Why Should You Implement AR in eCommerce

The biggest convenience of online shopping is not having to physically be in shops to buy what you want.

Ironically, this convenience also represents the biggest downside of online shopping. Without that physical interaction with the product, we are often uncertain whether we should buy it or not.

This is where AR comes in handy, as it can serve as a bridge between our physical and virtual worlds, allowing us to have a more immersive and tangible shopping experience.

What Is Augmented Reality

AR is an extended reality of our physical world that allows us to have a unique interactive experience with the help of new technologies.

AR integrates three basic features – merging the physical with the virtual world, real-time interface, and precise 3D blending of virtual and physical objects.

The overlapped sensory information can be divided into two categories:

• Constructive – adds features to the natural environment
• Destructive – disguises the natural environment

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality (VR)

AR is often mistaken for VR, and even though they have some similarities, they are two different technology trends.

The differences between AR and VR include the following:

• AR operates in a real-world setting, while VR operates in a completely virtual environment
• AR is controlled by users, while VR is controlled by the system
• AR can be accessed from a smartphone or tablet, while VR requires a headset device
• AR merges virtual and real world, while VR is completely virtual

4 Reasons Why Implement AR in Your Online Store

Now that we know what AR is and how it differs from VR, let's look at the reasons why you should implement it in your online shop.

1. AR Increases Conversion Rates

Ar is becoming a tool customers not only want but need. It increases conversion rates because it allows customers to have more valuable information about the product before they decide to buy it.

The statistical research shows that products that advertise with VR content result in higher conversion rates than those that don't.

Most of shoppers say that AR provides them with more trust when it comes to product quality. When your customers trust your brand, they are more likely to convert.

One of the world-known brands, IKEA, has exploited the advantages of this new technology to the fullest. They've created an application, IKEA Place, that allows customers to see how the furniture would fit their home.

This app takes the image of a customer's room and merges it with a 3D model piece of furniture. This way, they've created a shopping experience that not even a real-life store can offer.

With the help of AR, you can clear almost every obstacle in your customers' path, and this will lead to an increase in your conversion rates, thus will have a positive impact on your profit.

You can easily measure the success of your AR campaign by hiring some of the best accounting companies to help you better understand the impact AR has on your business' finances.

2. AR Boosts the Customer Experience (CX)

The convenience of AR lies not only in its ability to provide customers with a "try before you buy" approach. It can also create a realistic in-store environment that allows customers to have a great real-life-like shopping experience.

What's more, AR can help the customers get more detailed insights into the products by interacting with a 3D product model that can be changed in color, size, design, or pattern.

Going that extra mile will give your customers an enjoyable experience and a sense of self-value when choosing to buy your products.

As CX is very important for any business-oriented website, consider hiring an agency specialized in web consulting services to help you optimize your website.

3. AR Reduces Return Rates

19% of customers will intentionally purchase multiple variations of the same product (for instance, various colors or sizes) with the intent of keeping the one that best suits them and return the rest.

64,2% of customers will return the purchased product if it doesn't match the description on the website, while 37,2% of customers will simply return the products because they don't like them.

There are many reasons behind returning a product, and AR can help with most of them.

With AR implemented in your online shop, customers can visualize and contextualize your products, which will ultimately help them have more confidence in their choice.

4. AR Supports Product Customization

AR supports the latest trend of 3D product customization. The evolution of technology made it possible for everyone to render 3D graphics by phone, tablet, or computer.

With AR, your customers can participate in a product's design according to their taste, preferences, and needs. This will make them feel more engaged in your product and more connected to your brand.

Offering the options for product customization will lead to a very high rate of satisfied customers, and they are the best commercial any business can have.

How to Implement AR for Your Online Store

Now that we've answered why you should implement AR in your online shop, let's dive into how you should do it.

Virtual Try-on Options

Virtual try-on options are becoming very popular in the ecommerce market. Technology breakthroughs such as facial recognition, 2D to 3D shifting, and pupillary distance measurement, made online shopping almost a life-like experience.

This approach is most suitable for businesses that sell clothes, fashion accessories, shoes, and many more.

Some of the world's famous brands, like Nike and Gucci, have already jumped on board with this trend.

Nike developed an app that can help customers find appropriate shoe sizes by measuring the size, shape, and foot volume. This very useful feature will result in both higher conversion rates and lower return rates.

Gucci followed the trend with their app, which enables customers to see the shoes on their feet and how they appear from different angles. Gucci's app even has an option for taking pictures and sharing them on social media. This is a great way of promoting your products organically.

The try-on option is a very useful tool for giving your customers that final push towards buying your product.

Preview Product Placement

This is IKEA's app module, IKEA Place. As you have probably guessed, this AR solution best fits furniture and home décor online shops.

Body Measurement

One of the main issues customers come across when they buy clothes online is finding the perfect size. Unfortunately, this issue has been the reason behind most returned products.

This is the reason for designing the body measurement app. It allows customers to try a product and see if it fits their body type before they buy it.

Manual

With all the scams and false advertisements that often occur online, people have become very cautious when shopping online. They want to know that the product they buy is worth their money.

An AR user manual can be a helpful tool for convincing your customers to trust your products. It presents an interactive virtual way of a complete step-by-step guide.

AR user manuals allow detailed product scans, thus enabling customers to feel more secure when buying your product.

Virtual Shop Aisles

With the help of AR, you can design virtual shop aisles that mimic the shopping experience of physical stores. This can be beneficial as you can arrange your products in a neatly organized fashion.

Social Media Filters

Social media filters offer one of the most fun and rewarding ways you can implement AR solutions, and by using them, you can achieve the following:

• Increase your brand and product awareness – social media networks are a great place for presenting new products. With their many filters, customers can test how the product fits them and share the results.
• Increase brand engagement – everything we do on social media is easy to share and the more people you get to share your brand with, the brand engagement you can expect.
• Make your brand stand out – leveraging the latest technologies will give your brand a certain allure; a hip brand that is up to date with the latest trends. This is something that will draw people's attention and curiosity.

When choosing a social media platform that links with your online shop, always have in mind the age group you are trying to reach. For instance, if you want to reach generation Z, consider using TikTok to market your products.

AR is here to stay and ultimately, all online shops will have to develop an AR strategy for their website if they want to stay competitive.

We understand that AR implementation requires a great deal of time and resources. This is why you should first try to implement AR tools that already fit your platform and gradually move towards more complex solutions.

Conclusion

People love to interact with new technologies and talk about them. This is why implementing the latest technologies on your online store will make your brand more modern, relevant, trustworthy, and talked about.

Using AR will improve customer engagement and bridge the gap between online and real-life shopping by providing a more immersive experience that actually converts.

We hope that our article gave you an insight into augmented reality and helped you decide to jump on board with modern solutions for problems that online stores often encounter.