Table of Contents for The Future of Visual Marketing: CGI / 3D (Current Trends):
- Current topics & news about the future of visual marketing with CGI (3D)
- Research by CGtrader on the costs of classic photography vs. CGI 3D visualizations
- Why can a classic shoot be so expensive for furniture or home furnishing manufacturers?
- CGI - 3D is just a tool, and it takes more than that to create good visual marketing with CGI - 3D!
- How important is direct customer communication in CGI visualization?
- How important is Augmented Reality?
- The METAVERSE! How can companies profit from it?
Current topics & news about the future of visual marketing with CGI - 3D for furniture, home & living manufacturers
CGI has long since ceased to be the finishing touch to a project and is now the basis for scalable visual worlds. Once properly set up, a digital twin delivers content for months: campaign motifs, e-com images, detail shots, social assets. This is exactly how we build stable content ecosystems with brands - from the spatial story to the cut-out. Curious to see what that looks like? Browse through our 3D CGI projects or in the interior room visualization.
And yes: data helps. Which perspective works? Which material proximity converts? AI provides patterns, we use them to create a story. We show how we dovetail the two in 3D product visualization with AI target group analysis. In short: technology + attitude = impact.
If you'd like to watch the article as a video, check it out here:
Research by CGtrader on the costs of classic photography vs. CGI 3D visualizations
Wondering if it pays off? CGTrader has compared budgets - and lo and behold: the more variants (colors, sizes, sets) you need, the more the calculation tilts in favor of CGI. Less logistics, no weather risk, no location stress.
And one more thing: time-to-market. Change of season? New material? We rotate light, environment and material in the setup - done. You can get an overview of when 3D is particularly efficient in Digital 3D product photography vs. classic product photography. As you can see, the costs of classic shoots can sometimes explode.
Why can a classic shoot be so expensive for furniture or home furnishing manufacturers?
Production, transportation, scenery, styling, permits - and then there's the "please no rain" prayer on set. Kitchens and bathrooms in particular are expensive: heavy, complex, many trades. In CGI, there's no need for the whole set-up; time of day, weather, material finish? One click. The side effect: less transportation, less waste - you can find out why this also makes sustainable sense in Climate-neutral 3D visualizations. And if you're currently planning kitchens: this way to Kitchen visualization.
CGI - 3D is just a tool, and it takes more than that to create good visual marketing with CGI - 3D!
Let's be honest: a rendering is only as good as its foundation. CI/CD tonality, consistent PBR workflow, correctly digitized surfaces - that's the music. Technically, this means: clean UVs, coherent roughness map and normal map for microgloss, PBR parameters for realistic light control and punctual displacement for edge breaks.
Material fidelity is no coincidence: we digitize surfaces - from wood to stone to textiles - so that store, print and social speak the same look. Then the composition tells the story: stage, focus, detail. Not too much, not too little.
How important is direct customer communication in CGI visualization?
Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, PDP - every platform ticks differently. So why use the same type of image everywhere? With CGI, we create variations with the same motif: different light, different props, different framing - the brand remains, the appeal is sharpened.
Colors? Great effect, little friction. Warm = closeness, cool = clarity - always within the brand world, of course. We have explained how to use color worlds in a targeted way in Color psychology in marketing bundled together. For inspiration Shop-the-Look; the strategy provides Target group-defined visual marketing.
How important is Augmented Reality?
Next up is the topic of AR - Augmented Reality. Here, we still see good leverage for both furniture brands and online shops to let customers interact more strongly with the product and thus create a stronger bond with the brand.
What does that mean in detail? AR can increase conversion rates because the customer can interact directly with the product and try out whether the object fits into their home in terms of color, size, and style. This creates trust in the product and the brand, and accelerates the purchase.
Another important point that should not be neglected is the topic of returns. Again, if the product can already be tried out at home in real life using a smartphone or tablet, the return route can be reduced.
As a result, companies save money and the customer can be happier because they no longer have to return the product or wait for their new furniture or item. The AR model can be integrated into your online shop with a link or QR code / or in your catalogs or flyers with the QR code. Simply scan it and the customer can view the product on their smartphone or tablet, all without an extra app!
Thanks to the built-in 3D LIDAR technology, the device measures the room using points and places the product in the correct size in the room. According to a study by Vertebrae from 2020 - which specializes in AR and 3D e-commerce - conversion rates for manufacturers and online shops that use AR increased by 90% compared to those that do not.
On some Shopify product pages, 3D models as Augmented Reality have increased conversion rates by up to 250%. Let's keep in mind that AR can be a good lever for brands and online shops.
The METAVERSE! How can companies profit from it?
Speaking of virtual products in real spaces, what's the deal with Metaverse Marketing, and what opportunities might it unlock for furniture brands?
We at Danthree Studio believe that the Metaverse is something to keep an eye on. Of course, don't jump into the Metaverse if you're not already familiar with CGI (3D). That might be too much at once. Nevertheless, we at Danthree Studio are already working on what the future of the furniture industry might look like with CGI.
Let's imagine a scenario: Due to the pandemic, online meetings have become increasingly important and have established themselves. What if meetings or gatherings with friends will increasingly take place online in a few years?
We meet friends or business partners virtually and see a piece of furniture or furnishing in the room that we like. We like this furniture or accessory so much that we want to have it in our real world, in our own four walls.
This is how the bridge and product placement between the virtual and real world can be created. You have to imagine that plots of land and virtual properties in the Metaverse are already being sold for exorbitant sums.
Currently, the record for the most expensive Metaverse property is 4.3 million dollars. In November 2021, the digital real estate developers Republic Realm bought a house in the Sandbox Metaverse. These houses will also be furnished. So why not put a kitchen or a sofa from a well-known furniture brand in your Metaverse house? Here, too, a point of contact is created between the brand and the potential customer.
Walmart has released a video on YouTube showing what the shopping experience could look like in the Metaverse: Check out the video (in English).
In the video, the customer can select their products in the store and is accompanied or assisted by a Walmart employee while shopping.
So, why can't something like this be applied to the furniture industry? We can virtually view a piece of furniture and be virtually accompanied by a salesperson or have the product explained to us in detail.
Of course, with such augmented realities, the reference to real seating comfort is missing, for example, with a chair. Nevertheless, this augmented reality can help to enhance the buying experience and retain customers.
