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In the rapidly evolving online shopping landscape, businesses face the challenge of staying up-to-date with the latest e-commerce trends driven by technology, social media, and digital marketing strategies.
Thankfully, access to valuable information on marketing topics, including effective technologies and strategies, has never been easier. Augmented Reality (AR) is one such technology revolutionizing e-commerce. Let’s find out how to use Augmented Reality in eCommerce in this guide.
And if you’re ready to get started right away with AR in your store, we’ve got you covered. Try Zakeke Visual Commerce Platform and find out how to unlock the power of AR to take your store to the next level!
What is AR technology, and how does it help to enhance your business’s e-commerce site? Augmented Reality is a technology that changes the appearance of the real world by layering digital information on top of it.Â
This technology has been around for some time but has only recently begun to be important to eCommerce industry. The use of AR in eCommerce allows customers to virtually try on products, such as AR for clothing or AR for jewelry, and also allows customers to see products as they are, placing them in a real space.
Whether you are looking for an Augmented Reality clothing app for your clothing retail company, or you are looking for a solution that allows you to easily and interactively show off your custom-made furniture and home goods, there is likely to be a solution available for your business.Â
This is because as more businesses realize that AR technology can be used to improve the customer experience and increase sales, the software solutions and platforms that offer the tools they need to use Augmented Reality in eCommerce are becoming increasingly popular.
Even though many people are familiar with the ideas of Virtual and Augmented Reality, many people use these words interchangeably or think of them as the same type of technology. In reality, this is not true. Virtual and Augmented Reality are different technologies, and each can bring a different value to the online marketplace. But, before discussing what are the benefits of VR and AR in eCommerce, you may be wondering what the difference between them is?
Try thinking about it in terms of video games. Most video games are created with the goal of some kind of virtual reality in mind — these games are creating an entirely digital world and environment for you to interact with. Many games allow you to control a virtual character within a virtual world. First-person perspective games would better explain what a VR experience would be like. Â
An Augmented Reality game, on the other hand, would be something more like Pokémon GO. This game allows you to see Pokémon existing in your natural environment — meaning your phone creates a digital image of a Pokémon in the view of your camera so it looks like it is existing in the real world.
So, what do these technologies mean for e-commerce? When it comes down to it, both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (in fashion, home goods, and other retail industries) can be extremely useful for a business. These technologies that allow a customer to interact more fully with the products that they are considering purchasing can make those customers a lot more confident in their purchase. VR and AR additionally make the shopping experience much more enjoyable and engaging for your customers.Â
Because of these benefits, online platforms like Zakeke, that offer 3D and AR visualization tools are becoming more and more popular. With tools like Zakeke, you can easily create an engaging digital product catalog using a unique 3D viewer for your website that your customers can interact with and better understand your products.
There are a number of examples that can show the benefits of using Augmented Reality in eCommerce. In 2018 UPS estimated that 27% of consumers returned items they purchased because when they got them delivered to their home, they were not as they were described on the website.Â
Augmented Reality technology can be instrumental in reducing the number of returns and unhappy customers by showing them exactly what they are getting — from every angle and in much greater detail — when they purchase it from you.
If you are looking for Augmented Reality eCommerce examples, there are plenty of options to choose from. In 2019, Warby Parker launched an app that allows customers to see what certain eyewear options would look like on them, and home goods businesses can use this same technology to help customers easily visualize what furniture or home accessories would look like in their homes.
You may also be able to find Augmented Reality examples in daily life if you keep an eye out for them. Especially today, when the majority of consumers handle most of their shopping needs online, it is becoming increasingly more important for businesses to adopt new and innovative technologies that allow their customers to feel confident and secure in their purchase decisions.Â
After all, returns and exchanges are not pleasant for all involved. The more returns that can be avoided, your business will be better off. So, while a full-on Augmented Reality shopping mall may not have been popularized yet, there are many tremendous benefits to using AR technologies to offer more engaging and interactive content to your customers.
Augmented Reality technology can bring several extremely valuable benefits to the world of online shopping, for both retailers and customers.
AR for retail increases Customer Engagement and boost sales: customers can see what they’re buying directly online and it increases their confidence in making a purchase. AR in e-commerce also helps reduce returns because customers can try on products before buying them.
For customers, AR e-commerce provides a better and more interactive Customer Experience: they know exactly what are the products’ features and they’re also able to try on products before making the purchase. The result? Better Customer Experience and improved Customer Satisfaction.
How to start using AR in e-commerce? There are several best practices you should follow: