How can Augmented Reality help you boost your Retail & E-Commerce business?

Based on a research study by Ernst and Young (EY) , people mostly purchase
electronics like computer-related items (40%), books (20%), travel & leisure
(16%), clothing (10%), recorded music (6%), subscriptions (6%), gifts (5%) and
investments (4%).

If you combine the first three categories, you have a 76% share of items
people prefer to buy online.

But why are the numbers low in the other categories like clothing, footwear,
music, gifts, etc.?

People would rather believe & invest in buying leisure items online than other
products. All they have to do is to do proper online research before
purchasing the product.

And in the case of non-electronic items like gifts, clothing, DIY Tools, etc.,
consumers prefer going off-line. The reason is simple too – fit the exact
need, which is difficult when doing it on an online e-commerce website like
Amazon, Meesho, Flipkart, BigBasket, etc.

But here’s a catch that claims to give an immersive experience to buyers -
Augmented Reality (AR) .

AR lets consumers, products, services, and clients stand out while building
relationships, helping win loyalty, and inspiring action.

Today’s biggest hurdles/challenges of online shopping are – a crowd of similar
products and the non-availability of a whole sensory product experience.

In the off-line mode (showrooms, suites, shopping malls, or simply the brick-
and-mortar environment), you are free to try on clothes, footwear, utensils,
touch fabrics, or see and observe just how oversized a couch would look in
your room if purchased.

A 360-degree virtual tour of the product you buy might seem promising, but it
doesn’t allow you to have a sensory experience like you feel in a
reality/natural environment.

While a few things are possible in eCommerce, technically, it isn’t possible
in eCommerce websites/web apps to have a sensory experience so that you can
buy the item and get it delivered in the same shape, size, and quality.

Thus, in that case, Augmented Reality (AR) applications offer an excellent way
for customers to have detailed and complete information about the products
companies (SMBs/SMEs/Big business giants) put on the market before the
consumers and potential buyers — right from their homes.

Let’s explore how Augmented Reality can help the eCommerce and Retail
businesses grow.

Below is the list of items included in this blog post:

• What is Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality?
• How Augmented Reality differs from Virtual Reality?
• What are the different types of AR applications?
• Stats for Augmented Reality in eCommerce
• How Augmented Reality is helping eCommerce businesses
• Benefits of Introducing Augmented Reality into your Online Store
• Ways in which you can bring Augmented Reality into your eCommerce store

What is Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality?

Augmented Reality (AR) refers to augmenting or adding to/expanding the two-
dimensional views into a world like our physical world. This technology does
it by combining it with a layer of digital information.

You can think of Jarvis (a beautiful example) in the Iron Man movie!!

What does an AR app do?

It shows you the physical world superimposed with computer-generated images.

There’s a tremendous opportunity for AR/VR
in Retail and
eCommerce.

Because people are investing time in other activities and cannot physically go
into a showroom to buy furniture and plumbing items, utensils for the kitchen,
etc., You may also say that people are becoming lazier and seeking comfort
around the corner. Or, when making a purchase, there are still some purchases
for which buyers need more contextual information.

Whatever the case for an individual, it is a fact that people have gotten used
to eCommerce, and it needs help from AR technology to sell more and more non-
electronic items and help sellers attract consumers to buy products.

An AR app can make it easy for customers to buy DTC furniture and allow
shoppers to customize and place true-to-scale 3D models of their products
before them, making it feasible for consumers to check for size, shape,
colors, etc., while boosting the sales for shoppers.

How Augmented Reality (AR) differs from Virtual Reality (VR)?

Often, most people use the terms Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
interchangeably, but they are pretty different.

VR is for an immersive experience, while AR augments the real world

Augmented Reality augments a world that is already around you. And you can
still perceive it to some extent. Virtual Reality is about creating a world
like Meta’s Oculus Quest.

That is the development of an artificial world that gives people an immersive
experience – a world in which artificial objects surround you.

In Virtual Reality, it isn’t possible to see and experience the real world.

