Visual commerce enables brands to differentiate themselves online. As consumer preferences shifts to visual communication, using visual content such as close-up shots, 360 degree views, and videos, will lead to easier product discovery and increased conversions. According to eMarketer, nearly 75% of US internet users regularly or always search for visual content prior to making a purchase; only 3% never do.

With brands such as Charlotte Russe and Panasonic turning visual content in dollars, here are six reasons to kick your brand’s visual commerce up a notch in 2018.

Personalized Experiences

Personalization is one of the most important marketing trends in 2018. Consumers today expect companies to communicate with them using personalized messages.

Visual commerce involves curating user-generated content in such ways that create personalized experiences based on consumer preferences. Consumers are not only empowered to express themselves by sharing their own images and videos, they also reicvie visual content tailored specifically for them. Machine learning and AI can help with image recognition, allowing brands to identify the best UGC to display at all times.

Content Discovery

Taking a visual commerce approach to marketing makes it easier for consumers to discover content that informs and inspires them. Customers love to see how people similar to them use products from their favorite brands. In fact, studies show that Facebook ads with user photos perform 23 percent better than those with brand photos.

Brands can make it easy for customers to discover inspiring visual content by creating galleries of photos associated with each product or product category. It is also possible to create galleries associated with a particular season, holiday, or promotional event.

Product Discovery

When consumers browse visual content on social media, they often discover products they want to buy or learn more about. Brands can facilitate product discovery by having a strong presence on visual social media platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest. By sharing a mixture of brand and user-generated content that is both visually appealing and informative, brands can educate their followers about their products and therefore increase conversion rates.

‍More than two-thirds of consumers say that images are the most important factor in their purchasing decisions. Brands cannot afford to underestimate the importance of visual commerce when they promote their products online.

Time on Site

High-quality images can increase the amount of time shoppers spend on an e-commerce site. Whereas most people will quickly tire of reading dense walls of text, many users will happily spend hours browsing through image galleries.

More Interaction

Consumers in 2018 love to interact with images. On Facebook, photos have an interaction rate of 87 prevent, compared to 4 prevent or less for other types of posts, such as links, videos or text. Companies that use visuals in their marketing can expect to get more likes, shares and comments than those who simply rely on text.

Higher Engagement

The old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" has never been more true than in 2018. Demand for visual media is rapidly increasing. As a result, companies that use visual commerce can expect to see more engagement than those who don't use high-quality images in their in their digital marketing campaigns.

In 2018, the bar for visual UGC had been raised. Investing in an end-to-end UGC marketing platform will help your brand excel at visual commerce across multiple channels and provide more relevant and personalized content,

To learn more about visual commerce and how it can help form a more authentic marketing strategy, contact Pixlee today.