewing the product.
With Visual Shopping Engine’s like PicCommerce,
customers can visually search online stores by colour and shape, meaning that
shoppers can enjoy a shopping experience closer to the sophisticated outfit
matching and color coordination experiences that happen when shopping in the real
world.
Now over to you. What will you be
doing to target the visual generation? Leave us a comment and let us know your
thoughts.
Author Bio
Shaylee Rogers is the Marketing
Coordinator for thereitis Show. See. Sold.