Do you remember the game Pokémon Go by Nintendo, one of augmented
Reality’s most notable projects to date?

Pokémon Go allowed users to play the game while walking down the street to
catch their Pokémon while looking at the natural environment through their
phone’s camera that overlaid digital characters in specific places.

Virtual Reality needs equipment, while Augmented Reality is portable

To experience Virtual Reality, one needs to wear a headset and hold
controllers in your hand.

But be careful – you might be the person who punches their television while
boxing in VR!

Thus, always make sure you have a safe physical environment is safe while
experiencing the VR technology’s adventures.

With AR, all you need is a smartphone/AR glasses. Because you’ll be fully
aware of your surroundings, there would be no need to clear the room to
experience this futuristic technology and enjoy its adventures.

It’s easy to experience AR than VR

More people can experience Augmented Reality than Virtual Reality since AR
requires less equipment and little to no safety precautions. It makes AR more
accessible.

Whereas, if you create a VR app, there are only a bunch of people with VR
equipment against the 3 billion smartphone users in the world today!

Source: Statista

What are the different types of AR applications?

Every type of AR technology provides slightly different capabilities. Below is
the list of some common kinds of augmented reality apps to consider:

Recognition-based AR

Such AR solutions, also known as Image Recognition or Marker-based AR, detect
an object ( called the marker) before a camera and produces the required
information about that object on display. That replaces the marker/object on
display with its 3D version, making it easy for users to see the corresponding
thing in its more detailed version when viewed from many angles.

Marker-less AR

This solution does not require the user to place a virtual object in a
particular place. Instead, they can place it anywhere, and there’s no need to
get the thing triggered by a specific object in the real world. You can then
rotate and move the object as you wish.

Location-based AR

It is a type of markerless AR that uses geographic location to show the
digital content in certain areas on a screen.

For example, the Pokémon Go game is a location-based AR solution.

Projection-based AR

This AR solution creates a digital experience by projecting artificial light
onto physical surfaces. Or, in some cases, users are allowed to interact with
it. Common examples of Projection-based AR include the holograms we’ve all
seen in sci-fi movies like Iron Man, Avengers, Star Wars, etc.

Stats for Augmented Reality in eCommerce

Applications of Augmented Reality technology are powering an emerging world of
tech-driven society. Advertisers in retail and eCommerce are taking note.
Let’s get into some figures to have a closer look at how it is changing the
course of the online market:

• Global AR advertising revenue grew to $1.41 billion in 2020, topping half a billion in 2019.
• An AR research study showed that advertising revenue could go beyond $8 billion by 2024.
• Another report from eMarketer reported that more than 43 million individuals in the United States would use the social network AR at least once a month in 2020, 21% of social network users.
• The estimation is that over 83 million people in the U.S. will use AR on some device at least once a month. And the numbers will surely rise to 95.1 million by 2022, according to eMarketer.
• Based on another report, as of June 2020, 35% of U.S. citizens prefer to use AR to visualize the furniture or vehicle customizations.
• A survey of U.S. retailers in June 2020 showed that 20% of people would invest in AR or VR to enhance the sales of their company’s online store, which is an 8% rise compared to the six months prior data.

Moreover, 5G availability will increase retailers’ interest in AR and VR since
5G has more bandwidth.

How Augmented Reality is helping eCommerce businesses

Before purchasing, buyers who purchase items online need a preview of products
and experience services in their environment and on their own time. Using AR,
they can do so and are more likely to pick the right product at first sight.

Virtually try out the products and services

“It looked great on the mannequin.”

Everybody

Eliminating frequent quotes in your customers’ minds would help your business
increase conversion rates. Thus, if your customers take the chance in buying
the product and it doesn’t work, you’ll have high return rates.

Virtual try-on solutions are an excellent way for online shoppers and help
them understand what they’re buying and how that product will work. There are
many applications of AR like this. For example, in the case of clothing,
accessories, makeup, and even eyeglasses like Lenskart
.

