'Net Features : fluid

Customers Go Wild for Customization

Allison Howen — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:05:00 GMT

One of the best ways for a business to gain brand advocates is by providing their customers with personalized experiences, and one way that retailers can do this is by offering product customization technology.

For example, outerwear retailer Wild Things recently implemented Fluid’s product configuration platform onto WildThingsGear.com. This technology enables consumers to design and visualize personalized sweatshirts and jackets directly from the retailer’s website, and according to Wild Things CEO Edward Schmults, this gives customers complete control over their purchasing decision.

“The customer can determine the performance level of the product, the look and feel of the product and the price of the product to arrive at the configured product that best meets their need,” said Schmults. “This completely redefines the nature of a technical outdoor product because is let's the customer determine what is best for them.”

In fact, Fluid’s technology enables consumers to customize features such as fabric type, coloring, insulation, pocket placement, logo and ID. Previous retailers who have implemented this type of technology have garnered higher customer engagement metrics, as well as increased conversion rates and average order values. Additionally, the technology allows merchants to compete on product offerings instead of price, according to Fluid’s chief product officer Neil Patil. This is because the platform provides merchants with more unique items than their competitors.

It is also important to note that Fluid's product configurator is decoupled from the Wild Things site, which makes it simple to implement on partner retail sites, such as sports merchandise provider Moosejaw. Furthermore, Wild Thing's "Share Your Design" feature assists the company in spreading the word about their new offering, because it enables consumers to share their newly designed clothing creations via email, phone and social networks.

“The distinctive imagery, user-friendly 3D modeling and wide range of intuitive customizations provides our customers with a new way to connect with our brand, while enabling them to share their designs with friends and family via social networks like Pinterest and Facebook,” said Schmults. “This initiative, that uses Fluid’s easy-to-use software, will change how consumers buy outdoor apparel.”

A Different Angle on Product Views

Allison Howen — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:30:00 GMT

Ever had someone tell you not to touch something? Of course, immediately you want to touch it.

This holds true for online shopping, too. While many consumers will browse products online, others want to physically touch or hold the items they are considering purchasing in order to view them at all angles, and this is especially true for products such as clothing and accessories.

It is clear to see that along with the advantages that come with online shopping, like convenience and the avoidance of long lines, there are still many disadvantages that can deter customers from committing to a purchase – such as limited options for viewing products. Fortunately, merchants can remedy this problem by choosing a solution that allows consumers to interact with and view their products from all angles.

Below are some additional product-viewing solutions for merchants:

Fluid

The Fluid Experience provides dynamic imaging for ecommerce sites, which allows consumers to interact with the items that they are considering for purchase. With this platform, merchants can provide a 360-view of their products, or offer zoom, color changes, multiple views and more. It allows shoppers to get as close to your products as virtually possible through a browser. Furthermore, upgrading current product images can increase conversions because consumers feel like they have seen all aspects of the products that they intend to purchase. This solution integrates with a merchant’s current back-office system, and does not require training or IT involvement to manage.

Magic Toolbox

Magic Toolbox offers many different image tools for websites, including 360-views, zoom, magnifiers and more. With the Magic 360 solution, merchants can display rotating products and 3D spinning which are made from a set of 18 or 36 photos. This solution uses JavaScript and has been optimized to work on iOS and Android devices. Additionally, merchants can choose from other solutions that Magic Toolbox offers, including Magic 360 Plus. Like Magic 360, Magic 360 Plus features a smooth spin, but also allows users to zoom into desired areas of products.

3D Rev

This solution allows merchants to provide views for every angle of a product. To create the rotating image, each product requires 32 photographs, in which Flash then uses for animation. The company also offers cropping and various backgrounds, and will even take high-quality still photographs that merchants can use for the Web or in print. The company claims that the 360 technology will maximize product sales, inform visitors about products, make products more interesting and give merchants an advantage over their competition.

Orbitvu

This Polish company rotates products from many industries, including clothing, sports equipment, children's toys, furniture, electronics and more. Unlike some of the previous options, Orbitvu does not use Flash. Instead it uses high-quality images that can be stopped during rotation, and zoomed into if desired. Furthermore, the company customizes how each product will be presented for each specific client.

Web Rotate 360

This company photographs your products in its studios and then blends the images in order to create a digital rotation. The technology helps boost sales and reduces returns. Furthermore, the solution can incorporate animation for parts that move, open or detach. Website integration assistance and consultation is also included in the quoted price, and additional product images can be taken for product catalogs or other materials.

Device Optimization Feature from Fluid

Linc Wonham — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:00:00 GMT

The increasing use of smartphones and tablets is changing how consumers browse and shop, forcing online retailers to do more than just shrinking down their product images to fit an assortment of screen sizes. Fluid is one company looking to solve the issue for merchants, offering a new solution in dynamic product merchandising.

The Fluid Experience device optimization feature enables retailers to create the proper visual presentation for all "touch" devices, offering a better visual experience and easier navigation for consumers. The customizable solution fits seamlessly into e-commerce platforms and integrates with back-office systems, can be tested and implemented quickly and requires no training or IT involvement to manage.

“Our technology automatically detects the type of device being used, quickly adapts and offers the best possible presentation of rich-media product displays,” says Brian Biggs, senior director of product management at Fluid, Inc. “This will only become more important as the number of devices grows.”

Merchants need only use one version of a product image to deploy their displays across multiple platforms. Only one version of the image needs to be downloaded, and Fluid Experience does the rest. One of the first companies to use the feature was clothing and lifestyle retailer Elie Tahari.

“Mobile and desktop users are catered to from the same platform, and the new implementation is able to detect our site visitor’s device and serves up the optimal presentation,” says chairman Elie Tahari. “We couldn’t be more pleased with how our partners have helped us showcase the elaborate detail and fine workmanship that Elie Tahari is known for.”

Fluid’s customers range from mass-market retailers to luxury goods manufacturers such as Coach, Diapers.com, Nine West, Reebok, Sears, The North Face and Vans.