AR in e-commerce is on the rise, and for an adequate reason. Over the last few years, augmented reality has caught the interest of investors, companies, and the public. There is no doubt that Augmented reality in e-commerce is climbing up the ladder to being the future of a more immersive online shopping experience.
According to the stats that were brought up in 2018, the market size for augmented reality in healthcare worldwide was around 610 million U.S dollars. Moreover, the figures projected for 2026 are somewhat extraordinary, with the market size increasing to 4.2 billion U.S dollars.
So, there is no surprise why Augmented reality continues to make headlines and heads turn while we witness products magically appear on mobile apps. However, does it really make sense for e-commerce? Well, that’s exactly what this article will carve up for you.
Pandemic and Augmented Reality
There is no denying how the world has changed after the pandemic hit us, and guess what? Augmented reality has played a massive part in changing the world we knew prior to the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, shopping in-store was the dominant method for the customers, with 47% of people shopping this way, compared to 30% who shopped online. However, with the pandemic, the figures have shifted a bit. According to various reports, people shopping online has jumped up to 45%.
Well, if you are also among the people shopping online and especially if you love using cryptocurrency, that’s something to talk about, as security and safety are among the most crucial things to consider before purchasing online. Therefore, we recommend you conduct your transactions through gift cards to avoid such scam miseries.
You might not know this, but gift cards for a number of eCommerce sites can be bought using cryptocurrency. You can click here to have a look at the variety of gift cards that you can get your hands on.
The Increased Usefulness of AR During Pandemic
After all, augmented reality was not a gimmick to toy around with. Augmented reality has shown its usefulness in many ways, and now it is among the top 10 trends in e-commerce during the pandemic. It has managed to fill up the fundamental pain points for both the seller and the consumer during the global pandemic:
-
Secure And Safe Shopping At Home
With the help of augmented reality, we can make better choices while shopping and, at the same time, stay safe and well at home. AR has definitely made people feel comfortable ordering online without much to worry.
-
High Conversion Rates
During the pandemic, retailers have reported that by using AR tools, they experienced an increment in the conversion rates, which is what every retailer was most eager to see. Thanks to augmented reality, making it possible even in challenging situations.
Allowing Consumers to Experience Accuracy and Realism
According to a poll taken by Adobe, 55% of retailers disclosed that customer experience is their most area of focus. The remaining 45% said that “targeting and personalization” were on their top marketing priority list. As a personalization tactic, AR has become a tool of choice.
Augmented reality has emerged as a potent marketing strategy for personalizing online and in-store products. Consumers can now visualize products before they pay for them. Now, who would have thought of visualizing furniture or wall colors at home just by using some tools just a few years back?
AR has made it possible by amplifying the whole experience and surging it to a whole new level where you can interact with products you can’t physically touch.
Moreover, the ability to preview the item in AR builds confidence in consumers that they won’t end up strangling themselves into the hassle of returning their purchase.
Is AR In E-Commerce Worth the Hype?
As of now, AR technology might not have influenced the consumers entirely before making a purchase decision. At best, people might try it but surely cannot wholly rely on its offerings. Many consumers still find the product photos more valuable than the AR feature, but let’s get things straight.
Everyone knows that AR may not render the product precisely like in real life, but it is reasonable for you to at least give an idea to start with. That itself gives you supplemental information to convince yourself to buy the product.
The objection is still present because people are not entirely used to what AR is truly capable of doing; there might be a slight gap between the consumers and the AR’s true potential.
Conclusion
For now, it might be too early to spit out words. Still, one thing is clear; augmented reality does possess the potential to unlock the true meaning of reality, which would be highly beneficial for the e-commerce industry as we have seen consumers being reliant on the preview feature for products to see how they would look in real life without relying on imagination.
