Is Augmented Reality A Good Fit for Retail Woes?
This is a guest post from digital marketing specialist Ankit Thakor.
What are consumers are always worried about when they think of shopping? First of all, is the quality is good or not? What about other common issues, like whether or not this will look good on me, if the color goes well with skin tone, is it a good match to my wall colors? Tons of questions arise in shoppers’ minds when they seek out products.
To answer all such questions, consumers generally head over to brick-and-mortar stores instead of online shopping. After all, traditional shopping is the place where they can clear their doubts. But isn’t it time-consuming? Trying each and everything, spending some good amount of time in checking the quality of products, etc. I call it the best way to waste a couple of hours. But this state will not last too long as augmented reality (AR) has arrived to save shoppers time.
As consumers have grown frustrated from wasting hours in checking out each and every thing, Augmented Reality is nothing less than a godsend for them, and for retailers as well. Do you know why?
Because it frees consumers from trials
As I said, consumers try everything to confirm whether the item is suitable for them or not, which generally consumes their hours. AR technology releases them from such issues as they can try everything virtually within a span of minutes.
TopShop, a clothes retailer for women and men, partnered with Microsoft Kinect to create a virtual fitting dressing room where customers are allowed to try everything virtually. The following video explains how it exactly works and how it can save shopping time.
Because it recommends
Many customers don’t have much idea of which fashion trend is made for them. They spend their whole day in malls to search out a suitable outfit. What if they got recommendations as soon as their feet touch the store’s floor, so that they don’t need to search out each thing separately? And those recommendations will be based on their own personality. Yes, AR can make things this much easier.
Shisedio, a personal care multinational company, developed an AR-based makeup mirror that takes an image of shoppers and recommends the most suitable makeup as per their skin type and color. Additionally, it recommends the latest cosmetics arrivals and which ones are good matches for the customer.
Because it makes online shopping more convenient
Not only brick-and-mortar stores, but online shops can also take advantage of AR. The IKEA AR Catalogue proves it very well. Furniture retailer IKEA launched an AR app enabling shoppers to visualize furniture in their homes, selecting ones that match with existing floors, walls, and decor.
Because it offers every detail on your mobile
58% of consumers would like to check out information first before they purchase a product in-store. Things like ingredients lists, price, expiration dates, etc. are all important to consider during purchases.
To save time, consumers need a technology that can give them information on their mobile as soon as they put the device on the product. AR is the technology that can provide this much accessibility. IBM’s app is proof.
More and more retailers are partnering with top mobile app development companies to develop AR technology that can save give their customers a more convenient shopping experience. Online shop owners are also on their way to create AR apps to enrich the experience of app users. The day is near when shopping will be done in minutes instead of hours.
