Marketing

Retailers embracing AI, CGI for online experiences

Adobe Stock

March 1, 2023

More than three in five, 63%, of brands and retailers are using lifestyle photos and images for e-commerce, and 58% use interactive images, in the quest to visually engage with online shoppers.

Those are findings from a Coresight Research report, "CGI and 3D Product Imagery: The Future of Visual Merchandising in E-Commerce," that revealed retailers are embracing CGI and AI to provide a more personal and visually engaging online shopping experience, according to a press release.

Additional insights include:

• 41% of brands and retailers find high costs challenging when managing and producing product visuals.
• 55% of brands and retailers said more than 10% of their products sold online in 2021 were returned because product visuals displayed did not match the products delivered.
• Among those investing in CGI for product visuals, almost all brands and retailers think that CGI has benefited their production and management of product visuals to some extent — with 49% reporting "significant" benefits. The topmost benefits, cited by around half of brands and retailers investing in CGI, are reduced product returns and improved speed to market.
• 40% of brands and retailers reported that they are currently investing in CGI, and 58% are planning to invest in CGI in the future, while 60% plan to invest in AI to automate visual product content.

"Technology innovation is critical to online retailers as they seek to outpace their competitors and connect with consumers," Coresight CEO and founder Deborah Weinswig said in the press release. "CGI and 3D image creation are must-haves for brands' and retailers' product visualization strategies, offering multiple benefits over traditional photography, including improved speed to market, product returns reduction and increased sales conversion. The cost-saving benefits of CGI can also help brands and retailers survive in an era of macroeconomic turbulence."