A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words: 5 Stats On The Importance Of Visual Assets

Customers want to be able to see your products in action, being used in the same or similar manner to how they plan to use the item. Runners want to see other athletes jogging in your sneakers, fashionistas want to know how their latest look will go over in the real world, and even construction workers need to understand exactly how their materials will look on the job site.

But you don’t have to take our word for it — take a look at these five stats that help demonstrate just how important visual product assets are to your omnichannel success — and stick around for tips on how to manage these crucial resources.

1. People typically remember just 10% of information they hear, but 65% of images they see

Let’s start with a big one — when it comes to retaining information, most humans are simply better at remembering images they saw than they are at storing words they read or heard.

As we’ll discuss below, most humans are visual learners, and as a result, researchers believe that the average person retains 65% of visual image information as opposed to 10% of written or auditory info. Unlike the family dog, our sense of sight is far better than our sense of smell or hearing and is a crucial part of how we receive information from the world around us. As a result, the majority of us remember visual information well, and it has a big impact on what influences our thinking.

2. Video will account for 82% of internet usage by 2022

Maybe it’s because of our nature as visual learners, maybe it’s due to a shrinking attention span, or maybe it’s the result of another cause entirely, but there’s no debating that consumers and professionals alike are increasingly watching video when they log online.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, video currently accounts for 75 percent of global IP traffic — a significant share to be sure, and one that has already seen a significant rise in recent years. But researchers predict that video consumption will continue it’s notable growth over the next few years, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 29 percent to reach 82 percent of all internet usage within just a few years.

3. Infographics lead to web traffic increase of up to 12%

Photographs and video aren’t the only visual assets that can help you communicate with customers, of course — they’re just the start. Infographics, for example, can help you communicate statistically dense or dry subjects in a fun, easy-to-understand way.

What’s more, research shows that consumers like infographics — in fact, they like them so much that they’re more likely to interact with businesses that use them. According to research from OneSpot, infographics can improve web traffic by up to 12% — and for good reason. The average user reads just 20% of words presented on any given webpage, while 65% describe themselves as visual learners — a perfect audience to target with infographics.

4. Emails with “Video” in the subject line boost click-through rates by 65%

Email marketing has become an integral part of almost every company’s operations, and a crucial way of communicating with customers. There’s no better way to let your customers know about a new product, a special offer or promotion, or other brand news is to speak to them directly.

But consumers are drowning in a veritable sea of spam emails these days (according to recently published research, nearly 270 billion emails are sent each and every day). That means it’s harder than ever to break through the noise and get consumers to click on, open, and read your message — but video can help. One study found that simply including a video in an email, and letting recipients know what’s waiting for them by using the word “video” in the subject line of that email — boosted open rates by 19% and increased clickthrough rates by 65%.

5. 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service

We’ve saved perhaps the best example of the importance of visual assets for last. According to research, it seems that customers actually want to see more visual content from their favorite brands and retailers — 72 percent of customers in one recent survey said they would rather use images or video to learn about a new product or service, more than any other medium.

What’s more, to a recent Hubspot survey of consumers in Colombia, Germany, Mexico, and the United States, more than half of consumers want to see more videos from brands and businesses they support. What’s more, other types of visual assets weren’t far behind — 41% of surveyed consumers said they want to see more images from these companies outranking both written articles and content delivered via PDF.

Give customers more of what they want with PIM

It’s clear that customers crave more visual assets, from infographics to product photos, and even and especially video. These multimedia assets help them better understand the products they’re considering purchasing and can help give them the confidence needed to complete the transaction.

Product Information Management (PIM) solutions can help you take control over your visual assets and deliver a stunning and compelling omnichannel experience to your customers. Paint a better picture of your products with PIM! See how your team can use visual product assets like photo and video to take your omnichannel experience to the next level.

Contact us get your PIM project underway, or check out our blog Winning the Battle of the Brands to find out how to make sure you stay on top of the competition.