Sheila Dahlgren SVP Marketing & Corporate Communication
Scene7, Inc.
Office: 415-506-6002
Cell: 415-948-5207 sheila@scene7.com
April 29, 2004
How Bombay uses dynamic imaging to zoom into a merchandising strategy
Dynamic imaging gives web shoppers a richer user experience, and content
acceleration delivers that experience to them faster. Content distributor
Akamai Technologies Inc. and dynamic imaging technology provider Scene
7 Inc. just announced a new, joint product that blends both functionalities,
but Bombaycompany.com already has used it for about 20% of its online
assortment for three months.
Dynamic Imaging on Demand, which Bombay gets as a hosted service,
generates multiple product image variations from a single master photograph
and lets the shopper zoom in on any point in a product photo by as
much as 100% for greatly detailed viewing, rather than simply popping
up a larger, static mage for the enlarged view. Akamai's server network
speeds up and ensures reliable delivery of the dynamically generated
content to shoppers.
Matt Corey, vice president of e-commerce and marketing, tells InternetRetailer.com
that while Bombay is using Dynamic Imaging on Demand zoom on about
500 SKUs now, it will extend the dynamic zoom application to other
items, in addition to deploying other capacities available, such as
360-degree spin, or even letting shoppers visually try out different
items in room settings, which it isn’t using now. “Dynamic
zoom is certainly important on the bigger pieces,” he says of
Bombay’s furniture and home accent assortment. “ A jewelry
box might not need it, but the bigger the product, the more details
you need to see on it. That also holds true for the higher the price
point.”
The accelerated content delivery is critical to support the dynamic
imaging function, says Corey, adding, “I don’t want somebody
on a dial-up having to click on an image and wait 25 seconds for it
to pixilate.” Bombay will measure increased conversions on images
before and after instituting the service on them and will expand the
service as appropriate based on those metrics, Corey says, noting
that call center feedback on the new functionality so far has been
positive. “We know it adds value, because any way you can help
customers visualize a product, or their dream, you are going to help
them make a buying decision,” he says.
