Chicago company uses 360 photography to improve online shopping experience

CHICAGO (WLS) -- If you're a frequent online shopper, you might have noticed how some items on websites like Amazon and Walmart, appear to be in 3-D.

How are they doing that? With the help of companies like Snap 36.

"We're creating experiences for people who shop online and also businesses who buy online," Snap 36 CEO and Founder Jeff Hunt said.

"So when you're shopping online, you're going to these websites, you actually could rotate products around, open and close things and see what the products do so you're more confident in purchasing that product," added Katy De Leon, Snap 36's vice president of marketing.

The company specializes in 360-degree photography. It can make 360 images of things as small as microchips and as big as cars.

"We have this set-up that has multiple cameras on it here, instead of shooting the spin with three separate angles, multiple cameras all fire simultaneously," said Kyle Henderson, marketing content designer and photographer. "So it spins around one time and then all cameras fire 24 shots during that spin, so this is going to give you 72 different angles of that one shot."

Another camera set-up has a robotic arm that moves around to capture different angles of products that move or can be opened, like toys or bags.

"It just kind of simulates playing with the toy in the store, seeing how it moves around, seeing how it works just a little bit better than still images," Henderson said.

So, while you may not be able to touch or feel your brand new pair of shoes, you can at least get a better idea of what will be waiting for you at your doorstep.