3D marketing explained
3D marketing relies on the process of 3D visualization — an industry expected to gross over $9 billion by 2026 — to build and display three-dimensional marketing content.
Adopted by various industries including retail and automotive, 3D marketing allows companies to meet shoppers’ growing expectations for more personalized and configurable product experiences.
3D marketing can be used in a variety of ways, including:
- 3D product configurators
Created using digital twins of products, interactive 3D product configurators enable companies to provide customers with the ability to immersively explore products, in each variation and often include the option for online purchasing.
- AR/VR shopping experiences
Using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), companies can transform their shopping experiences and even increase conversion rates by up to 250%. With AR and VR, buyers are able to better experience a product (i.e., visualize it in any environment, view it from all angles), before buying it.
- True-to-life image renderings
Product images continue to play an influential role in a buyer’s purchasing decision. Using 3D rendering, companies can meet the volume of images required – while leaving behind the costly and time-intensive demands of traditional methods such as photo shoots.
Why is 3D marketing important?
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many companies across industries saw an increase in e-commerce sales. Companies that were swift quickly adapted their marketing strategies to improve their digital marketing and e-commerce experiences.
As we continue to see e-commerce on the rise – with retail e-commerce expected to grow by 50% over the next four years – companies are turning to 3D marketing to improve their digital marketing capabilities and provide their buyers with tailored interactive experiences.
3D marketing and the ability to produce true-to-life product experiences bring numerous benefits such as stronger customer engagement and conversion, reduced e-commerce product returns, and enhanced brand equity.
Skid Loader GX7 Configurator
Three-dimensional (3D) product configurators are online applications that allow customers to customize products to their specific needs and preferences. Customers can select from a range of options, such as different colors, materials, sizes, and features, to create a unique product.
Configurators provide a great way for customers to visualize the final product and ensure that it will meet their expectations. They also allow businesses to streamline the production process by reducing the need for custom orders and manual input from sales staff.
Try out our configurator demo and discover the limitless possibilities of interactive 3D marketing, powered by Unity’s real-time 3D solutions.
3D marketing success stories
Drive pre-sales with VR product tours
Dive into the story of how Arksen created a VR tour of their explorer vessel along with a 3D configurator on their website to drive presales, before the vessel was even built.
Accelerate your marketing content pipeline
Discover how consumer electronics company Onanoff uses 3D configurators and true-to-life image renderings to address the challenges of getting a new product to market whilst competing with big enterprises.
Create true to life images without photoshoots
To capture the perfect shot, Lexus and its agency Team One create virtual productions that are too complex or too expensive to create in the real world.
Reimagine product storytelling
Volkswagen’s campaign video for its first fully electric SUV, the ID.4 EV, fuses rendered car interiors, exteriors, and environments with shot patterns and angles that would have been impossible to achieve using live camera production.
Reduce production time with virtual showrooms
See how HOMAG, a leading manufacturer for woodworking, and their agency partner iXtenda, swiftly adapted 3D marketing tactics to create configurable machine models in a virtual showroom.