Can Rich Media Boost Your Online Sales?
Rich media made some waves back in the mid- to
late '90s, when e-tailers first deployed the technology to boost
conversion rates. It promised to provide customers with a
clearer, more exciting way to view products and to help close
the sale. But with the technology too advanced for most Internet
connections, e-tailers saw customers leaving sites because the
graphics took too long to load.
Rich media (also called dynamic imaging) has made
a comeback among e-tailers as DSL and cable modem subscribers
have grown. Many feature technologies that enable viewers to
zoom in on images to see product details, spin product photos to
view items from all sides, or render different colors.
Consulting firm The E-tailing Group released a fourth-quarter
2003 "Mystery Shopping" survey, which points to rich media's
rise in popularity: 13 percent of the sites surveyed had a
color-rendering feature in 2003, up from 9 percent in 2002.
So which companies are doing the most
experimenting? Those that consider visual elements critical to
the sale: sites selling furniture, cars, accessories, jewelry,
gifts and high-end apparel.
E-tailers are experimenting with rich media more
frequently today because the technology has become easier to
use. The dynamic imaging software programs and services offer
out-of-the-box functionality, which they didn't initially. So
growing e-tailers can easily offer accurate representations of
their products online, just like big companies.
"When you don't have a brand on the Web, these
tools may be even more important," says Doug Mack, CEO of
Scene7, a Novato, California, provider of dynamic imaging
software and services. "If you are a Pottery Barn or a
Restoration Hardware, most people have had an offline experience
or a trusting relationship with you. But if you are a small
company, you might not have this kind of relationship with many
people.
E-merchandising features, however, can have a
dramatic impact on sales because customers can see that a
[relatively unknown] site offers really high-quality products."
Businesses using rich media are experiencing ROI
results. Design Within Reach (DWR) in Oakland, California, is
one example. This online and offline retailer of new and classic
modern-style furniture added product enhancement features, such
as color rendering and targeted zoom capabilities, to its site
in 2002.
"We sell high-end designs that are differentiated
by design details critical to our customers," says Rob Forbes,
50, DWR's founder. "This technology allows us to articulate
these details as if they were viewing the products in 3-D."
Before implementing the technology, however, DWR
tested it by providing zoom and color rendering on select items.
CIO Vince Barriero says the company is still adding zoom and
color rendering to certain products--those that have more
detail, are unusual and come in multiple colors. To date, the
results have been very good. He says, "We are seeing sales
increases of up to 10 percent for products showcased with this
technology."
DWR uses software from Scene7 to create its
product enhancement features. The technology, however, isn't
cheap; DWR pays an annual fee of $100,000 for an in-house
license. But Mack says that some site licenses cost less, about
$20,000 per server. Smaller companies can use Scene7's on-demand
offering and pay a monthly fee of $250 to $1,000. Larger
customers pay about $4,000 per month with this service. RichFX
and Viewpoint are two companies that offer similar software and
services.
While DWR is getting great results by providing
customers with a textured, rich media experience, the technology
is not for everyone. Besides the cost when dealing with rich
media, it's not just a matter of implementing the technology.
There's production work to be done as well.
For some 3-D spin-and-view images, "You need a
picture of your product from 16 different angles," says Matthew
Berk, an analyst in New York City who follows Internet
e-tailing. Berk says before adding rich media, try a simpler
alternative: Purchase a digital camera, take several
high-resolution pictures of your products, and put them on your
Web site. Be sure you list accurate information and descriptive
merchandising content beside the photos. These may be all the
special effects you need for a successful site.
You can also experiment with vendors that sell
low-cost zoom technology and have their roots in helping people
sell products on eBay. AAASeller.com and Vendio Services offer
zoom technology that lets e-tailers easily upload pictures so
users can download them and zoom in on rich detail.
AAASeller.com charges $9.95 per month for 25MB of images. Vendio
charges $1 per image for two weeks of usage and 50 cents per
image for every two weeks after that.
Whatever type of technology you use, before
adding rich media to your site, make sure there's a good
business reason to do so. "You have to ask yourself, Are you
going to sell more product because of rich media?" says Freeman.
"If, at the end of the day, it doesn't sell stuff, who cares?"
Before setting your sights on rich media, be sure
your site has the basics down: user-friendly navigation,
attentive customer service and stellar marketing techniques.
Otherwise, your site could end up in the Web wasteland.
