This indicates that retailers need to do a lot more to convince customers to follow through with their choice and purchase items online. Virtual reality is an emerging technology that could provide the answer. Some online retailers hesitate to invest in VR and AR because they believe it’s just another passing user experience trend.
Anthony is the founder and creative director of millermedia7, a digital product agency that focuses on software, UX UI, and digital strategy. Anthony leads the company as a strategist to venture backed startups and enterprise clients. Anthony is constantly innovating new technology to further m7’s goals and mission. Statistics show that e-commerce platforms are experiencing an unprecedented increase in traffic since the beginning of the year. The world’s most popular retail websites generated 21.96 billion visits in June 2020 compared to only 16.7 billion just a few months before, in January 2020.
Augmented reality in retail transforms consumer experience
As a result, online retailers get many returns and spend a lot of resources on admin and managing these returns. For online retailers, it means that visitors will view more products and make more purchases. Besides, the implementation of AR and VR is a great way to increase the number of returning customers who are loyal to your brand. “True” VR involves creating fully immersive environments that people can interact with. The elements in these VR “worlds” move and react depending on the actions of the user.
However, online shoppers want to get as many details as possible, and a virtual shopping experience lets you browse through the items as if you were in one of the physical stores selling furniture. To achieve success, e-commerce businesses can’t rely on only driving traffic to their websites. Just like when users play VR games, customers engaged with an online VR experience is more likely to stay on a web page or in an app for a longer time.
Increasing Customer Engagement
By its very nature, eCommerce is a constantly changing beast and those wanting to get ahead in the market need to have their finger on the pulse. Right now, Alibaba has its own 3D luxury shopping platform called Tmall Luxury Pavilion. Digital avatars, collectibles, try-ons, and 3D shopping are some of the most notable features of the platform. If you are looking for a new table or a set of chairs, you cannot get a good idea of how it would look by analyzing product images online. Remember, this is a relatively new technology so it might take a little longer to find the right person.
These virtual tools make it easier for customers to make informed purchase decisions, while brands can better manage customer expectations. We create a compelling story of your journey and products that appeal to your audience. This allows you to connect with them on a much deeper level than giving your product the hard sell. Besides that, the VR would enable you to improve customer service, test new products in the market, and do much more. Virtual reality lets consumers try to browse products as if they were in a physical store in store. In some cases, such as cinema, VR enriches the experience by introducing additional senses.
VR shopping platforms
Some of the proponent mobile apps of using AR for brands early on were Snapchat and Instagram—allowing brands to create AR filters for their products for customers to use. For example, in a 2021 campaign, Christian Dior used Snapchat and Instagram AR filters to encourage “virtual word of mouth”—which received over 1.3 million impressions. AR devices http://stadion.kz/456/news/id/351 allow companies to launch additional content and extra information in their stores. As a result, they can offer new levels of in-store engagement and make the experience more appealing to consumers. Earlier this year, at the 50th CES (Consumer Electronics Show), traders learned how they may create a virtual version of their stores for the VR market.
- Virtual showrooms give customers a way to visit your storefront online in a more immersive way.
- There is no question that we are moving into a much more dynamic and interesting age, thanks to technology such as augmented reality (AR).
- Sephora’s AR-enabled application was created to let users virtually try on makeup.
- “True” VR involves creating fully immersive environments that people can interact with.
