The lines between ecommerce and brick-and-mortar are continuing to blur, and shoppers expect a similar experience — right down to getting a feel for a product’s intimate details. YETI has added an extra dimension to its online shopping experience with the launch of an AR and 3D experience that lets shoppers place more than 50 different products directly into their personal surroundings. The platform also includes reporting tools that provide YETI with insights into which visual characteristics are most effective at moving shoppers further down the sales funnel.
“YETI takes pride in developing durable, high-quality and top performing products — but these attributes can be difficult to communicate in the online setting,” said Matt King, CIO at YETI in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “This technology allows customers to zoom in on product features and unique attributes with extraordinarily high-quality imagery that shows every stitch, seam and buckle.”
The feature, which is powered by the Vertebrae Axis platform, presents shoppers with a “View in 3D & AR” button under the image of every supported product page. Shoppers who click the button can then view a 3D image with an icon and a “drag to rotate” overlay prompt, which enables them to rotate, zoom in and flip images to check out details like pockets, zips and fasteners — all right from the same page.
“For instance, using 3D and AR, shoppers can closely examine the abrasion-resistant and water-repellent fabric of the Crossroads duffels, backpacks or soft-sided luggage and evaluate features like access points and stash pockets based on their need for everyday use or epic adventure,” said King. “And they can do it all within the ecommerce environment on yeti.com, without needing to download an app.”
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Mobile users can click the “View in AR” or “View in Your Space” button to bring the product to life with their cellphone camera. The feature projects images of the products directly into real world environments, to help shoppers gain an accurate understanding of product dimensions. Desktop users can choose to receive a QR code that they can scan with their camera to immediately jump into the AR experience.
YETI’s goal for the platform was both high-quality imagery and detail, along with a single platform that could handle asset creation, deployment and management. The retailer also wanted to make sure the experience could be displayed natively so that shoppers could get a 360-degree view without needing a specific app.
“To bring this immersive experience to life, Vertebrae’s Axis platform streamlined the creation of 3D assets using approximately several hundred photos to create the initial items,” said King. “Vertebrae’s technology makes visualizing products in 3D and AR an instant-loading, frictionless experience for consumers across all devices and browsers, and includes analytics to gain insights into the visual characteristics that are driving purchasing behavior.”
YETI’s strong digital presence has made the retailer a leader in ecommerce innovation, and the 3D and AR experience is just its latest advancement. For instance, the retailer added personalized content, campaigns, offers and recommendations in 2018. The new features included data from past purchases, geographic regions and customers’ favorite outdoor experiences, and allowed shoppers to design custom orders and mix-and-match drinkware without having to leave the YETI website.
“We are always exploring ways we can improve our customers’ online and in-store experience, engagement with our brand and appreciation for our products across a variety of verticals and channels,” said King.
