Generative AI Case Study

A Solution for Commerce

Year
2024

Agency
Rightpoint

Client
Torani

Role
Design Director

Torani sells flavored syrups and sauces to B2C and B2B customers. They were looking to merge their brand and commerce sites into one site on Adobe Commerce. They have an established brand and identity, but their site did not fully reflect it. Though Torani didn't want a full redesign, they were open to a design refresh that reflected their brand more accurately.

One area we identified as needing improvement is how flavor is conveyed. Since they sell flavored syrups and sauces we wanted their customers to get a sense of how the products taste while shopping online.

The Big Idea

Currently the only way they communicate flavor is with the name on the product label and product card, the color of the syrup, and the short description on the PDP.

As we were defining a design direction for the new site, we recognized that additional visual flavor cues would enhance the user’s shopping experience, differentiate the products more effectively, and represent the Torani brand. Their label is iconic and they were not willing to make updates to the design to include flavor cues so we recommended a secondary “flavor cue” image that accompanies the primary product image. These would display when a user hovers over the product card on desktop and by default on mobile. These would also be included on the PDP image carousel and content blocks.

Solution

A substantial obstacle is that Torani has well over 100 flavors and budget, time, and resources are limited.

Our recommended solution is to leverage Adobe Firefly to help generate these “flavor cue” images. Torani liked the idea and gave us images to use as style inspiration.

Proof of Concept

The plan was to use AI to generate a background image that included the flavor ingredients, a color that complemented the flavor, and movement. Then we’d place the Torani bottle into the image using PhotoShop with the help of Generative Fill.

Using Adobe Firefly’s Text to Image Generator we experimented with various prompts until we landed on a general style that aligned with the inspiration they provided.

We used two different flavor profiles to stress test the prompts; nutty and fruity. Once we selected the background image, we used PhotoShop’s Generative Fill to place the Torani bottle in the image in a way that had depth and a balanced composition.

Results

The proof-of-concept images were in-line with their style requirements and conveyed flavor in a way that the bottle cannot on its own. They only took about an hour to create, but that’s a fraction of the resources it would take to shoot something like this.

TRADITIONAL

  • Designer/Art Director

  • Photographer

  • Food stylist

  • Post-production artist

  • Props

  • Location

  • Food

LEVERAGING AI

  • Designer

  • Adobe Firefly

  • PhotoShop

In its final application the ”flavor cue” images enhance the user’s shopping experience by conveying the flavors of the products they are browsing, differentiating the products more effectively, and representing the Torani brand.

Outcome

Approved 😊

Initially the client approved leveraging Adobe Firefly as a solution to help create “flavor cue” images.

Then disapproved 😞

Our contacts at Torani discussed the solution with their brand team and ultimately decided to not move forward with AI because it conflicts with the integrity of their brand. They indicated that to stay in line with their brand, they want to:

  • Include a human touch when creating images by focusing on moments of crafting, sharing, and enjoying.

  • Keep it real and not use shortcuts or hacks.