More Businesses are Offering Augmented Reality Shopping Experiences as AR Solutions Become The Norm
While a majority of the population seems to be aware of augmented reality, we still often overlook some its most promising use cases. Moreover, businesses need to adapt to the changing climate and make AR experiences more available to the newly demanding market. When considering today’s applications for high-quality augmented reality, people often bunch AR and VR together because of virtual reality’s success in the entertainment industry.
However, augmented reality is slowly proving itself among the retail industry by winning over the hearts of shoppers, as 32% of consumers in 2020 are using AR while shopping. Keep in mind that many businesses are being forced into providing AR experiences as COVID-19 has turned online shopping into the only option for many.
Mobile Marketer reports that 71% of consumers said they would shop more if they used AR. Moreover, 61% of consumers say they prefer retailers with AR experiences. Not only does this show an appreciation towards AR shopping experiences, but it hints towards something greater: if your business doesn’t offer AR solutions, you’re going to be one step behind the competition. Let’s look at some companies who are ahead of the curve:
Beauty Ecommerce
L’Oréal uses a product called ModiFace which allows consumers to have an AR-powered makeup try-on experience. This provides immense value to consumers, since trying on makeup isn’t as easy as trying on a piece of clothing. That’s why other companies like Sephora and Sally Hansen have also gotten on board with extending this experience to their customers. Additionally, retailers who use AR have seen 40% higher conversion rates, making these customer experiences even more appealing.
Home Improvement
Stores like The Home Depot, Ikea, Target, and Wayfair are all giving consumers the opportunity to see products projected in 3D to accurately assess how they would fit in the consumer’s physical space. Virtual product customization is another game changer for what businesses can offer for their customers, since 40% of customers say they would pay more for a product they could customize in AR. The following two industries benefit greatly from providing virtual customization as well:
Footwear
Nike uses Nike Fit which allows customers to find their true shoe size in AR while shopping online. This is huge for Nike, as they report getting about 500,000 calls to their customer service line per year related to sizing issues.
Eyewear
Warby Parker uses an AR feature in their app that allows for customers to try on glasses and even send out pictures of themselves wearing them to get second opinions. For businesses like Warby Parker, they do not have the capacity to hold all their inventory in-store, so this gives customers the opportunity to view a wider and more complete selection of products.
One major takeaway from this in regards to how this is all possible. AR shopping has become so widely accepted because of 1) our accessibility to smartphones and 2) our recent reliance upon online shopping. Virtual reality cannot quite compete because many households do not have access to a VR headset and most businesses still do not have virtual reality headsets for customers to use in-store.
Secondly, Mobile Marketer also reports that 52% of retailers feel they are not prepared to integrate AR into their shopping experience. The importance of this statistic lies in understanding business’s readiness, or lack thereof, to adapt for consumers’ needs. As less people are wanting to do business via pen and paper, offering more tech-savvy shopping experiences should be in the crosshairs for every business.
At FixMate, we are doing our best to bring engaging AR experiences to our customers in the home improvement and repairs market. If you or your business aims to incorporate such experiences, visit us at www.fixmate.io to learn more.
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