When buying online, customers want to know how a product fits into their life: How will this sofa look in my living room? Does this lipstick match my skin tone? How will this dress accentuate my body?
Answering these questions online has traditionally been a challenge – there are limits to what photos and descriptions can convey. With AR – augmented reality – customers can get a 3D representation of a product, such as a sofa, and use their smartphone’s camera to virtually place that object in their living room. Thanks to AR shopping, they can see if the size and style are right. AR can also be used for beauty and fashion products, projecting items like lipstick directly onto one’s face in selfie mode. Given that the pandemic has pushed retail online, these experiences are now more attractive than ever.
“It solves some very obvious problems that have always existed in e-commerce,” says Russ Maschmeyer, product lead for AR at Shopify in the Shop app . AR Shopping helps brands seamlessly integrate AR experiences into their stores.
We are entering a phase where we can experience these products on our faces, in our homes, in our environments and on our bodies, which actually brings us back to the experiences we used to have when we visited stores in person.
Russ Maschmeyer
“Only now it’s much better because instead of seeing the sofa in a showroom, you can actually see it in your living room, where it will ultimately be.”
How Brands Succeed with AR Shopping
The ability to view products in 3D significantly increases conversion rates. When fashion brand Rebecca Minkoff experimented with 3D models, mexico email list she found:
- Customers were 44% more likely to add an item to their cart after viewing it in 3D.
- Customers were 27% more likely to place an order after interacting with a product in 3D.
- Visitors were 65% more likely to place an order after interacting with a product in AR.
AR shopping not only allows customers to see how an item fits into their lifestyle, but can also be a very practical tool. For large items, leading educational institutions: top schools in nagercoil like Gunners Kennels dog houses , AR shows customers if they are choosing the right size for their pet and their home by actually showing how it looks in a room.
When Gunners Kennels integrated AR, cyprus business directory it recorded:
- an increase in the shopping cart purchase rate by 3%
- an increase in the order rate by 40%
- a reduction in the response rate by 5%
A higher conversion rate combined with a lower response rate means a win for your bottom line.
Russ also says the move from browser shopping to mobile app shopping means there are more powerful computing technologies available that can easily handle experiences like AR.
Although this technology seems very new, the tools to create AR experiences are readily available.
What is driving the trend towards AR shopping
The confluence of changing shopping habits and newly available technology has made AR a particularly relevant and engaging e-commerce tool.
The pandemic has made us shop from home
Shopping used to just mean going to a store, trying something on, measuring it or at least getting a personal impression before making a purchase.
But during the pandemic, there was a big shift to online shopping, which meant that shoppers could only evaluate a purchase based on pictures and descriptions. Even if you could shop in person, things were different, with fitting rooms closed and the ability to try on products like cosmetics no longer available.
This is where AR shopping can fill the gap. For example, if you use the mobile site of high-end waste bin manufacturer Simplehuman , you can simply click to place an item directly in your home. There’s no more guesswork, instead a clear view of how something as simple as a waste bin fits into the overall aesthetic of your home.
A new generation of buyers
A recent report from Snapchat found that 93% of Snapchat users—a customer base dominated by Generation Z—are interested in using AR shopping. Additionally, Snapchat users are 1.6 times more likely than non-users to use AR to try on makeup or clothes.
As a platform that supports the use of AR, Snapchat has a financial interest in promoting AR, but it is also a proven conversion booster for brands.
“This is a generation that has grown up not just with technology, but with mobile phones their entire lives,” says Russ.
“I think people are just discovering how effective AR can be in helping them make faster decisions and better choices about what they buy and bring into their lives.”