It’s no secret that visuals are hugely important in telling the story of your e-commerce brand.
Regardless of how great your product is, if the quality of your visuals doesn’t match, you run the risk of losing customers’ interest and thereby potential sales.
In the past, scheduling a photoshoot was the only option for e-commerce brands to showcase their products. But in today’s digital landscape, the intersection of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and photography is revolutionizing the way businesses bring their products to life.
Generative AI creates hyper-realistic images and scenes that can look just like real-life photos, without the time and effort involved in creating a real-life photoshoot (which are costly and can lead to mixed results).
When it is done right, AI photography allows endless creativity, enabling brands to see their products in various settings, colors, and configurations without having to coordinate and style a separate photoshoot each time.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of integrating AI photography into your e-commerce strategy, and how Nogin Studio could help you tap into this ever-evolving technology.
What is AI Photography?
Instead of taking photos with a camera, AI photography creates digital images of products using generative AI.
For e-commerce, especially small to medium-sized businesses, the freedom to not spend resources on scheduling a unique photoshoot for each product launch is a game-changer. In a survey conducted by Nfinite, 96% of respondents reported challenges with product imagery creation, and 68% said they often exceed budgets on photoshoots.
Meanwhile, AI photography offers the ability to show products in various colors, angles, and settings without having to physically alter or move the items. This flexibility means that online stores can present their products in the best possible light, often looking as real and with higher quality than actual photographs.
The cost of AI photography varies depending on how much the brand wants to customize the end product’s appearance. However, the versatility and adaptability of the software to create the images you and your customers want to see pays for itself in the long run — cutting out the often-extensive editing process of a product photography shoot and the possibility you’ll have to re-shoot when the product changes bring huge cost savings to brands, plus the cost of hiring models and photography team and scouting the perfect location.
Benefits of AI Photography in E-commerce
AI photography is one efficient way to capture your brand in the best light possible.
Here are six of the top benefits of using AI photography for your e-commerce business:
- Cost efficiency — As previously discussed, traditional product photography can be expensive. AI eliminates the need for physical samples, professional photographers and models, and studio setups, allowing brands to produce more high-quality images.
- Consistency and quality — There’s no second-guessing what the lighting of your shoot will look like post-production. With AI photography, you have total control over every aspect of production, allowing for uniform lighting, angles, and presentation across all product images.
- Versatility and flexibility — With AI, it’s easy to change the background, setting, and even aspects of the product like color and texture without having to use Photoshop or take out a single camera for reshoots.
- Speed to market — You don’t have to have a physical version of your product on hand to visualize what it will look like or even share it with your customers. With AI, you can market your products even before they’re physically available, creating hype and anticipation for new releases from your brand.
- Infinite scalability — All you need is one physical model of your product with source photos taken from different angles. From there, there are infinite iterations of scenes, colors, textures and configurations, adding variety and dimension to the way brands market their products.
- Enhanced creativity — AI takes away the physical limits that traditional product photos have, and it also gives brands unlimited creativity with how to showcase and contextualize their product offerings. Picture your product in outer space, on the back of a unicorn, or underwater through the power of AI.
AI Personalization Examples
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing personalization across various industries, particularly in e-commerce. By leveraging AI, companies can analyze vast amounts of customer data to tailor shopping experiences that meet individual preferences and behaviors. For instance, AI-driven recommendation engines suggest products based on a customer’s past purchases and browsing history, enhancing customer satisfaction and boosting sales. Additionally, AI can help in dynamic pricing, personalized marketing, and customer service automation, providing a seamless and engaging shopping journey.
To explore more about how AI personalization is transforming e-commerce, check out ai personalization e-commerce. This resource provides in-depth insights into the practical applications of AI in personalizing the e-commerce experience, offering valuable information for businesses looking to enhance their digital strategies.
Applications of AI Photography
Traditional product photography still has its place in creating authentic, human-driven imagery for your brand. But there are a few key instances where AI photography can bring an advantage:
- Product Launches: When you’re gearing up to launch a new product, AI can help create impactful pre-launch teasers; once you’re ready to launch, use AI to create jaw-dropping visuals for the full product reveal.
- Marketing Campaigns: AI imagery can help create a more unified brand across your marketing materials for consistency and quality.
- Interactive and AR Experiences: AI’s abilities to showcase your product in different settings are endless — you can even showcase a 3D version or augmented reality (AR) experience through AI.
- Customization and Personalization: Make your time and money go further with AI photography, allowing you to demonstrate different variations of your product without additional photoshoots.
Get Started with AI Photography with Nogin Studio
Visuals are one of the most important aspects of your e-commerce brand. And if you’re not using technology to enhance those visuals, you might be spending more time and money than you need to, putting yourself (and your brand) at a disadvantage.
When you partner with Nogin, you’ll get all the benefits of working with our award-winning Nogin Studio, where you can leverage our e-commerce photo and video solution to create best-in-class content, lifestyle and e-commerce photos, all at a fraction of a traditional marketing budget.
Nogin offers a whole suite of content services without breaking your bottom line. To learn more and get started, set up a free, no-obligation consultation today.
FAQ
Which AI is used to generate AI images?
Popular AIs used to generate AI images include DALL-E by OpenAI, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion.
What AI image generator does everyone use?
Many people use DALL-E 2 and MidJourney due to their user-friendly interfaces and impressive image generation capabilities.
Can you own AI-generated images?
Ownership of AI-generated images depends on the terms of service of the AI platform used. Some platforms allow users to own and use the images freely, while others may have restrictions.
Can you sell AI-generated art?
Yes, you can sell AI-generated art. Many artists use AI tools to create unique pieces and sell them through online marketplaces or as NFTs.
What app are people using to make AI images?
People commonly use apps like DALL-E 2, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion to create AI images.
What AI are photographers using?
Photographers often use AI tools like Luminar AI and Adobe Photoshop’s AI features for editing and enhancing images. For generating images, they might use DALL-E or MidJourney.
How to generate AI product images?
To generate AI product images, you can use tools like DALL-E 2 or MidJourney. Input detailed descriptions of the product you want to create, and the AI will generate images based on your prompts. For specific needs, fine-tune the prompts to match desired styles and features.
