DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Is technology leaving you in a spin?
Shoe retailers large and small are leading the way in a new technology, which is revolutionising the way products are displayed online. Terry Mapstone explains…
peers? Or is it simply the fact that a shoe fits perfectly with this increasingly popular, interactive display medium? I’m talking, of course, about 360º product spins. The benefits of 360 are clear. Firstly, it shows customers far more of a
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shoe than traditional photography - the more information customers have at point of purchase, the more likelihood there is of them buying. Secondly, it illustrates beautifully how light plays on the surface of a shoe’s form, giving life to textures such as leather, suede or sequins - these small details can be a big influence on a purchasing decision. But, the main benefit which retailers are taking advantage of is the falling cost - improvements in 360 production processes mean that professionally produced 360-degree spins now compare favourably in price with that of still photography.
The all important cost
A quick Google search shows some high quality DIY kits starting at £4000 and some are upwards of £6000. Supplier prices vary too, with 360 suppliers quoting everything from £18 to £160 per spin, so it’s obviously worth shopping around. According to Swiftspin, the UK’s 360 specialists, the average price
they charged for a shoe ‘Swiftspin’ during 2009 was £23 (including photography, colour-balancing, animation and zoom feature). If you’d like to see their full prices they have designed a useful ‘Swiftspin Builder’, an interactive program that walks shoe retailers through the various 360 features available and gives prices along the way. It can be accessed at www.swiftspin.co.uk/swiftbuilder
hat is it about the shoe industry that has made it adopt a new technology faster than any other business? Could it be that shoe retailers are more forward thinking? Does the intense competition force shoe retailers to try new things in order to stay ahead of their
Mixed Messages
So why aren’t all shoe retailers displaying their products in 360 on their web sites? The answer could be a result of the mixed messages emanating from 360 suppliers. A quick Google search throws up results aplenty, but it all seems rather confusing. Some suppliers offer software, with no mention of photography. Some advertise turntables, but leave you to source software. Others offer 360 kits, but fail to explain fully the costs involved in DIY. Others offer a full service, but the choice is vast and the products markedly different. Even though some of the large shoe retailers have increased its credibility
by adopting 360 on their web sites, questions still remain. Will it work on my web site? Will it increase my sales? Is it a passing fad? Well, let’s find out. Firstly, what exactly is it? 360 degree product photography is a process
whereby multiple photos are taken of a product as it rotates, usually on a turntable. These photos are animated using specially written software, and uploaded onto a web site. The user can simply use their mouse to control the animation and recreate a view of the original product spinning in 360 degrees. There are two areas which shoe retailers should have some knowledge of
before thinking about investing in 360 spins - Software and Hardware. Let’s talk about software first.
Offering Complete Control
360 software offers two ways of spinning a shoe, Rollover (which completes one full spin left or right depending on which way you move your mouse over the shoe), and Click and Drag (offering complete control, including continuous spinning in either direction). Click and Drag seems to have the edge over the more basic Rollover but it’s a personal choice as to which to go for.
16 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• APRIL 2010
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