The best thing about online shopping is that you don’t have to go to stores to buy what you want.
In a strange way, this is also the biggest disadvantage of shopping online. Without being able to touch or feel a product, we often don’t know if we should buy it or not.
This is where augmented reality (AR) comes in handy, as it can connect our real and virtual worlds and make shopping more immersive and real.
How Does Augmented Reality Work?
AR is an extension of our physical world that uses new technologies to give us a unique, interactive experience.
AR is made up of three main parts: blending the real world with the virtual world, a real-time interface, and the precise 3D blending of real and virtual objects.
The overlapping information from the senses can be put into two groups:
- Constructive: It makes the natural environment better.
- Destructive – disguises the natural environment
- Virtual reality vs. augmented reality (VR)
- AR is often confused with VR, but even though they are similar in some ways, they are still two different types of technology.
Why Should You Use AR in Online Shopping?
AR and VR are not the same in the following ways:
- AR takes place in the real world, while VR takes place in a completely virtual world. AR is controlled by the user, while VR is controlled by the system. AR can be accessed from a smartphone or tablet, while VR requires a headset device.
- AR blends the real and virtual worlds, while VR is all in the virtual world.
Why You Should Use AR in Your Online Store
Now that we know what augmented reality is and how it’s different from virtual reality, let’s look at why you should use it in your online shop.
AR makes the rate of conversions go up.
AR is turning into a tool that customers not only want, but also need. It increases conversion rates because it gives customers more useful information about a product before they decide to buy it.
Statistics show that conversion rates are higher for products that use VR content in their ads than for those that don’t.
Most shoppers say that AR makes them feel more confident about the quality of a product. Customers are more likely to buy from you if they trust your brand.
IKEA, one of the most well-known brands in the world, has made the most of this new technology. They’ve made an app called IKEA Place that lets people see how the furniture would look in their homes.
This app combines a picture of a customer’s room with a 3D model of a piece of furniture. In this way, they’ve made a shopping experience that can’t be found in any real store.
With the help of AR, you can get rid of almost all of the things that are getting in the way of your customers. This will increase your conversion rates, which will be good for your profit.
You can easily figure out how well your AR campaign is doing by hiring one of the best accounting firms to help you figure out how AR affects your business’s finances.
AR improves how customers feel (CX)
AR’s convenience doesn’t just come from the fact that it lets customers “try before they buy.” It can also create a real-life environment in the store so that customers can have a great shopping experience just like they would in real life.
AR can also help customers learn more about the products by letting them interact with a 3D model of the product that can be changed in colour, size, design, or pattern.
If you go the extra mile, your customers will have a good time and feel good about themselves. This will make them more likely to buy your products.
Since CX is so important for business websites, you might want to hire a company that specialises in web consulting services to help you improve your site.
AR cuts down on return rates.
19% of customers will buy more than one version of the same product (like different colours or sizes) on purpose so they can keep the one that works best for them and return the rest.
64.2 percent of customers will send back the product they bought if it doesn’t match the description on the website. 37.2 percent of customers will send back the product just because they don’t like it.
AR can help with most of the reasons why someone would want to return an item.
With AR in your online shop, customers will be able to see and understand what your products are and how they work. This will give them more confidence in their choice.
AR makes it possible to customise products
AR helps with the latest trend of customising 3D products. Because technology has changed, anyone can now make 3D graphics on their phone, tablet, or computer.
With AR, your customers can help design a product based on their tastes, needs, and preferences. This will make them feel more connected to your brand and interested in the product.
Customers will be very happy if they can change the way a product looks, and happy customers are the best advertisement a business can have.
How to use augmented reality in your online store?
Now that we’ve talked about why you should add AR to your online store, let’s talk about how you should do it.
Options for a virtual try-on
In the ecommerce market, options to try on clothes virtually are becoming more and more popular. Breakthroughs in technology like facial recognition, shifting from 2D to 3D, and measuring the distance between a person’s pupils have made online shopping almost as real as going to a store.
This method works best for stores that sell clothes, shoes, fashion accessories, and a lot more.
Some of the most popular brands in the world, like Nike and Gucci, have already joined this trend.
Nike made an app that can measure the size, shape, and volume of a person’s foot to help them find the right shoe size. This very useful feature will make conversion rates go up and return rates go down.
Gucci followed the trend by making an app that lets people see how shoes look on their feet and from different angles. You can even take pictures with the Gucci app and share them on social media. This is a great way to get your products out there in a natural way.
The try-on option is a great way to help customers decide whether or not to buy your product.
Take a look at Product Placement
IKEA Place is a part of the IKEA app. As you might have guessed, this AR solution works best for online shops that sell furniture and home decor.
How Big Is My Body?
When people buy clothes online, one of the hardest things for them to do is find the right size. Most products have been sent back because of this problem, which is a shame.
This is why the app to measure your body was made. It lets people try on a product before they buy it to see if it fits their body type.
Manual
People have become very careful when shopping online because of all the scams and fake ads that happen online. They want to know that the money they spend is well spent.
An AR user manual can be a good way to get people to believe in your products. It gives you a step-by-step guide in a way that you can interact with online.
AR user manuals let people scan the product in detail, which makes them feel safer about buying your product.
Shop aisles online
With the help of augmented reality (AR), you can make virtual store aisles that look and feel like real ones. This can be helpful because you can set up your products in an orderly way.
Social Media Filters
Social media filters are one of the most fun and rewarding ways to use augmented reality, and if you use them, you can:
- Increase the number of people who know about your brand and products. Social media networks are a great place to show off new products. Customers can see how well a product fits them and share the results thanks to the many filters.
- Increase brand engagement. Everything we do on social media is easy to share, and the more people who share your brand, the more brand engagement you can expect.
- Make your brand stand out by using the newest technologies. This will give your brand a certain appeal, like a cool brand that knows what’s going on. People will be interested and want to know more about this.
- Think about the age group you want to reach when choosing a social media platform to link to your online shop. For example, if you want to market your products to people in generation Z, you might want to use TikTok.
AR is here to stay, and if online shops want to stay competitive, they will have to come up with an AR strategy for their website.
We know that putting AR into place takes a lot of time and resources. This is why you should start by using augmented reality tools that already work on your platform and then move up to more complicated solutions.
Conclusion
People like to use and talk about new technologies all the time. This is why putting the latest technologies into your online store will make your brand more modern, relevant, trustworthy, and talked about.
Using AR will make it easier for customers to interact with your business and bridge the gap between shopping online and shopping in person by giving customers a more immersive experience that actually works.
We hope that our article gave you some information about augmented reality and helped you decide to take advantage of new ways to solve problems that online stores often face.
