Augmented reality is the icing on the cake when it comes to digital technology. AR is a simulation of the real world that is achieved through the use of digital devices that simulates sounds or other sensations delivered through technology.
Augmented reality is considered the future of e-commerce and online shopping. In this article, we share with you how augmented reality improves the online shopping experience.
Read to the end to learn valuable lessons that can help you boost online sales.
Engage Customers
When introducing a new product in the market, experimental marketing is the way to go. AR allows you to create a digital environment that enables customers to interact with your products like in the real world. The technology provides interactive 3D models that help consumers to make informed decisions.
Augmented Reality & Product Experience
Lack of opportunity to interact with products live is one of the drawbacks customers face when shopping online. Customers cannot touch or feel the product before purchase. Implementing augmented reality helps you bridge the gap by giving customers a 3D shopping experience that mimics the real world.
Boost Sales with Augmented Reality
Businesses that have used augmented reality have reported a conversion rate of up to 200%. Some businesses have reported a tripling of the number of customers who bought their products after interacting through augmented reality. The reason for the high conversion rate is that AR boosts customer engagement with the products with an average of 8 minutes from the normal 30 seconds.
Personalize Experience
Customizing and personalizing shopping experiences is the best way to increase conversion rates. Implement AR to help your customers personalize their shopping experience. This technology allows customers to examine different product attributes. Some of the attributes customers can try, for example, when shopping for a T-shirt include size and color.
Customer Confidence
A recent survey has shown that 27% of customers who buy goods online return them for not matching the description. AR enables your customers to try products in a virtual environment before buying. This helps customers make informed decisions and lowers the return rates.
AR helps you retain customers by providing detailed information about the product in 3D models. 3D models provide information such as the structure of the product and the material it’s made of. 3D models also help customers answer questions they can’t answer with they are imagination, for example, what a product looks like from different angles.
Custom Products
Your customers appreciate it if you provide your products in different colors designs and patterns. AR enables you to provide 3D models that give customers details such as the available colors, designs, and patterns. This is the reason online shops with augmented reality have higher conversion rates than Photographs.
New Products
Merchants can use 3D technology to create models of new products. This makes launching new products that reflect customer tastes easier. The traditional approach will require the creation of sketches which are then sent to a manufacturer, followed by several revisions before creating a 3D model of the product. AR provides a shortcut by enabling merchants to produce goods and services that are responsive to market demands.
Intelligent Business
AR technologies enable you to analyze all the anonymous customer data you collect. The data is discarded after the ER session ends. Businesses can extract valuable information from this data. A dealership may have the same car design in six colors. AR technology enables the dealership to see the car that interests people the most.
Valued Experience
Most e-commerce stores do not provide shoppers with adequate information, a personalized approach, and delivery before purchase. AR helps you give customers a comprehensive review of your product, and deliver a 3D model before the real product. Now that you have learned how AR improve the online shopping experience, now let’s share with you how it is used by notable brands.
Mark-Based ER
This type of AR runs on image recognition technology that detects the object placed in front of the camera by scanning the marker that sticks to the product. When a device running on AR detects the mockup list on the product, it replaces the marker on the screen we bet 3D version of the product. This enabled show pasts to view products in detail from many angles.
Marker-less AR
Marker-less AR does not need a target marker to scan the product. Merchants using the marker can place the product anywhere they wish, rotate, or move it. This technology makes it possible to have product images in 3D capturing the product from different angles.
Location-Based
This is a non-marker AR technology that uses graphic details to display specific information about locations. A good example of Location-based AR is Pokémon Go.
Projection-Based AR
This type of AR projects synthetic light on a physical surface creating 3D images of the product. The commonly used projection-based AR is holograms.
Social Media AR
Have you noticed the changes on Snapchat or Instagram lately? If you have, you have probably noticed they have added filters. Brands are now using social media filters to help target consumers. The filters help target consumers by:
- Showcasing product types, names, and categories, in addition to billing people to test them.
- Boost audience engagement and encourage people to share content.
- AR-based social media filters help your business to stand out by creating the “Wow” effect.
Contact Us at de Haro Group for solutions that will improve the shopping experience for your online customers.
