Augmented Reality: Reshaping E-Commerce Business In 2019 And Beyond

The power of Augmented Reality first became known to the mainstream world with explosive Pokemon Go used by millions of people. Now the latest scenario for AR technology involves 24% of businesses looking to invest big in AR-enabled solutions in next three years. The most exciting impact AR is likely to make on ecommerce digitalization, helping businesses reach and acquire customers in novel ways.

The business-oriented temptations of AR in eCommerce

As AR entices both consumers and giant corporations, by enhancing the interactions, the technology can help Ecommerce innovators dismantle the psychological barrier while purchasing the products. Users are already spending 47% of their time on smart devices which creates a great scope for AR to disrupt the ecommerce market with personalized solutions.

Augmented Reality blends both physical and virtual worlds, offering an enhanced picture where digital content is superimposed on user’s actual surroundings. By doing so, AR takes human interactions to a new level and makes information consumption an immersive experience and gives ecommerce users power to make clear, stronger purchase decisions.

Thus, AR effectively transforms how shoppers visualize, evaluate and envision the product, and buy them.

Virtual Trial Rooms

AR increasingly works as a virtual trial room as customers can perfectly visualize the product’s look and fit in their life. The informed decisions thus curtail massive volume of product returns and associated cost. It recreates the digital shopping experience with in-store feel, further improves customer engagement.

Lily’s virtual trial rooms in Shanghai metro is the best virtual trial room example where user’s image is matched to the clothes they select. The user can try many models and see them on screen in 3D dimensions. It creates a feel of virtual trial room without actually trying on clothes.

AR-powered product isles

At any brick-and-mortar retail store, the first thing shoppers expect in terms of motivation is streamlined arrangement of available products in tidy aisles and shelves. Using the hefty power of unusual technology, AR devices and AR-based mobile applications converts online shopping into one of those actual in-store moments. Augmented Reality mobile app brings retailing aisles right on your device without leaving your home to recreate virtual product shelves like those physical stores. The experience then goes digitalized where customers can just select the products they like to get more information.

AR for digital marketing

AR is pushing boundaries on social media landscape as well by allowing ecommerce companies more opportunities to engage their audience. The winning streak for brands here is encourage customers to create user-generated content using AR apps and filters. Snapchat has come to the forefront of this revolution in digital marketing helping brands run successful AR-powered marketing campaigns. The process generates massive amounts of user-developed content, which fosters the ground for word-of-mouth online endorsements and sharing. These brands can then share and promote this content to drive traffic to their e-stores.

AR limits cart abandonment

In marketing, the developing a transparent sales structure and ability to convince customers of brand value is always a herculean mission. This is where Augmented Reality seems cast its magical influence on online buyers and transform the status quo of ecommerce business. At the moment, there are still 77% of buyers who abandon carts before completing the purchase, which demonstrates how customers insist that ecommerce companies and retailers should invest in AR technology to transform their shopping experience. With its clear, simplified illustration, AR can persuade more customers to buy what they have put in their carts.

AR for B2B sales

It is not just B2C commerce that has a scope of getting reshaped by AR. In fact, B2B space is equally ready to appreciate powerful AR applications and devices. We can easily witness that AR can trigger opportunities for long-standing ventures and new merchants trying to grow big in the niche market. B2B commerce landscape will develop more flawless and accurate applications on a greater scale in 2019. For B2B products that are challenging to be sold outside shops and showrooms will look to AR-powered solutions for exponential growth and enhanced ROI. This is why many visionary companies are impelled to invest big in AR projects with a view to getting more gains from future sales and marketing campaigns.

AR revolutionizing pre-manufacturing product design

The latest innovative concept of Digital twin is here to revolutionize the manufacturing industry designs and sales. In 2019, the new-era custom product design approach is estimated to take over and will involve creating a digital version of a product based on multiple suggestions from prospect users who can virtually tweak and customize product personality to their taste. If this goes successful, manufacturers will be able to develop the tangible version of the product recommended by thousands of prospects at optimal cost due to AR’s virtual capability. The concept of digital twin is thought to work and add great value for both B2B and B2C sales and implementation.

The curious real-time cases

Formex Watches CEO, Raphael Granito recently changed his brick-and-mortar operation into an online business model with an aim to enhance customer experience. They designed an app that casts their brand watches onto user’s wrist to allow customers to try different models and angles and gives them a real-life impression of wearing and interacting with it. Such sensory elements ae usually found in real-world buying experience.

IKEA the Swedish home furnishing company has also embraced AR with IKEA Place. The app showcases digital furniture mockups that shoppers can place inside their living rooms to visualize how exactly the furniture will look. They can try many product variations based on size and color to see if they complement the room décor.

Sephora, a global cosmetics brand on the other hand launched an AR-powered application that allows women to evaluate the effect of the makeup on their faces without actually trying any of it physically. These examples display AR’s promise to explore unique opportunities to engage with prospects.

Augmented Reality taking on & e-commerce

Finally, we can conclude the entire discussion on ecommerce AR by firmly saying that AR apps will inundate the online app stores soon and replace those conventional 2D apps. According to a report Digi-Capital, augmented reality will touch $90 billion in revenue by 2022 with 2019 already seeing the potential breakthrough in AR-based solutions. Brands like Walmart, Formex, IKEA, NIKE and Sephora who truly understand and has integrated the power of augmented reality into their business will be among those dominating the ecommerce world.

Hence, if you have an E-commerce business, AR apps may help change the end user experience with better visualization, clear information consumption and doubtless product evaluation. In a nutshell, Augmented Reality is a powerful digital revolution turning your ordinary business into extraordinary prospects for better growth opportunities in flourishing ecommerce landscape.