Lately, everyone’s been talking about augmented reality (AR) and how it’s slowly but surely bringing changes. Technology is bringing more changes to the industry faster than ever before. Everything has been finding its place in the digital world for a couple of decades now.
Digital technology has been helping entertainment, education, advertising & economy evolve and it shows no signs of stopping. Artificial intelligence has already replaced humans in many aspects of the industry. For many years we have been creating virtual reality (VR) worlds, and now we are ready to step up our game. We are ready to augment our real-life reality with virtual reality.
In a nutshell, augmented reality (AR) technology is used to combine real-life imagery with computer - generated one (CGI). It augments real life with visual digital elements such as 3D models, audio, 2D imagery; thus term augmented reality. This revolutionary technology might sound fresh, but it has been around for almost 10 years!
Only in a recent couple of years augmented reality found its spotlight in commercial use. Remember the game PokemonGo, that had everyone outside of their houses hunting for imaginary virtual monsters in a real-life environment? Not that it’s only revolutionary, but augmented reality technology is fun! People love seeing the digital world collide with real life. Especially if it’s purposeful, like in AR eCommerce.
Augmented Reality (AR) in eCommerce
Yes, augmented reality has already found its way on how to improve eCommerce. AR makes online shopping a whole new, fun and practical experience! For example, Ikea already has it’s AR shopping app that allows customers to see how a certain piece of furniture fits with the rest of the interior.
It can help customers decide between different materials or colors, and its entertaining approach motivates people to make more purchases. Experts believe in the power of AR since all you actually need is a smart phone with a camera to make online shopping an exciting experience.
A couple of retail brands have got apps that allow customers to try on accessories such as necklaces and watches through VR before ordering them online. When shopping online, people often fear how the product might look in real life.
Quality AR technology with quality digital 3D imagery can closely represent the product in its possible new environment. Augmented reality helps customers see how the sofa would fit inside the room, or how the watch would match with the desired outfit even before making a purchase.
Many of the leading companies already have, or are currently working on the development of their augmented reality applications. AR might be at its dawn related to eCommerce, but many retail owners and visionaries see it’s potential.
This technology does not only benefit online shopping, but it is contributing to physical stores as well. Augmented reality makes the process of buying at outlet stores a staggering experience. Projects such as AR virtual fitting rooms, let people see how certain outfits might look on them without putting them on.
Investing in innovative solutions to improve online shopping is always great for the brand. It represents the quality of business and its production. Innovation and improved customer experience build brand loyalty. Your customers will care about the brand if the brand takes care of them first.
Augmented Reality: WebAR
In order to use augmented reality apps, customers have to download the app from the online application store. Because it's a newer technology application sizes can still be relatively large to download and store on mobile devices.
This is where WebAR apps come to play. This type of AR apps is accessed through web browsers. There is no need to download and instal the whole app. This process might be quicker and more accessible, but if AR is young, WebAR is even younger.
Addria and its developers see the potential of WebAR and are already working on the development of this technology. Stay tuned!
