According to Unbounce, an animation on a landing page increases conversions by as much as 80%. Nothing grabs attention quicker than the eye-catching, quirky movements of stop motion visuals. Whether it’s the playful unboxing of a product or your cosmetic product marching in unison, stop motion helps marketers earn attention and clicks.
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which a product is moved in minor adjustments and photographed in stages.
Stop motion captures movement over time. The images are strung together and played rapidly to create a story. That signature jerky movement is the playful by-product of dropping out all those in-between frames that make up smooth video. Less frames means smaller files and a magical effect.
The Nashville Film Institute describes it:
“Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which a physical object is moved in small increments and photographed at every step. When these images are stringed together and played rapidly, the things in them appear to carry on their own.”
Stop motion animation can be used across social media platforms where it garners higher-than-average engagement metrics. You can embed stop motion graphics on your Website and in almost any visual ad format. Because the file sizes are smaller than video, they tend to load faster creating a better user experience.
Stop motion can show products in use and with a human touch. They can deliver a quick “how-to” tutorial on just how the product works. They’re snappy, succinct and engaging.
High-quality stills can make or break a great how-to stop motion but so can a story. From applying cosmetics or skin care products to using a new espresso maker, there’s always a story that can give shoppers a quick idea of just how easy it is to use your product. There are so many fun ways to bring the human element into a shot and take a simple product visual and convert it into a lifestyle visual.
Every brand has a story. You can use stop motion to engage your audience and tell that story while adding personality to your products. For example, if selling dog food, showing a dog with a sad expression in front of one product and then transforming into an excited, happy dog at the site of the better product helps tell the story. What are the ingredients in your product? If they are important to your brand story, you can use stop motion to have those elements transform magically into your product. For additional examples, check out these examples from LifeLapse of storytelling stop motion animations.
A step-by-step process can be illustrated perfectly with a shot-by-shot stop motion. It is a fantastic way to demonstrate how a product works or a variety of options on how it can work differently depending on needs or for what processes. For example a handbag has multiple ways to style or wear such as different strap options. You can use stop motion to quickly demonstrate how to lengthen or shorten the strap and the looks each variant provides. You can show the process for preparing beverages from teas to smoothies by showing each step from mixing to blending to heating to serving. Think about a clever process that your customer goes through and how stop motion can bring it to life.
Showing off all angles of your products will provide viewers with a better idea of what they are buying. Changing the camera angle to showcase the product from multiple views will visually let them see it as though they themselves were holding it or seeing it in real life. It allows for a thorough analysis and to see every little detail.
People often hesitate to buy a product online simply because they cannot see it the way they might in a bricks and mortar store. Creating a 360° view that steps through those views automatically via stop motion reduces that barrier. That full-surround animation helps break through the flatness of the computer screen bringing your product to life in 3D.
“360 product viewers and configurators can increase conversion rates by up to 5x. Because 360 product viewers allow shoppers to explore and interact with products much more than static imagery, buyer confidence is boosted, meaning that customers are more likely to convert.
With so much content competing for people’s attention, brands need better ways to quickly get people to stop and consider their product. Stop motion animation is visually playful while adding information- how products work, what they look like. It’s an easy way to get people to stop scrolling.
Making stop motion animation is not an easy task. It takes patience and a lot of minor tweaks from a production team to get it right. Get in touch with KittyKat today to brief us on what we can do to elevate your visuals!
