Importance of Image processing in business
AI is no longer an option for any enterprise, it is a necessity for the survival
A Picture is worth a thousand words
Airbnb, an accommodation-sharing site that lets you host strangers for a sum, is a pretty common name today. Since its inception in 2008, it has grown exponentially. However, everything wasn’t so merry in the beginning, in fact, Airbnb was at the brink of bankruptcy in 2009. The company looked into everything right from their business model to their product suitability, but the actual problem turned out relating to Image aesthetics.
Airbnb hosts a site where people see the images of the available accommodations and accordingly book their stay. However, back in 2009, most of the photos posted were taken by people from their mobile phones with bad quality which were terrible and really bad. It was also reported later that some of the houses represented were these photos were actually very good. Airbnb then started on a spree to replace the low-quality images with their high-resolution counterparts and just as expected, the company began to grow and register profits.
Adding aesthetics to the business, just did the trick for Airbnb.
Images: A vital source of Data
The world today is full of data and images form a significant part of this data. Images and image sequence constitute about 80 per cent of all corporate and public unstructured big data. The images are available in multiple forms like photographs, satellite maps, medical images etc. The image database gets only bigger with every passing second. Facebook receives more than 10 million new photos uploaded every hour, and around 1 billion people use Instagram. We’re capturing more images than ever before in the entirety of human history. One of the primary reasons for this surge in image data is due to the rise of smartphones. With state of the art cameras present in our phones, we virtually carry a ‘personal photographer’ in our pockets.
Importance of Images in Business
As the growth of unstructured data increases, systems are trying to interpret images to convert them into meaningful data. Images provide valuable insights to consumers regarding a product. Images also help to generate more engagement which is vital for processes. Today the first point of contact for a business and its clients is through their website and the images on the website form an essential part of this interaction.
According to a study conducted by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Property name and images are the two main things that drive the online hotel choice. The study also revealed that once the people shortlisted some properties, the images of the property were the deciding factor.
A Picture is worth a thousand words
A good photo can make or break a connection almost instantly, with a potential client. Expedia, an American global travel technology company, in its study, concluded that every good image on a website helps sales conversions for Online Travel Agencies.
Hotel and Real Estate sectors are two common businesses which are heavily governed by the quality and kind of images they display on their websites.
So if you are into a hospitality business, you would want to keep these salient points in mind regarding the images displayed on the websites:
1. Good Quality photographs
Properties with a high-quality carousel of hotel images showcasing the impressive and luxurious amenities have a higher conversion rate than the ones with mediocre photos.
The hotel room on the right is definitely going to grab more eyeballs than the one on the left even though the room charges for both of them is nearly the same.
2. Highlighting the major areas
Gorgeous entrances, clean surroundings and greenery have proven to be a positive factor in attracting people to property.
3. Avoiding irrelevant and Misleading images
Hotels should avoid showcasing such images on their websites that people do not want to see. These may include dark, blurry and low-quality photographs. Also, multiple photographs of a single room don’t give much choice to clients. Shots of an empty reception area give the impression that there’s no one there to greet guests.
Some websites display images of property which actually do not exist. This can lure client once but can prove to be detrimental for the company in the future.
4. Aesthetics
Aesthetics, in the world of art and photography, refers to the principles of nature and appreciation of beauty. Aesthetics can increase the visual appeal of the photographs.
Photographs with a consistent colour scheme, similar lighting conditions, a bright and radiant backdrop can have a positive effect on the viewers. Similarly, hotels can highlight their seasonal offerings to attract travellers throughout the year. Snowfall pictures in winters to a refreshing swimming pool image during the hot summer months can enable a hotel to showcase its different facets and hence appear appealing all the year round. Aesthetics enhances the attractive quotient of the images.
5. Variety
Variety is the spice of life and humans love it. It makes a perfect sense to have a variety of images to illustrate each facility in the hotel rather than having multiple images of a single facility. By providing a variety of images, one can give travellers a better understanding of the property and an opportunity to visualise it.
Conclusion
Every feature of a hotel attracts a different set of audience and this is a very important aspect to be kept in mind during Image classification. Nobody likes to spend money on a property that they cannot see. And if what they see is not good, they will never go for it.
