Improve working capital by getting products online faster

Using tech to get more efficiency and flexibility into your photo production

Nov 10, 2022 10:09:19 AM

The Turn-around Time (TAT) of product imagery matters. Slowness to market means losing money in the new e-commerce centered reality. Are you struggling to reduce your turnaround time and getting fed up juggling uncertainty and cost? We unpack the impact and causes of these delays and show you how Looklet can offer you swift, consistent image production and web publication.

In a recent survey of apparel executives “...the most cited priority was reducing time to market, as a top-three goal”. Your competitors are worried about it and if it isn’t on your list of priorities it should be.
Sometimes referred to as “time to market”, McKinsey Consulting group did a study in 2018 and found that the shift from in-person shopping to shopping with the flick of a thumb on their phones now allows consumers to browse and shop anytime anywhere
In their survey of 54 apparel executives from companies earning >2.5billion USD, it’s clear executives are aware of the importance of TAT but may not have the right digital tools implemented to effect the magnitude of change necessary

Causes of delayed products and product imagery on your e-commerce site are many:

Inefficient process - too many steps, too many people and not enough actual items get shot. Items that should be up today are just sitting, unleveraged until they can be shot, retouched, and published.
Production spikes and lulls - The inability to shoot all items on time - you simply don’t have enough staff or productivity in your normal process. Normally you shoot 40-50 items per studio or but you have 200 items that need to be shot and no way to increase your standard output of 40-50 items in a traditional on-model shoot.
Geographic and human delays - Model scarcity and human factors such as staff availability. Your company isn’t near a talent hub so time (and money) is used to get all the people in the right room at the right time. Let’s hope your samples are there on time too!
Vendor or supplier delays - samples and product development delays.

While Covid of course highlighted and increased the pressures of on-time samples, shoots, and publication time, most of these challenges are not new; rather, they are ongoing industry factors that skilled executives work to manage. The task now is for risk management through digital tools to decrease TAT and lean out the entire process.

Ok, so what can we do to relieve these pain points? Thankfully many of these factors can be controlled and digital tools are the key to these changes.

Looklet allows you to reduce delays or minimize their impact in a variety of ways:

Challenge	With Looklet
Inefficient process	Streamlined Workflow Looklet is an all-in-one solution that allows 1-2 of your staff members to “run” product imagery shoots themselves - simply by dressing our emblematic green mannequin. With staff count going from 5+ people to 1 or 2 your risk of delay decreases and your production increases.
Production spikes and lulls	Scaling Flexibility We help you manage production spikes so no SKUs get left behind and your customers see your latest items even faster. With Looklet, images are returned within just a few hours, making it perfect for late sample send-ins. Items are ready to style to suit your customer's needs. Your image settings, such as crops or file type, are already set up in our Look Creator, so there is no need to waste time reapplying. Our advanced software solution does the heavy lifting by handling retouch and delivering publication-ready images.
Geographic and human delays	Built-in model imagery + automated shooting Struggling to find the right models for your brand without breaking the bank with expensive fly-ins and logistics? Looklet eliminates the need to coordinate complicated model shoots, handle model rights, casting and booking, hair and makeup, photographers and assistants, and even the legal requirements for children’s apparel shoots. Our dedicated model team handles all these tasks for you.
Vendor or supplier delays	High-quality imagery on demand With your Looklet studio availability 24/7 and publication-ready imagery available the next day, you can shoot items one day and publish them the very next day! Your copy teams can use Looklet’s production monitoring tool and start writing product descriptions in parallel to shooting Lastly, our automated styling technology means it's never been faster to shoot, retouch, assemble and style your looks. This gives you more control and more time for your customers to shop for your latest items and make everyone happy.

Which one of these problems shows up most in your business? Chances are it's more than one. Looklet’s all-in-one, automated model photography solution puts you in control saving you valuable time (and money). Use the extra time and savings designing your next new, brand campaign rather than babysitting costly, logistically challenging traditional on-model photography shoots without sacrificing your brand’s high-quality model imagery.