CGTrader.com and i.materialise roll out a 3D-printed gift challenge to enhance the unique shopping experience
(PRWEB) October 13, 2014 -- Christmas is all about finding the perfect present – for your husband or wife, your mother-in-law or your best friend. And it’s certainly easier said than done, as last minute shopping has become synonymous with the holiday season. 3D printing technology holds immense potential for reinterpreting the shopping experience, as the customer is capable of ordering personalized, custom gifts as well as choosing from an array of unique items that, due to limitations of traditional methods, have previously been considered impossible to produce.
“What makes a 3D-printed gift so unique is the way it is created: it requires genuine thought and personal input to design a custom item that would mean something to the recipient. It can be a bespoke, one-off design or a personalized version of a pre-designed model - anyhow, it’s a heart-melting gesture that would not go unnoticed. i.Materialise brings the quality and expertise in 3D printing that will, we hope, encourage consumers to include 3D-printed items in their Christmas shopping list and make this challenge a staggering success”, - said Marius Kalytis, the CEO of CGTrader.
According to research, this year 49% of the consumers will do the Christmas shopping online earlier to avoid last year’s shipping nightmare, which means that serious scouring for gifts this season may start as early as mid-October. CGTrader has teamed up with the 3D printing experts at i.Materialise in attempt to make the gift shopping as enjoyable as the Boxing Day and tap into the bubbling segment of online Christmas shoppers who seek unique gifts.
“We have noticed that there is a growing community of designers who like to print personal gifts, and silver and ceramics are both high quality materials that make for beautiful end products. CGTrader has a large community of top level 3D designers who are more than capable of creating inspiring designs, so rolling out a joint campaign seemed like a smart choice”, said Katrien Vandenplas, Marketing Manager of i.materialise.
The i.materialise Holiday Challenge is a team effort to showcase the range of possibilities that 3D printing brings to Christmas shopping, as designers are invited to work with two distinct categories – silver and ceramics. Winners of both categories will see their designs printed in the chosen material by i.materialise as well as receive a one-year premium membership Autodesk 123D and 3D-printed chocolate objects from Chocedge. High-quality, beautiful end products are expected to accelerate the change in consumers’ mindset towards 3D printing as a new approach to personalized shopping experience for everyone and anyone, not a lab experiment for incredibly gifted. And as we begin to move away from the basic 3D-printed objects like Santa figurines, the really magnificent creations emerge layer by layer, literally, from nothing.
About CGTrader.com
Founded in 2011, CGTrader.com is a community-based 3D model marketplace that strives to democratize the 3D modelling and 3D design market. There are more than 82,000 3D models uploaded to the digital library and more than 95,000 registered users, uniting 3D modelling professionals from all around the world. It is backed by Practica Capital, a seed and venture funds based in Vilnius, Lithuania, which is financed from the Operational Programme for Economic Growth 2007-2013 under the JEREMIE initiative in Lithuania, by the European Regional Development Fund. The company has also raised funding from Intel Capital to strengthen community and its position in 3D printing market.
About i.materialise
i.materialise is an online 3D printing service for all people with an eye for design and a head full of ideas. Far more than just an online 3D printing service, i.materialise helps people to materialise their creative ideas. With nearly 25 years of experience in the technology, more than 100 3D printers, and the largest selection of materials (including metals) and finishes out there, our support goes beyond 3D printing to address our clients’ real needs.
Create, share, and sell your designs with i.materialise.
Marius Kalytis, CGTrader, http://www.cgtrader.com, +37068468377, [email protected]
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