Why did you start Nfinite?
Nfinite started from a clear hunch that as e-commerce grows rapidly, merchants need to get rid of their old ways of doing things and switch to an entirely new and revolutionary way. What I mean by this is creating product images for e-commerce and other digital platforms.
Every day, we see more product images being uploaded to digital platforms, but that’s where the throttling comes in. Product-based image production is pretty much inefficient… and it’s only getting worse with expansion. Traditional photo sessions are expensive and stressful. You have to pay for setup, photographer, logistics, etc. Moreover, you are limited by light, location, and many other factors. For marketing teams, it is also a complex and time-consuming task; Because they have to plan their photo shoot months in advance and can’t really adapt or change the visuals afterwards. After all this hassle, you will only get a limited number of product images of limited use.
As the market’s appetite for excessive marketing personalization grows, brands and retailers need a greater range of product images to cater to the different demographics, tastes, locations, and even moods of their target customers. For marketers, this means that the new task is to create, not five more images, but another 50 or 500 images! Linear scaling of the processes will not lead them there.
At Nfinite, we are creating a brand new category called “eMerchandizing”, which is revolutionizing the whole concept of visual marketing. Nfinite is about producing an endless amount of images, in endless iterations…without having to start that crazy production machine in the first place.
How do you actually check this?
A revolutionary idea does not change the world incrementally but does so on an exponential level. We are the “car” Henry Ford introduced to the public, not the “faster horse” people wanted.
At Nfinite, we offer a turnkey solution that takes advantage of CGI technology to create, display and manage unlimited product images, solving the scaling problem faced by modern marketers. We achieve this by creating a digital (CGI/3D) model of a product, whereby content producers can easily and easily insert lifestyle backgrounds that can be customized for different audiences, seasonal campaigns and different digital formats, thus creating an endless number of options to engage consumers and convert sales. .
Why are you entering the Asian market and what are your goals here?
We are establishing our operations in Asia because I think the region is more mature in terms of digitization, and online purchasing is more popular than the rest of the world. According to a report by E-MarketingThe region is by far the largest e-retail market and recorded digital sales of nearly $3 trillion in 2021, with growth three times greater than in North America and nearly five times greater than in Western Europe. So, I think it’s a natural market for us.
In addition to size and potential growth, market maturity also means that merchants may be more willing to experiment with disruptive solutions to differentiate themselves further and distance themselves from the competition. Our solutions can be tailored to suit clients’ needs. And I’m sure there are new digital trends emerging in this region that we’re just beginning to notice. For example, we know that influencer marketing is critical in Asia. Brands can deepen the symbiotic relationship with these influencers by creating visuals that fit their styles. We look forward to exploring new opportunities in this region.
For startups, entering different Asian markets is fraught with major challenges. How do you plan to deal with them?
We are fully aware of the extreme complexities of each market in Asia. In retail, the level of e-commerce penetration varies and shopping habits are diverse. So we decided to rely on local talent to answer in the best possible way to each company’s very specific requirements: culture is very important, and every customer should be treated the way they want to be treated.
We are certain that competition is fierce and retail companies are looking for opportunities to improve their competitive advantage. We also know that Asian companies are more willing to take advantage of technology to improve customer experience. That’s why we believe we have great potential to grow there.
We are rapidly advancing by setting up offices in Greater China, Japan, Australia and Singapore, which will also serve as our regional hub.
How has Covid-19 affected your business?
First, Nfinite is perfectly adapted to Covid-19. Traditional photo sessions require meeting people and moving objects. With so many travel restrictions and limited physical contact, many merchants have turned to our service. All we need to serve our clients is our strong program and community of CGI artists. I can say that we are a Covid-resistant company in a way.
Second, Covid-19 is nothing but a colossal accelerator of pre-existing trends. In terms of e-commerce, we’ve been projected several years ahead in terms of adoption. And as you know, e-commerce marketing is a huge consumer of visual content. Marketing studies have shown that 93 percent of consumers consider visuals to be a deciding factor when purchasing a product or service. As human beings, we are forced to love images. See, for example, how children are attracted to pictures and movies. Pictures evoke emotions that are essential for our brain to make decisions: they are the backbone of our purchasing decisions.
Unfortunately, many brands were not prepared for this shift and were unable to scale their business online due to visual production. It is very difficult to produce a lot of visuals at a low cost without sacrificing quality. Nfinite is one of the only companies capable of scaling up visual productions for content-intensive promotional purposes.
What are the main challenges you face?
First, brands and retailers are just beginning to realize the rapid development of e-commerce and digital merchandising. But they may not even know that the solution is on the market. So we need to go the extra mile to highlight current and future pain points through education and clear messages. We need to instill a sense of urgency, like when companies were still on the fence about building a brand website or creating a social media account.
Second, like any disruptive solutions, we compete with legacy systems and outdated behaviors. Brands have teams, processes, vendors, and existing budget allocations. It would be arrogant to step in and ask our prospects to get rid of their current practices altogether. We are committed to helping early adopters transition into the new era of e-commerce.
Third, mass consumers are not the only ones affected by attractive images. We know that Asia has a rich group of ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) players who are looking to promote their precision crafted products to global brands. It is crucial to make these ODM aware that attractive product images can help them stand out from their competitors beyond just cost and specifications.
What is your vision for the future of Nfinite?
We know we are entering a world of excessive content customization. Thanks to CGI, brands will soon be able to move forward with adapting their content to more precise goals. Once you take your product as a 3D model, you can create an endless number of images that are precisely adapted to each type of customer. I believe that thanks to CGI, brands will be able to access a whole new dimension of intimacy with customers. The need for high-quality images for marketing is exponential.
Beyond hyper-customization is the Metaverse. It has become a prerequisite for marketing teams to ensure that their visual assets are fully compliant with the intense 3D requirements of the Metaverse and Google’s new 3D search engine. Leveraging powerful 3D rendering technology, Nfinite can now deliver visuals compatible with Web2 and Web3 applications and enable a smoother transition for brands. Using an original 3D catalog, they will create as much content as they need for their product pages, websites, social networks and metaverse experiences.
Tell us your most important lesson as a successful CEO of a digital startup.
One of the biggest lessons I learned during my Nfinite journey is the importance of focus. Initially we were exploring a lot of opportunities; Today I’ve refocused the company on what’s really important: building the largest customer-centric visual production tool for marketing.
At the same time, as in this case, we create a completely new market category. There are no current best practices to follow. We shouldn’t be pushed into the hard playing field of our solution, but instead spend more time creating a seamless process to help our clients transition into this new reality.
Eager to learn more about Nfinite?
Please contact Annie Chu, President of Singapore, annie.chou@nfinite.app
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