Preview placement

What will those glasses look like on your face, Rachel? How big will that sofa
look in your living room? Answers to all these questions are harder to tell
even when you’re at the store looking at the physical item. Preview placement
allows consumers to experience a product’s appearance when placed in the
natural environment.

Interactive user manuals

Imagine you’re selling a sophisticated product that needs learning before new
customers can begin to use it. And you are well aware that you know quickly
from visuals. Hence, an interactive user manual might be a great AR
application in that case to help users better understand how a particular
product works.

An interactive user manual helps people easily understand a piece of software,
website, or app, for instance, by indicating certain buttons in the real-life
environment with graphical arrows and animations with text.

Use of social media filters

You have probably used Instagram. Don’t say no! I know, everyone does these
days!! HAh!

Anyway! If you’ve, then you have shared Instagram or Snapchat Stories too! You
can apply certain AR filters to your short video or image there. What does it
do? It gives different effects. These AR filters were once for fun, but over
the years, most brands are jumping on the AR bandwagon because of the social
media effect propelled by people.

Benefits of Introducing Augmented Reality into your Online Store

Representing a physical, 3-D product in a virtual, 2-D environment is tedious.
AR can help in this regard.

Here are some practical observations about AR that can help you:

• Raise customer engagement – AR is interactive, making customers quickly hooked on a site and making them more likely to remember you in the future.
• Approach new customers – You only need to create a buzz to get people’s attention in this noisy world. You are making an engaging AR campaign that will help you attain it.
• Lower returns – AR can give customers more info about your product and services than a static image or video.

Ways in which you can bring Augmented Reality into your eCommerce store

If you have cuffed your seatbelts to use Augmented Reality in your eCommerce
activities business, here are a few things to consider:

Have a clear idea about your business objectives

Ask a question – What is there that you want to achieve by introducing the AR
tech? And how will it help your customers? These questions are essential since
they help you develop an excellent AR application/app. Be precise in
understanding – what you want the customer experience/user experience to
achieve.

Therefore, work hard and smartly in finding your vision and goals. Then jump
into the technical aspects of your AR app, but not before. Once you know that,
it’ll be a smoother ride. Finally, choose the tech and techniques you need.

Identify augmented reality tools you would like to use

When you know what you want to develop/create, it’s easy to identify the tools
and techniques. Thus, there are a few aspects you can take into account while
developing the Tool:

For a limited budget, go for an AR platform that offers a free license. But
remember – the free version won’t be robust as the full software.

Devices the Tool can Support

You may think that a tool is great and let’s use it, but it also has to
support the hardware for the smooth functioning of your augmented reality app.
Make sure the Tool supports the hardware, whether it is a mobile device,
laptop, or AR glass.

Support For Operating Systems

Make sure to develop the AR app on those mobile app development platforms that
support almost all operating systems.

Capabilities

Carefully examine and determine the Tool – what exact features do you need?
For example, geolocation functionality to create a location-based AR app.

Marketing the Tool

Now that you’re ready with your Tool, you’ll want that the world knows it. So,
here are a few ways that can help you immensely in getting the word out:

Demo video(s) – Make promotional videos demonstrating how to use it.

In-app instructions – Provide people with straightforward ways to
understand what they’re supposed to do? And How to get the most out of your AR
app.

Make your content shareable – Enable users to share their AR experience
with friends and social media contacts.

Wrapping up the Story!!

There are product categories that are a tough sell on eCommerce websites.
That’s because it’s pretty tedious even to interpret how the products will be
in real life vs. on a computer or mobile display. AR applications —
particularly in the wake of social distancing due to the Covid-19 outbreak —
are increasing in demand.

This blog post has provided information on different types of augmented
reality techs, associated use cases, and the advantages of using them in your
next eCommerce business. Also, this article beautifully mentions – how you can
evaluate whether you’re making the right choice for your eCommerce business.
And if that’s the case, you can follow the above steps or get in touch with us
to bring your next AR app to life.

Tags