The fact that online shopping doesn’t fit itself well with a rich visual product experience is one of the main problems with it. In a physical store, you can put clothes on, feel textures, and judge for yourself how big a couch seems in a room. Although those things aren’t physically achievable in eCommerce, augmented reality (AR) applications provide a method to provide customers with deeper and more comprehensive information about your items – all from the comfort of their own homes. Retail and other advertisers are taking notice of the fact that augmented reality technology has been really starting to take hold.
Let’s examine some statistics to demonstrate this:
- One AR research firm projects that advertising revenue could top $8 billion by the end of 2024.
- 71% of consumers claim that if AR were adopted, they would shop more frequently.
- Consumer preference for retailers offering AR experiences is 61%
- 40% of buyers claim they would pay more for a product with augmented reality customization options.
- 67% of advertising companies claim to be using augmented reality more frequently.
- By 2022, there will be 83.1 million US customers utilizing augmented reality on a monthly basis.
Using Augmented Reality For eCommerce Has Various Advantages
eCommerce business owners may gain a lot from this cutting-edge technology. The following are some wonderful advantages of AR in eCommerce in 2022.
- Increase Customer Engagement – Integrating buyers with the product and brand via experiential marketing is among the most effective strategies to increase sales. In eCommerce, augmented reality enables customers to experience items in real-time. Users will be able to engage with the goods exactly as if they would in the real world. In order to aid users in making wise buying decisions, it offers real-time, interactive 3D models.
- Conceptual Product Design- Poor product experience is one of the biggest disadvantages of online purchasing or eCommerce. Buyers cannot touch or fully comprehend the thing they buy online, unlike in-person transactions. Online retailers may close this gap by utilizing augmented reality in eCommerce to create more immersive product experiences through 3D representations, virtual try-on, and interactive videos demo. Fusing the actual and virtual worlds on the live video stream can assist online store owners in creating more engaging product experiences. Users may choose their purchases more wisely as a result.
- Lowering return rates- One of the most prevalent issues that might use a number of resources are a high return rate. 30% of consumers who had recently made purchases returned the things, according to a study. The issue, in this case, is that either the store owner cannot adequately describe the goods or the buyer cannot comprehend the thing. Implementing an AR shopping experience can close this gap, assist customers in experiencing the goods, and aid in proper product selection. By enabling clients to select the ideal product in accordance with their needs, augmented reality implementation in eCommerce may, therefore, drastically lower the return rates.
- Increase in conversion rates- One of the significant advantages of augmented reality in online shopping is improved conversion rates. If users understand the product they want to buy, they are more likely to convert. By utilizing augmented reality in eCommerce, business owners can provide customers with a more captivating and engaging products and service experience, increasing conversion rates.
Here are some initiatives you can take if you’ve decided to adopt augmented reality in your business model.
Clearly State Your Company Goals: What do you hope to accomplish? And how does it benefit your consumers? After responding to the first question, you should continue because the second question has the potential to transform your AR application from acceptable to outstanding. You must be clear on the goals you have for the user experience. Before diving into the technical components of your AR application, establish your vision and objectives. Choosing the methods and tools, you’ll need to get there will be more straightforward once you understand where you’re heading.
Choose the Augmented Reality Tools You Want to Utilize: You may start targeting the tools you need to engage after you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. The following are the areas you should consider:
- Type of licensing: If money is an issue, you might want to pick an AR platform that provides a free license. There are several AR solutions that provide simultaneously free and paid licenses. The free edition won’t be as feature-rich as the full program, so keep that in mind.
- Operating systems supported: If you want to create apps for a variety of OSs, ensure that the platform you select is compatible with each OS you intend to use.
- Supporting devices: Check that the tool you select can handle the hardware for your app, whether you want to run your augmented reality app on mobile devices, PCs, or AR glasses.
- Functionality: Make a thorough assessment of each platform to see if it offers the functionality you want. For instance, not all platforms enable geo-location. Therefore they won’t help you if you’re going to develop location-based AR software.
Promote Your Innovative Tool: You’ll want to spread the word about your tool now that you’ve worked so hard to create it. Here are some strategies for spreading awareness:
- Make a demonstration video. Create how-to videos for your app that are both promotional and informative.
- Specify instructions for the app. Give consumers clear instructions, so they know what to do to get the most out of your app.
- Your information should be shareable. Allow consumers to tell their friends and social media presence about their AR experience.
