Augmented Reality (AR) is Coming to Ecommerce – Are You Ready?
October 27, 2017
Augmented reality (AR) is a powerful technology that’s going to have a huge impact on how people shop online. E-commerce businesses that are early adopters will have the chance to gain strong positions in their markets.
What is Augmented Reality?
If you’ve ever used Snapchat filters that change your face, played PokemonGo, or used the Home Depot app that let’s you see different paint colors on your wall, then you already have an idea of what AR is.
In fact, the best explanation of AR is one that shows it to you:
As you can see, this let’s you take a product like this vase and see how it would look in your home.
Here is another review of some existing AR apps:
Home decor giant IKEA has, in fact, been using AR in their catalog for several years:
Here, a woman tries on virtual lipstick:
The imagination immediately starts to open with all the possibilities this opens up for eCommerce shopping.
Just about anything you can view through your phone can be augmented with superimposed image. Online shoppers with an avatar could try on glasses, hats, cosmetics, or jewelry. A larger picture would let you try on clothes or shoes. You could see what a tattoo would look like on your arm.
Home shopping will transform. You can take a photo of any room in your home and see different flooring, colors, art, and furnishings. An interior designer could literally design a room in virtual reality and get it just how the client wants it – without having to move the couch or buy a lamp.
AR technology is ready for majority adoption.
Why Does AR Matter in the eCommerce Shopping Experience?
Does AR really matter, or is it just another technological fad that will fade before most of us even figure out how to use it?
The rate which technology changes today makes it hard to be definitive about anything, but there is a strong chance AR will be important not because of the fancy technology, but because of way it impacts human behavior.
One of the biggest hang-ups with digital shopping – that’s existed from beginning – is how the inability to physically interact with product causes hesitation. Yes, you like that hat, those pants, and that counter-top when you see it online. But you’re not sure how you’ll feel when you unbox it and try it out in real life.
Getting past that hesitation in shoppers remains one of the major goals of online retail, particularly for products where style, fit, design, and color match are important.
Advanced AR technology has a better chance than anything of overcoming this problem. Consider the vase in the first video. You can really tell how that will look on the table. It’s not an approximation – it’s a type of reality.
You can really experience a virtual dressing room, showroom, or demo. You can see how products will look on your body and in your home.
When shoppers buy with their eyes, AR will be transformative.
The Adoption Cycle
Despite IKEA’s use of AR and the popularity of PokemonGo, AR for shopping is still being used by innovators. Most people aren’t aware of it.
But this will soon change. As apps and eCommerce functionality advance, AR for shopping will go mainstream.
It will be a matter of awareness and ease of use. As people begin to see how easy it is to create something like an AR image of them wearing a new hat or shirt, this will become commonplace. Use will explode as people start to share images on social and ask for recommendations from friends.
This will be the apex of the shopping experience digital has long been waiting for – where the social experience becomes fully integrated. A shopper “tries on” half a dozen pairs of earrings, shares her AR pictures with friends on Snapchat, and gets recommendations so she’s even more satisfied with her purchase.
The only thing missing is the brick and mortar store.
What Does My eCommerce Store Need to Do?
If your store sells product lines that will be impacted by AR, it’s time to start preparing.
Start researching AR software and apps. For example:
ModiFace is developing solutions for beauty brands
Augment lets you download and customize a variety of 3-D models
LIVE4buy is a Bigcommerce app that provides an AR experience of physical stores. Also available on Shopify.
Become familiar with how AR works and what’s available. In the next few years, apps will start to become available that will transform the online shopping experience.
In a few more years, the behavior will reach majority adoption and be commonplace.
It’s between those times that retailers can gain a big competitive advantage. Stay on top of these trends and adopt these features before your competition does.