A brief history
Let’s dive a little more into the history first; 3D technology has been around for quite a long time. In the early 60′s, developments of 3D surface reconstruction have led to the initial stages of computer aided design (CAD) in the automobile and aircraft industries, and subsequently computer aided manufacturing. 3D in gaming and movies has also been around for longer than you may realise, starting in the early 80′s, with 3D projection in Jaws (1984), CGI in Tron (1982) and with gaming on arcade cabinets such as Space Harrier (1985). The development of affordable 3D graphics hardware in the late 90′s has resulted in now nearly every computing device, including phones and TVs to have these capabilities on board.

3D experiences in the hand of the consumer
The exponential increase in computing power in tablets and smartphone combined with the rise of broadband internet has literally put photorealistic 3D experiences in the hands of the consumer. This has paved the way for 3D technology to reshape industries, by using this technology to replace photography, and create experiences that weren’t possible with traditional methods.

The path of innovation
Meanwhile, 3D is continuing its path of innovation. New production methods like 3D scanning and printing are revolutionizing product prototyping, mass-customization, consumer creation and more. This allows for new design possibilities, creating structures that weren’t available before. We are in the advent of a new era in which mass customization becomes mainstream and the consumer becomes the main character in the brand story, designing and creating his own personal products. With tools such as augmented reality even allowing them to see these new products before they have been manufactured, as real as any finished product in stores.

3D enabling an omni-channel product story
INDG is currently producing a major part of all product visualizations (photos and videos) for consumer product brands such as Philips. For consumer product brands, 3D enables to sell products as part of a story, not in a ‘book’ but in a ‘virtual theater’. The product can be the hero in this world. This allows brands to shape, augment and enhance their brand and product stories in-store, on the go or at home. After capturing a product in 3D, the so-called 3D master asset (a digital copy of the actual product) can be the input for everything. As a result, 3D can be applied across the complete product life cycle from design and manufacturing to retail and customer care. Using INDG’s Product Engagement Suite, it is possible to visualize these products wherever needed; in an interactive 3D web experience, in interactive applications, in stores, or using the latest augmented reality technology at home.

Enabling contextual content
For most consumer product brands, it is becoming crucial to differentiate their products to smaller consumer segments. To reach these segments, brands will have to engage on an individual basis using a wide range of touch points and devices. This poses an immense challenge: sourcing high-impact visual product content for any consumer context. As a result, brands need on-demand delivery of consistent, high quality product content at a larger scale than ever before. For this need, 3D modeling and computer generated imagery is becoming crucial since traditional (camera recorded) photos and videos cannot fulfill this need anymore.

Current possibilities with 3D are already very cool. Retailers such as IKEA already adapt images for cultural differences in models – localization, scalability and targeting. The modularity offered through 3D-based imagery allows brands to offer a realistic, personalized experience that drives consumer engagement. Consumers spend more time experiencing product online, return more often to discover more and are much more confident to buy online.

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“The rise of digital media offers consumer product brands and retailers a great opportunity to directly engage consumers with their products. At the same time, these brands are faced with an immense challenge to source high-impact visual product content for any consumer context. Brands are increasingly reaching out to INDG for large scale delivery of consistent, high quality product content on-demand”, says Frans Vriesendorp, creative director and co-founder of INDG. “It seems that our value contribution increases with the scale and complexity of the products offered. As these brands generally operate on a global scale, they require our presence in markets where consumer demand and marketing efforts are at the highest level. In other words, our presence in Asia and the United States is crucial to support existing clients and continue our company growth.”

More information on our plans will follow soon.

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The solution, that is currently being deployed for Marks & Spencer’s in-store and online home furnishings category, features a large screen that shows a number of pre-styled rooms filled with Marks & Spencer’s home products. Positioned at the entrance of its home furnishing department, the screen will inspire shoppers while sales representatives can step in and present customers an iPad that lets shoppers personalize any room by changing colors, textures and products. By offering the same experience on the iPad, in in-store digital signage as well as online, Marks & Spencer will have a far better chance to catch and keep today’s connected shopper.

For a more detailed impression of INDG’s generic Interior Inspirer solution, please visit the dedicated solution page.

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The aim is to meet delegations of the world’s largest retailers and present them our joint solutions that combine the unique designs and product engagement solutions from INDG with the robust and scalable architecture delivered by Cisco’s Interactive Services platform.

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Amsterdam – December 5, 2012 – Orange Group has found proven ways to ensure significant* growth in online sales following a pilot with INDG aimed at improving the digital shopping experience.

Orange, a leading mobile operator group, tested different scenarios to drive online sales of postpaid subscriptions including a mobile phone on its portal. The pilot was carried out in partnership with INDG, a provider of product engagement solutions and clearly proved the importance of rich device content**. More visitors viewed Orange branded product videos and high quality stills which lead to a significant increase in both products to basket and actual purchases.

The pilot was executed from June to mid August 2012 in France and Romania, two of the larger affiliates in the group. “As more consumers investigate and buy mobile devices and subscriptions online, the level of engagement in our online shop should be as rich as visiting one of our retail stores. It has proven very successful to offer rich device experiences as it makes people feel more confident to buy online.” Says Ravi Ramat, Director at Orange, Group Device, Mobile Multimedia division. “We selected INDG as they have the rare ability to combine the creation of high-quality experiences with the flexibility and scale required to serve the Orange group.”

