How AR Is Transforming E-Commerce Websites |Provis Technology

The implementation of augmented reality (AR) in transforming e-commerce websites is continuously increasing. AR allows customers to visualise and interact with the product as they can while shopping from a store.

In short, it has helped in removing the gap between in-person and online shopping.

The AR technology has already significantly impacted the online shopping habits of many customers for a range of products, starting from choosing the lipstick color that matches their skin tone to purchasing a table lamp that suits the room’s interior design. Using this technology, the customer can try the product on their body and in their homes and get a more personalised and immersive shopping experience while shopping online.

So, this new technology has brought a new revolution in the e-commerce industry. If you want to learn everything about it and how you can also implement this technology to enhance your online business, then you are at the right place.

Let’s begin!

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Statistics on Augmented Reality in E-Commerce

Before we move further, let’s look at some compelling statistics on how Augmented Reality is impacting e-commerce innovation and industry.

A study by Deloitte Digital and Snap Inc. suggests that 41% of customers (1) are using AR while online shopping.

Another study done by Statista suggests that there will be 1.7 billion (2) mobile augmented reality (AR) user devices worldwide by the end of 2024.

Interactions, a leading company in experiential retail marketing, conducted a study on “The Impact of Augmented Reality in Retail” and suggested that 61% of customers (3) like to shop with AR.

What is Augmented Reality in E-commerce?

AR is the combination of digital and physical elements to create a hybrid environment. Thomas Alva Edison coined this term in 1994 with his invention of the Kinetoscope. This device helped in seeing images projected on a screen without looking through a lens. This technology is now used to create various 3D models and the e-commerce section is using this benefit of the AR to increase sales.

The AR technology helps customers to try any product in their environment, in their own time and it gives them an exceptional sense of reality. With the use of this technology, the customers feel more satisfied with their online purchases and it has significantly reduced the return of the purchased items and has increased sales.

Now, AR in e-commerce is taking over every field of the shopping industry, from interior design to fashion, and the trend is going to stay.

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How E-commerce Businesses Are Using Augmented Reality

In this section, we will explore how e-commerce businesses are using AR to benefit.

Virtual Try-Ons

While shopping for something, the customer wants to know exactly what they are getting and they want to take every precaution for the product to be what they exactly want. Because if they don’t like the product after purchasing it, then the return rate will increase.

This problem particularly poses a threat to the online shopping business as the customers can not try on the product that they could have done in a shopping mall. But AR is helping here significantly. With the help of AR shopping experiences, they can try on the product and understand how the product will work in reality.

Preview of the Product

Customers often can’t decide how a particular item, and especially any home item such as a sofa or TV will look inside their house. These things are hard to decide even while purchasing the item from a store, so we can very much understand the condition of the customer buying the product while looking at it from a small mobile screen.

This is where AR comes to rescue online businesses. AR gives customers a preview of the product, which means the product will look good in their environment. This feature has helped buyers decide on the products that will be suitable for them and has reduced the dilemma of the buyers about a product.

Interactive User Manuals

If you are selling a product for which the customers need to learn how to properly use it, then the interactive user manual can be beneficial to teach the customers engagingly. Augmented Reality provides you with the facility to create an interactive user manual to attract more customers to your business.

This user manual will give on-page contextual support to your customers when they use the particular piece of application or augmented reality web development that you have provided them with. You can also create other types of user manuals where a particular app will scan your product and provide real-life step-by-step guides to your customers.

Different Social Media Filters

The beautiful pictures that you click on Snapchat and Instagram using filters are also examples of AR. But these filters are not only useful for clicking your pictures but also for clicking the pictures of your products as well.

Both these apps provide a huge variety of filters that you can use to click awesome pictures of the products to showcase them to your customers. These apps are also a great way to interact with your customers directly. Using these apps you can stand out among the crowd and be different from other online businesses.

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What the AR Future Looks Like in E-commerce

Though AR technology has huge potential, very few online businesses have adopted it till now. As this technology is new, businesses should seize the benefits of this transformative technology even more. If they adopt AR, they will be unmatchable with any other competitor brands in the online market field. Because of the customer satisfaction that AR can give, no other technology can do the same.

Even businesses that have a physical store can create an online store using AR. This online store can either be a replica of their physical store or they may create a more simulated one using AR to attract customers. All these features of AR technology help enhance the customer experience by providing them with a heightened version of reality. The interactive product displays also help in attracting more customers.

All the leading e-commerce giants in the world and some forward-thinking businesses are leveraging the power of AR to maximize their sales as much as possible. AR can completely transform the shopping experience of the customer by providing them with the satisfaction of touch, feel, and experience products.

Case Studies: Best Uses of Augmented Reality in E-Commerce

Several companies have seen success by incorporating AR into their e-commerce strategy:

1. IKEA Place: IKEA’s AR app enables clients to place furniture in their house, thus increasing the level of satisfaction among its customers and decreasing the rate of return.

2. Nike’s AR Shoe Sizing: Nike has implemented AR for recording foot sizes for customers to enable correct shoe sizes and, therefore, reduce cases of returns.

3. L’Oréal’s Virtual Try-On: L’Oréal enables the users of its app to make a trial of various types of makeup products, which in turn propels the sales.

Conclusion

The AR technology is changing how we shop online. Different studies suggest that customers prefer those business who use AR product visualization to showcase their products. With this expectation of the customers comes a huge responsibility and possibility for online business owners to use all the power of AR in their business to be on the top.

With the help of AR, business owners can create apps, websites, and even social media posts to engage their customers. So, the potentiality of AR is vast; you just need to implement it carefully and make our business better than any other.

FAQs

How does AR help in product discovery for customers?

The AR provides customers with the scale, proportion, and compatibility of the product in the environment of the customer. This can enhance the customer’s experience while shopping with a particular brand. This can also minimise product returns.

How do we ensure good product display using AR technology?

A good product display using AR technology depends on various factors such as device compatibility, environmental factors, network connectivity, continuous user testing, and quality of the content.

What is the difference between AR and VR?

AR or Augmented Reality helps in creating a world for the viewers that already exists and it helps the viewer in perceiving that world through the use of technology. VR or Virtual Reality immerses the viewer in a world that is created artificially.

What are the benefits of AR in e-commerce?

The benefits of AR in e-commerce is numerous, such as it helps improve customer experience and boosts the conversion rate of a business. It also enhances customer satisfaction and reduces the return rate of products. The personalised shopping experience that AR provides retains and attracts customers to a business.

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