Adobe Scene7 is the leading on-demand cross-media platform that enables companies to grow revenues and enhance user experience with dynamic rich media. Clearly the features of the service are highly desirable for publishing rich media to websites. While affordable for large manufacturers and online retailers, Scene7 is considered to be cost prohibitive for smaller companies. While Scene7 clients control the creative outcome, preview and manage the production process, they still must generate high-res photos, video, and 360° images in order to use the service.

Additionally, a company must employ a designer capable of navigating the complex Scene7 interface. Selling high-quality products online requires enhanced visual imagery, attractive merchandising, and detailed product specifications - that is a recognized fact. But what alternatives exist for companies who find content management services like Scene7 too expensive? This is the gap our new "product tour" service endeavors to fill.

Affordable Alternative

The needs of an online retailer smaller than Amazon or Bass Pro Shops, or manufacturers smaller than Sony or Columbia Sportswear, are very dfferent. For larger company websites with thousands of products, particularly apparel, frequent changes necessitate more robust backend control. For most small to mid-size websites, a template for product presentation will be selected and used indefinitely. Easy edits to copy and updates to images for color changes, or the addition of new items, should be a function for every website. These updates or additions need to be instantly live Internet-wide. Should a new feature be desired in the future, the ability to alter a template should exist, as well as the capability to change the templates used sitewide. The ability to utilize one image in multiple locations and in different sizes, should also be an option.

The ability to dynamically employ alternate views, color choices, zoom enlargements, 360° rotation, and video content usually requires extensive coding, storage, and bandwidth. Product tours provide all of this functionality, as well as the creation of the raw images, video and other files required. Implementation is less complicated and easier than the coding required to insert Scene7 functionality into webpages. By far, the biggest advantage is the cost.

 

We've generated this chart to give you a quick look at the differences between our product tour service and Scene7 type services. Admittedly, our service is not as robust as S7, but the end result is the same and the cost is far less, creating a viable option for small to mid-size companies. This comparison does not detail every feature Scene7 has to offer, only those required to simulate the features of our product tours.

ADOBE SCENE 7	EMG PRODUCT TOURS
1) Annual contract with fee based on traffic volume, storage, bandwidth and desired features selected.	1) One-time fee for each item product tour. No contract, unlimited use, any combination of zoom, spin, view, color or video is included. First year hosting free.
2) Client creates content for each item (i.e. images for alternate view, colors, 360° rotation, high-res zoom, and video production).	2) EMG creates content for each item product tour, included in one-time fee. Video production is optional for additional $100/item. No charge for existing video.
3) Client builds and customizes item product templates, render sets, and multi-media sets.	3) EMG builds custom product tours for clients.
4) Client inserts code for all published content into web pages via URL calls to servers. CLICK HERE for sample code.	4) Client inserts URL hyperlink into any web page. CLICK HERE for sample code.
5) Client edits content and publishes updates using admin control panel.	5) Client edits content which instantly becomes live using admin control panel.

One Big Difference

With our service, you can choose which items and how many items to feature in product tours. Start with a few and if healthy ROIs are realized, select more items to feature! You only pay for the product tours created.

 

Zoom, Spin, View and Color

Every product tour includes any combination of these (4) options; zoom, spin, view and color. It does not matter if you select all four, or less than four, the price is the same.

The one-time cost for a product tour is $385 each. We offer a discounted price of $285 each for 50 or more items in the same order. The price includes: all photo shoots; configuration and customization of each product tour; access to your online Director admin panel for content updates; and web hosting for high-quality delivery.

Video

Production of product demo video costs an additional $100 for each item. Price includes video shoot, post production, royalty-free music or sound effects, and voiceover as required. Runtime not to exceed 2 minutes. This production price is available only in conjunction with orders for product tours. Standalone video production rate is $300 per finished minute. If use of an existing product demo video is desired, there is no additional charge for insertion into a product tour. However, this is contingent on receipt of a high-quality compressed Flash flv file that does not require additional work. Standard rate for any work required to use existing video not delivered in the proper format is $125 per hour.

Optional Zip Files

Downloadable zip files containing each individual photo and/or video flv file are available for $50 per item. This option permits unlimited use of the high-res photos for catalogs, digital magazines, brochures, advertisements, etc.

