COVID-19 pandemic has affected every company across all industries all over the world. Quarantine has been implemented in countries worldwide and forces all kinds of businesses to shift their operations online and consumers to stay at home. Now, people are not going out for shopping, not booking on vacations, not hosting parties. As a result, retailers lost millions of dollars due to this virus.
Luckily, many companies have made a pandemic plan to run their business, but many companies can reduce losses during the COVID-19 and even make a profit. The use of technologies can prevent some coronavirus consequences for companies. And the most useful techniques during the pandemic are Augmented Reality.
Augmented Reality for Retailers during COVID-19
All retail shops and shopping malls are closed due to quarantine, which means that your company loses money. However, many companies still have to keep up with expenses such as merchandise storage, employee payroll, and other costs. Many companies have shifted their selling exclusively online, but they are another problem: customers are very hesitant to buy goods without physically holding it. Especially in clothing stores, people generally do not buy a pair of jeans or any other item without trying it on first.
All credits go to augmented reality ecommerce. Now it is possible to see how the given item will look on you all from your living room’s comfort. We have seen much similar technology used in high-end shopping malls and stores using AR mirrors. Instead of making a trip to your dressing room to try an item, you would hold the clothes in front of the mirror, and it would show you how you would look like if you were to try on that garment.
Instead of an AR mirror, companies also use AR-powered smartphone cameras to show you what you would look like in the clothes you are thinking of buying. This will remove all reservations about specific items and allows the shoppers to sit on the fence and making a purchase.
The reality of Online Shopping during COVID-19
Online shopping is trendy, but some issues prevent customers from wanting to buy products online. The biggest problem for the customer is the distance between them and the physical product as well. A customer may have an interest in purchasing a product, but unable to see them.
Augmented Reality is the ideal technology to help shoppers. Online retailers have developed augmented reality apps that allow the consumer to test and experience a virtual representation. They include features that will enable the shopper to customize the product according to their needs. Some apps also allow customers to create 3D models that can be placed in a real-world environment using the camera and screen of a smartphone.
Augmented reality is a technology. Shoppers want from an online shopping experience. According to one research, 71% of customers said they would shop with an online retailer more frequently if they offered AR. While on the other hand, 61% said that they would prefer to buy from sites that offer AR over ones that do not.
For instance, IKEA has made an artificial reality with its app known as Place. Shoppers can use the camera of their smartphone and virtually place different home furnishings into their surroundings. This technique allows users to interact with the projected images and see how they look in various spaces. This helps all customers find the perfect piece of furniture without returning items that they imagined would fit.
Augmented Reality also Changing the Face of Online Shopping during COVID-19.
Technology nowadays is the heart of the eCommerce industry. Every industry depends on technology and innovation. eCommerce companies have to look out for the latest technologies, like on-demand app development and many others. They are now going to shape the future of how business is done online.
Augmented Reality is a technology that is starting to have an impact on the eCommerce industry. Many online brands have already experimented with AR. Here we will see how online brand companies use Augmented Reality. It is used to deliver a personalized experience to customers and companies. It will allow shoppers to test and explore products in ways that are similar to the in-person shopping experience.
Bring your thing home before buying it
AR apps now bring the In-Store Experience to Customer’s homes. Augmented Reality apps for online shopping let your customers see the images of how products will look, feel, or fit in their home. Even without buying it.
Visualize the products feature
Augmented reality shopping apps allow all shoppers to make animations and show how complex products like appliances or electronics work and function. AR in online shopping can highlight many features and provide accessible and timely data.
Bring Augmented Reality into your business
Famous brands like Adidas, now launch a line of sneakers that will unlock an AR for customers. The sneakers can be used as control back home that a customer can use to read the embedded code on the tongue, and it can take the customer in a virtual world.