Welcome, Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan! First things first, please introduce yourself and your business!
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Emage-plus is a Visual content creation Agency (and network) that offers professional product photography, 3D photorealistic/Augmented Reality and product video services to e-commerce businesses in need of high-end and innovative visual content.
We focus on volume and consistency, but in essence, the point is to provide a 360 solution to our customers, so we added a twist to this by adding a major network and platform factor to the equation.
Please tell us more about E-mage Plus. Where are you based? How do you operate? How about your team?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Emage-plus is a Hong Kong-based company. We have a strong background in Product Photography, Video, and Digital Marketing. Our core team is small and efficient, but our network is otherwise composed of photographers, video editors, and 3D designers all highly experienced in their field.
Our content production takes place in Hong Kong, but part of our Marketing team is based in Europe. That helps us to get a global knowledge of the different markets and their trends, which is really important when it comes to offering cutting-edge solutions to our clients.
Let’s talk big picture. What problem does E-mage Plus solve out there?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Today, e-commerce businesses have plenty of choices for content creation. The amount of options is insane, really, and that creates a lot of uncertainty for clients who can struggle with finding the right strategy for their projects.
Their goal is to create the most efficient and adapted visual content to sell their products online, but the difficult bit is to identify the right channel and the right format to get the right result.
Interestingly, the field reality of the e-commerce industry (post-Covid) can be summarized with three points.
First, more and more brands need to sell online – if only to compensate for the loss of business in the normal retail channels. Yet, the smallest players can’t really afford that and they rarely know how to obtain a wide choice of content at reduced costs. We solve that issue.
Second, brands also need to improve the online shopping experience of their users, and they have an absolute need to stand out from the crowd if they want to turn prospects into clients (let alone clients into recurring clients). We solve that issue too, using 3D Customization and Augmented Reality to make a massive creative difference from the standpoint of online sales.
Third, finally, social media allows you to promote or sell products (social commerce) but again you can’t leverage that channel without access to the right tools and professionals. We solve that issue by providing cutting-edge expertise and insights brands don’t otherwise have access to.
What solution do you bring, then?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Well, I’ve started to answer that question with the previous three points, but to be more direct let’s say that we leverage our unique expertise in product photography, product video, and 3D or Augmented Reality to give e-commerce businesses the tools they need to create a consistent and tailored experience that attracts new customers.
The point is not to create websites anymore, it’s to create and nurture digital storefronts people love, and to then convert brand interest into an act of purchase. That’s where leverage is.
Market-wise, what makes E-mage Plus different from the competition?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Beyond our technological know-how, Emage-plus gives you a one-stop visual content provider, which means you don’t need to talk to multiple vendors to get things done.
We handle small to large shooting production. We take care of all the logistics aspects, offering you a carefree solution. And we deliver all files within an unbeatable timeframe. On top of this, we keep looking for innovative solutions to keep our clients up with trends, and we do it in an affordable way. Can’t be better than that, right?
Can you illustrate this with an example of how E-mage Plus made an Impact on a client?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: We have a double impact, actually. First, Emage-Plus makes a difference for brands that need to differentiate themselves and onboard new clients, but in reality, we help them shape their offering before the offering is even ready to be sold. We can create visual illustrations of products before they even exist, so it helps with design, development, storytelling, you name it.
Even better, in those times of generalized lockdown, we also make consumers connect with their brands through experiences like 3D Customization or Augmented Reality, and by doing that we create a dream-friendly bubble that allows people to escape from the heavy news. People usually say that an image is worth a thousand words. Well, perhaps an Emage-Plus is worth a million words! Amazing, isn’t it?
What stage of development have you reached? What can you tell us about the next steps? Anything exciting?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Today we are able to produce many types of content on quite a large scale, but tomorrow we are aiming to make it even easier and more attractive with new IT solutions like 3D Customization and AR implementation.
Plus, thanks to new partnerships, we are now able to easily implement those tools on our clients’ platforms.
Let’s talk about entrepreneurship. Looking back, what was the most obvious challenge you had to overcome when you started that business?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: A few years ago we were in competition with all the photography studios out there, and that made our life complicated because for many clients a camera is a camera and therefore the price is the differentiating factor.
We invested in technology and network development rather heavily though, so today we are able to innovate and create incomparable value beyond the classic content creation channels with a flexible 360 solution.
Another challenge was to think outside our expert box, to deliver not just deliverables but also knowledge in many different fields, which now helps us to guide our clients and adapt to their changing demands. We are not just a content supplier anymore, we focus on being the forward-looking solution maker.
And the least obvious?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Our clients are looking into new ways to attract their customers, but sometimes that involves deep changes in their processes or brand strategy and it can be difficult for us to convince them to take the step.
That means we need to adapt and find ways to explain, offer alternatives and guidance at new levels. It’s never a question of selling, it’s a question of creating value.
What does it take to be a business owner or an entrepreneur these days?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Being a successful entrepreneur is always a challenge, but Covid 19 created even more new challenges, but also new opportunities that as a business owner you need to define and catch.
For Emage-plus, the challenge was always to transform those temporary opportunities into long-term arrangements that satisfy everyone. The clients are happy because we bring consistency and solutions, and for us, this is a win-win because consistency creates business model viability and stability.
Would you share tips as to how you manage to deal with the hurdles of being an entrepreneur? Any routines or hacks worth sharing?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: I follow my plan and focus on delivering task by task within an allocated time slot. Multitasking is important, but with time I noticed that I am more efficient when I organize my day in time slots and bits I can chew easily. That helps to stay focused on the main objective.
For me, it is also important to implement processes to manage the day-to-day tasks and then monitor the results. Then you can not only identify your achievements but also your company’s weaknesses and try to work on them. From finance, marketing, and operations to sales funnels, we always try to automate our process and monitor the outcomes.
Speaking of tips & hacks, have you read any good books on business recently? What were the main takeaways?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Actually, I haven’t had much time to stop and read a business book recently. However, I got many takeaways from other passions like cooking or history. Follow carefully the steps, stay up to trends and learn from your mistakes.
Do you happen to listen to any podcasts you’d like to share?
Adrien de Lavenère-Lussan: Business war, a fun way to understand the history of business. As a big fan of history in general, I always try to understand and analyse the past, combine that with curiosity and a craving for innovation and you have a solid overview of what to implement and develop to reach your goals.
Wrapping up – how can people reach you? Anything else you’d like to share?
Simply by email at admin@emage-plus.com or you can book a call Here. We are always happy to discuss with potential customers and understand the problems they encounter in order to bring them the best solutions and innovations.