“We are very happy with the pilot results. This clearly proves that following INDG’s approach, consumer product brands are one step away from realizing double-digit growth in online sales.” said Bas Gal, Commercial Director at INDG. “This starts with realizing that online shoppers need a decent alternative to checking out a physical product in-store. By allowing online shoppers to experience products as if they hold them in their own hands, they will feel more confident to buy online. Orange is clearly heading in this direction.”

To help brands such as Orange, INDG creates a single 3D model of any product – in the case of Orange this is done for a range of leading phone models. Subsequently, INDG uses its Product Engagement Suite to turn these 3D models into any media format for both tradition and digital touch points. This allows brands such as Orange to consistently present their consumer products in any form, such as printed ads, 360-degree views, product videos and interactive applications.

For Orange, this new approach ensures a consistent, high quality product experience and offers the flexibility and scale required across the mobile operator’s group. Within the Orange pilot, INDG started off creating a set of product videos and images based on the 3D models. Orange and INDG are currently making plans to extend the pilot with more interactive device experiences and serve additional affiliates in the Orange group.

Notes

*) Due to their sensitive nature, measurable results from this pilot have been omitted on purpose.

**) For more info on INDG’s pilot at Orange and some relevant content (images and an example video) please refer to this link: http://www.indg.com/telecom/orange-branded-handset-videos/

About INDG

INDG helps global brands to drive their customers to action by engaging them online. For customers such as Philips, Vodafone, Orange and Quick-Step, we deliver differentiating online experiences on demand and ensure they efficiently scale across all touch points. This is achieved by combining award winning creative designs and 3D product visualisations with the standard building blocks from our Product Engagement Suite. As such our solutions fundamentally drive online conversion and brand value while saving operational expenditure on marketing and support.

Contact Information

For more information please contact:
Martijn Brouns
marketing director, INDG
+31 204 889 696
marketing [at] indg [dot] com
www.indg.com
twitter: @INDG

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AR, enhancing real-time (video) images with digital content, has received a lot of attention in recent years. In 2011, National Geographic and UPC immersed shoppers in a mall with National Geographic’s content, allowing them to view themselves on a large screen amongst wild animals and even pet a (virtual) leopard on the back. This is one of the many nice examples of how AR can improve the brand experience. But as often seen with innovations, the main focus has been on the technology-side rather than on applications that deliver true consumer benefits.

Past the hype
According to Gartner¹, AR has passed the peak of the hype cycle, which means that the market is now getting ready to move from a pure technology push towards a focus on consumer-centric applications. Assuming this will be a next step, Gartner expects AR to become ‘an indispensable component of mobile contextual experiences’ by 2014.

So, what is needed to outgrow the gimmick value?
First we may need to recognise that AR does not stand out as an independent tool. The technique enhances (augments) reality and can therefore merely be an ingredient of an engaging customer journey. In the orientation phase, AR can stimulate consumers to ‘try’ products well before they have physical access to them. This way AR can complement apps that provide information, advice and social interaction. Coherent with the customer journey, such apps connect shoppers and channels through mobile devices to create fun buying experiences.

Reality is crucial
Furthermore it is important that the app presents high-quality visualizations. To be engaging, consumers demand brands to deliver a convincing experience, based on a realistic mix of digital content and real world images. In other words: high quality digital assets are a must. Staging a compelling, real life environment offers consumers a safe way to check out products and avoids risking post-purchase disappointment.

Inspirational cases
Philips’ TV Buying Guide for Mobile allows customers to preview TV’s in their home. The app combines AR as part of a broader experience that informs consumers on design, budget and technology. By giving shoppers a realistic preview of what any TV would look like in their own home, Philips strengthens buyer confidence and drives conversion. Users can directly make a purchase online or visit a store where the brand can continue the shopping journey.

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Smartphones will be created and rendered in 3D. By using a framework based approach, INDG is able to produce consistent, Orange branded content of high quality. The platform ensures the shortest time-to-market and offers the required flexibility to fully localize all content for multiple Orange countries.

The first device videos have been produced and launched by Orange Romania using INDG’s Branded Video Platform. For more information on this customer case, click here.

Posted on June 26, By Martijn Brouns

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The app guides consumers toward the best TV set using an intuitive advisor that ranks TV’s based on budget, screen size, design and picture quality. A unique feature is that the app measures the actual distance between the mobile device and the place where your TV set needs to be placed. Next, it offers consumers advice on the most optimal screen size. Another cool feature is that while checking out different product, the TV screens will play video and it is even possible to turn featurs such as Ambilight on or off.

To use the app, simply install the app and download and print the marker. Next, place the marker on your cupboard or hang it on the wall and check out what any Philips TV set would look like in your own room. And, don’t forget to share the results with your friends on Facebook

The app was based on INDG’s Mobile AR App Platform which is part of INDG’s Digital Engagement Suite. This suite offers brands a range of services that allow engaging product experiences that drive customers to action across all (digital) touch points.

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In the show, Dutch TV celebrity Quinty Trustfull is being adviced on a new kitchen, while the Brugman team uses INDG’s kitchen planner to rebuild the main parts of her house in 3D. Using the tool, a new kitchen being setup. The show highlights how consumers can use the tool to start designing from home and finalize their dream kitchen at a Brugman Outlet. A clear way how digital and bricks & mortal outlets go hand in hand.

To view the respective TV show (in Dutch), click here and fast forward to 23’43”.
More about the Kitchen Planner for DMG is found here.

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