Hosting

The first year of hosting, beginning the day we start creating your product tours, is included in the development cost. This first year gives us and you an opportunity to evaluate traffic and usage to determine a fair hosting fee. Your annual fee will also be based on the total number of product tours we deliver for you, and we may not know exactly how many that will be initially. Hosting fees will start at $29 per year, so there is nothing to be nervous about. Clients with only a few product tours will not be charged the same as those with hundreds or thousands, thus the reason for such a broad range.

 

To make production effortless, we offer turnkey services that, other than deciding what items to feature, place no demands on your time. We really felt this page was kind of skimpy, but honestly - this is all there is to it. Send us your stuff and we'll create you an awesome product tour. It is that simple.

We will generally pull elements from your website to create the graphics for your product tour. If they are just too low-res to use, we may request a file or two. We do not require hand-holding to get the job done, and we are extremely experienced in virtually every element of ecommerce, from product concept, development, and manufacturing to site building, marketing and selling. Collectively speaking, our team has done it all. So put our talent and expertise to work for you!

STEP 1: Select items and options for your product tours.

· Complete the order form we provide to indicate the desired options for each product tour.
· Upon receipt of your order form, a delivery date for your product tours is scheduled.

STEP 2: Ship us the items for processing.

· Items are received, processed and returned in original condition. The exception is for items used in video.
· Items may be shipped in increments, or all at once and stored in our studio warehouse.
· Provide shipping call tags for timely return of all items.

STEP 3: Start displaying your product tours online.

· Upon completion, you will receive a list of URL hyperlinks to access each product tour.
· These links can be used on any website offering your products for sale.
· Make a quality first impression on the Web and ensure consistent branding.

 

Because of the uncertainty regarding ROI, multichannel marketers tend to come down on the side of caution when installing rich media. Many try to keep costs down by relying on their own staff to handle the acquisition of media, customization and integration. However, this requires a considerable investment in staff, studio and camera equipment, software and hardware. If you have large products such as saddles, bird cages, dog houses, etc., the process of generating balanced 360° photos can be daunting. Outsourcing is even more expensive, as more than one professional will be required to generate all the elements offered in a product tour.

Experts advise companies to “investigate the use of rich media on a case-by-case basis.” EMG takes that to a whole new level by offering the option of creating as few or as many product tours as desired to give clients an opportunity to test the effectiveness before making major commitments. Development of product tours can be scheduled over the course of several months and, since implementation does not require disruption of existing page code, product tours can go online immediately upon completion.The technique used to create product tours allows changes to the base template which can be instantly applied to all existing product tours. This means clients can test run product tours and make changes at any point during development, to new and existing product tours.

The flexibility of product tours allows clients to enhance their websites without investing in a system or technology that cannot be changed. As new bells and whistles emerge, features can be added without requiring a complete overhaul.

First things first

A couple of years ago simply having a Website was a sign of being a progressive organization. Today a site that is outdated or lacks polish can be perceived in a very negative manner. You will get out of your Website what you put into it.

Scrutinize your site as often as possible to make sure that it is presenting the image, content, accuracy, and recency that your customers and prospects expect. The costs associated with this effort are different from those of other marketing media, but the significance should not be underestimated.

 

What size are Product Tours?

They can be any size you desire. If you want to deliver a small window (300px X 400px) to be inserted on a webpage, only one simple line of code is required. Manufacturers can share the code with an unlimited number of websites selling their products. Retailers who may not have adequate space on existing webpages can insert a simple URL hyperlink to open product tours in a separate browser window. The options are endless and easy to implement.

What if I need more than one size?

For an additional $100 per product tour, you can have multiple sizes configured. Manufacturers may want a larger size on their own website, but a smaller version to share with online dealers. The great thing is, no matter how many sizes you order, all are instantly updated using our product tour Director admin control panel.

What if I have existing photos or video?

We can use any existing product photos you want included in your product tour. However, this does not alter the cost, as we have priced the service to encompass all elements of development, not only the photo shoots. There is no charge for including existing product videos, provided they are delivered to EMG in the proper format and require no editing, compression or formatting on our part.

How long does production take?

This depends entirely on our current production schedule. Upon ordering the service, you will be given a delivery timeline which depends greatly upon the number of product tours you are ordering, and the elements to be included. Obviously those requesting product demo video will take longer to produce. Our advice is to get your order in before we get slammed…bound to happen at these prices!