What type of furniture setting should you choose for your catalog?
Showcasing furniture in a catalog is one of the most effective ways of demonstrating product benefits and boosting sales. A wooden plank, a black fabric or a simple sheet as a background for a merchandise photo can no longer satisfy a demanding customer. Now, they want to see how this furniture element will fit into the overall interior design.
For furniture manufacturers and retailers, organizing lifestyle photos by a photographer could be a nightmare. Let’s face it: the catalog has to be prepared in a timeframe that’s always too tight, and the photo shoot always takes too long to complete due to the complexity of the process. For example, marketing managers involved in catalog creation have to organize the location – villas, warehouses or exhibition stands – and have the furniture delivered there. Since the furniture has to be set up in situ, it’s essential to change the decorations, which is also time-consuming and tedious.
Is there an alternative, given that a catalog is still an effective sales tool? The solution is to rethink the way products are viewed. Say goodbye to time-consuming photo shoots: 3D can produce a wealth of furniture settings without leaving your desk!
We present the 5 main types of lifestyle photos that can be used in a furniture catalog. You’ll see that it’s possible to present products differently, depending on your objectives, and increase sales considerably.
#1 – insert several product variations in a single 3D photo
The furniture setting can present the object in many color variations. A viewer can look at the entire color palette of the item in one image. In this way, a manufacturer can present the entire product range without wasting too much space in its catalog.
In order to reduce costs, the marketing manager may choose to group the product and its color variations together on a single piece of furniture. The customer can directly see the version that will fit into his or her interior, and thus make an immediate purchase.
#2 – Scaled furniture setting
This type of furniture layout is designed to emphasize the dimensions of the product. In simple terms, it’s much easier to understand the proportions of a coffee table by seeing it next to an armchair or sofa. This gives the customer all they need to know about the size of the item and how it might be arranged in their living room.
What’s more, it’s hard to imagine the volume that a piece of furniture measuring 70 x 20 x 25 cm could take up in a room. It’s much clearer to visualize a piece of furniture in a room setting. Except that 3D rendering provides more background solutions than traditional photography could ever offer. It amplifies the viewer’s perception of the product and makes for a more informed choice.
#3 – Ensemble furniture setting
An overall photo shows the range or an item in several versions. It shows the whole range in all colors and materials. But in a photo shoot, every time you need to change the furniture model or background and produce new shots, the process gets complicated and delayed.
As an alternative, 3D furniture rendering makes it possible to place part of the range in different 3D scenes and produce as many visuals as required. In this way, a manufacturer or marketing manager can choose existing scenes or request an original furniture setting. It’s quick and easy, unlike conventional photography, where decorations have to be readjusted every time the scene changes.
As a reminder, the overall setting is a perfect tool for cross-selling, since it highlights a wide variety of items placed side by side in the same space. A furniture salesperson, for example, might set up a display of complementary pieces of furniture: sofa, coffee table, TV stand, chest of drawers, light fixture… In a catalog, such a display of furniture is generally used to present a range.
#4 – Enhancing furniture settings
This is the type of 3D visual most often used to enhance furniture. The aim is to make the furniture stand out, to highlight it, to make it a flagship product in your catalog. The furniture is placed in a space where everything is done to emphasize its advantages and, in so doing, demonstrate an exclusive value proposition. The environment of these 3D ambiences can include specific lighting, composition and contrast that will be perfectly adapted to the product.
It’s an ideal way for the customer to see the distinctive features of the item. Ordinary photography could be at a disadvantage when it comes to taking such pictures. Setting up the right lighting and creating the right composition is always a challenge and requires a lot of equipment and props. When it’s done quickly and brilliantly by a 3D creative agency.
#5 – the detailed shot
Whatever the medium – website or catalog – the quality of materials will always be the decisive point when buying furniture. That’s exactly what detailed shooting does – it focuses on the concrete details of the object from different, close-up angles. It allows the viewer to assess its quality and examine its particular features.
3D software and its numerous plug-ins, combined with powerful computers, enable the presentation of highly detailed images. It is possible, for example, to create 3D renderings reflecting the strength of upholstery fabrics such as corduroy, wool or quilted cotton.
Furniture retailers use this type of furniture setting to enable customers to customize an item: for example, fine knitted velvet or chenille fabric for the sofa. Usually, detail photos are accompanied by other lifestyle images, enhancing the overall presentation of the product.
Catalog images can make or break a sale, so it’s crucial to take care with product photos. They must be high-resolution, elegantly illustrated and fully demonstrate the benefits of the furniture. In addition, they must provide the customer with sufficient information to make an impulse purchase. Furniture staging is not only a credible alternative to traditional product visualization, it’s the only way to do it quickly and cost-effectively.
Need eye-catching product photos for your catalog? Try our rendering services and create the catalog that will stand out from the competition.
