Augmented Reality (AR) is innovating every industry.
Despite the increased dependency on E-Commerce due to the pandemic, the sector still confronts numerous difficulties. Businesses are finding it harder and harder to increase engagement and convert customers. One of the problems is the lack of a fully sensory product experience, which can lead to high return rates and subpar product visualization. Fortunately, adopting AR in e-commerce can give customers a more accurate depiction of a product that as a result will lead to increased customer satisfaction and higher ROI.
Reducing Return Rates with Virtual Try-Ons
While some renderings may look very realistic and make every ring look amazing online, it is important to try on the ring on your finger to ensure a proper fit and accurate representation of its appearance. Shop 4 Rings is an AR app that combines hand recognition technology with AR. People can virtually try rings on their hands and are more likely to click ‘’buy now” button. Shop 4 Rings jewellery store lets you shop as you do in a physical boutique. iPhone’s built-in camera scans your hand, then AR carefully places the ring where you want. You can even place the jewellery from one finger to another.
Providing clients with more ways to gain information on a product, can help them to decide which goods to purchase with more confidence, whilst also increasing interest in the product.
Building Confidence and Trust with Realistic AR Product Visualizations
Good product visualization is a vital aspect in converting a potential customer. You can see lots of images online but sometimes it’s hard to imagine how the product will fit into your real-life environment.
IKEA is one of the brands that offers new experiences to its potential customers to improve their loyalty. IKEA Place App sizes products with 98 percent accuracy based on room dimensions and provides consumers with the opportunity to test the furniture in real-time. The app scans the environment, and the user can choose an item from the IKEA catalog, point a personal device to the desired location, drag, and drop a selected item on it.
Seeing the product in your actual room develops a sense of ownership, leading to better informed decision making, helping consumers to avoid the hassle of making returns because of a mismatch in the visualization in their minds-eye and reality. AR app is not only a joy, but also makes it easier to make buying decisions, and inspires you with styles and colors with a swipe of your finger. IKEA Place was the second-most popular free app based on downloads.
Improving Customer Satisfaction with Better Informed Purchasing Decisions through AR
When you want to buy a product, you often have many questions, and in most cases, the information available is limited. This can lead to endless questioning, which can take up a lot of time and be frustrating. AR can help to solve this problem by seamlessly presenting all the information you need.
Customers can use AR to obtain as much information about a product as possible. AR can help you learn about a product’s features, characteristics, and benefits, which can help you make an informed purchasing decision. In fact, 65% of AR users use it to find out more about a product’s information.
According to Businesswire 77% of AR users said that they use it to see product differences, such as possible variations of colors and styles.
Sephora helps its customers to make informed choices. The brand was one of the pioneers, which proved that a physical store is not needed for the best customer experience. Sephora’s Virtual Artist App feature enables users to try makeup products virtually, before purchasing. People can test numerous makeup looks, take a photo of an outfit to match the shade, view complete face looks, and learn how to do makeup with virtual instructions. So, AR allows the buyers to try on and purchase the make-up that best suits them. They even can share the looks, as well as complete the purchase with one click.
Customers at Sephora can be confident in their purchases. They can try a wide range of goods, which is likely to enhance conversions while decreasing returns.
Using AR to Stand Out from Competitors
In today’s global competition, brands need to get as much attention as possible. As mentioned in a previous blog, traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective. E-commerce brands should stand out from their competitors by providing unique and engaging shopping experiences that differentiate their brands from others.
Amazon launched an AR app and used the tech to create engaging shopping experiences while people were struggling with the boring pandemic lockdowns. Amazon Prime delivery boxes were used for fun. You needed to scan AR codes on the boxes and an interactive experience was delivered wherever you were. After scanning the code, a Snapchat-like image of a consumer was riding in a tiny animated car. The technology enabled consumers to draw something, like a pumpkin, that was then rendered via AR into a jack-o-lantern. Many of them shared their painted boxes on social media.
Wrapping up
When it comes to implementing AR in your business, the answer is clear. No matter what type of e-commerce business you run, augmented reality is something that will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.
The E-commerce industry may have many pain points but none that augmented reality can’t solve. Nothing fits the phrase “The sky’s the limit” like augmented reality. The cases showed that AR is becoming a crucial bridge between the customer and the brands while helping the retailer boost their sales and eliminate plenty of costs. AR helps to reduce the number of returns, and makes purchase decisions easies by providing as much information and context as possible.
If you’re not sure where to start, CrossCreators can help you implement all of your crazy AR ideas. Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with us.
