The rise of AI in managing visual content for e-commerce

In today’s digital age, where visual appeal holds significant sway over consumer behaviour, the role of visual assets in e-commerce has become indispensable. This critical component of online shopping is evolving, powered by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), and marking a pivotal shift in how businesses are approaching the creation and management of visual content.

Historically, humans have relied heavily on vision for survival, a trait that continues to play a pivotal role in modern consumer behaviour, even in an era dominated by online shopping. Lilly Hsueh, Vice President of Customer Success Management at Cloudinary, a digital asset management company, highlighted during Retail TouchPoints’ “Holiday Readiness” webinar series that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text and that almost 90% of information received by the brain is visual. This statistic underlines the importance of visual content in shaping consumer decisions in the digital marketplace.

The transition from traditional in-person shopping to e-commerce platforms has imposed new challenges on retailers. Unlike physical stores, where consumers can closely interact with products, online shopping requires retailers to provide rich visual content to facilitate similar consumer engagement. Modern consumers expect multiple images and videos when considering a product online—on average, six photos and two videos per product. These demands require retailers to invest considerably in the creation, formatting, and upkeep of visual assets.

Research underscores the impact of visuals on consumer behaviour. According to a study by Wyzowl, 82% of consumers are influenced to make a purchase following a product video view, and 90% regard product visuals as the top factor influencing their buying choices. Consequently, visual assets are not mere aesthetic embellishments but critical components of a brand’s digital strategy.

However, the relentless demand for high-quality visual content exacerbates workflow challenges for marketers. An overwhelming 92% report frustrations linked to time-consuming processes caused by workflow bottlenecks and inefficient asset search and retrieval methods. Yet, AI is transforming this landscape by offering solutions that streamline visual asset management.

As Hsueh elaborated, AI—though not a novel concept—has matured significantly, presenting practical, user-friendly tools that are accessible across various industries. AI-driven solutions are facilitating marketers by automating tasks such as cropping and formatting images for different platforms, tagging content for quicker retrieval, and generating asset variations for diverse promotional needs.

These innovations are particularly pertinent as the festive season draws closer, a period when marketing efforts intensify. Cloudinary, through its suite of AI-powered tools, offers brands the ability to significantly cut down manual content preparation, enhancing operational efficiency in the fast-paced and visual-centric market environment.

The widespread adoption of AI in digital asset management not only optimises productivity but also empowers brands to efficiently meet the dynamic demands of modern consumers, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of digital marketing trends. As businesses continue to navigate these technological advancements, the focus remains on leveraging these tools to enhance consumer engagement and drive business growth.

Source: Noah Wire Services