The future of E-commerce with augmented reality (AR)
In the world today, many businesses and activities that were done traditionally physically and offline are going digital by the day. For instance, it is a wide experience for people to work in a physical shop today, examine the products they want to buy, or maybe they want to buy a cloth, they have to test the fabric to make sure that it fits them. After that, they may decide to purchase or leave the shop, but there is a new way that someone can do this physical activity online while staying in their house or place of leisure. They don’t need to appear physically while buying any goods. This is where the augmented reality comes in.
The e-commerce industry has witnessed exponential growth over the past few years, which has given way to many innovations in how people buy their goods. In ecommerce, people will have to purchase their products online without the benefit of interacting with the product before buying. Augmented reality offers a virtual experience that mimics in-person interactions.
What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
Augmented reality (AR) is a cutting-edge technology that superimposes digital information, such as videos, images, etc., in a real-world environment through devices such as phones, AR Glasses, and tablets. Unlike virtual reality, which immerses the users in an artificial environment, AR blends the physical and digital worlds. Before now, AR has been highly associated with gaming and entertainment, but it can also be maximized in e-commerce.
Examples of augmented reality in shopping.
1.TESCO has been at the forefront of developing an AR called 3D Virtual store that shoppers could work through via their smart TVs.
2.Breville has an App that helps customers preview their items before they buy them.
3.List and GO a multinational retailer, released an AR grocery shopping app that lets customers enter their shopping lists and displays an on-screen path to the products they want to purchase.
How AR is changing the e-commerce landscape.
AR has been used in various ways to support ecommerce. Some of the ways AR has assisted include
1. Virtual try-on for Apparel and accessories.
In e-commerce, AR allows users to see how the clothing and accessories they are about to purchase will look on them in real-time. Some companies, such as Sephora, have deployed AR to enable customers to try the products they want to buy virtually before they make any payment.
2. Virtualizing home decor and furniture.
With AR enabler apps, customers who want to buy furniture and home decor can easily place virtual furniture within their real-world environment to determine whether the furniture is suitable for their space.
3. It gives a competitive advantage to retailers.
Those businesses that have adopted AR stand at an excellent advantage over their competitors. AR helps them to position themselves as customer-centric and innovative in the eyes of the customers.
4. The shopping experience becomes personalized to the person.
AR assists customers in tailoring their products to their preferences. Some AR applications allow customers to customize colors, sizes, or designs in real-time according to their preferences. This, in turn, always increases customer loyalty with repeat purchases.
Future trends in AR application for ecommerce.
A lot will be seen in the future as AR technology becomes more sophisticated, and most companies will position themselves to benefit from these trends. Future trends in AR and e-commerce will definitely cover the following:
1. AR glasses and wearables.
AR glasses and wearables will soon greatly support e-commerce. In fact, AR will revolutionize our interest in E-Commerce. Consumers may need to wear AR glasses instead of smartphones to explore product features and place orders, and most companies like Google and Apple are heavily investing in such at the moment.
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2. Social media shopping with AR.
Social media shopping with AR will increase, and some social media, like Snapchat and Instagram, have already started integrating that with some AR Shopping features. With these integrations, customers can seamlessly buy makeup, shoes, etc.
3. Virtual stores powered by AR.
In the future, we will likely have virtual stores powered by AI. These stores will be entirely virtual, where customers can browse an entire catalog in a simulated environment. This could make an online shopping experience engaging and interactive.
What are the challenges of AR in ecommerce in the future?
1. Another challenge of AR in ecommerce is that of investment. An investment in the technology will be one of the challenges. Investing in AR infrastructure will cost more for some retailers.
2. Customers themselves may also need help to afford AR gadgets that can support this. Some may not have access to the latest AR-compatible device.
Conclusion.
The future of AR in E-commerce is highly promising as more retailers engage them in their shops. This will increase the personalized shopping experience, and customers will be happy—those who embrace A. I new will have more edge than others in the future.