Today, customers are getting pickier and more fastidious making it easy for brands to lose customers or face a slowdown in growth. With the evolution of emerging technologies, companies are competing with one another to offer the best customer experience globally. Augmented Reality (AR) is one such technology that is driving the eCommerce world towards the new level. Using AR in eCommerce has not only helped in delivering personalized customer experience but also enable them to overcome challenges effectively.

Research by Accenture says 75% of customers expect their brand to personalize offers. It is important to create a connection between the real and digital world, which is possible through the help of AR technology that captures the interest of consumers. Let’s find out some of the latest trends of Augmented Reality in the eCommerce Industry.

Here are some of the reasons that explain how Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality solutions can help in boosting sales of eCommerce brands:

1. Better Engagement

The user feels more connected through AR experiences and engages them with a virtual view of the products that make their shopping experience unique with better purchase decisions.

Since AR experiences are new in the market, users find it appealing to try the products through AR, thereby increasing the chance of sales for the businesses. The AR experience is so effective in attracting users who are curious to know about the product.

The main issue in online shopping is that users can view the products, which doesn’t provide a better user experience. AR offers a different level of personalization to customers making them visualize themselves in all the outfits and choose the best one among them.

Users no longer need to go malls for things they need as companies with AR solutions offer a digital and personalized experience touch where they can shop sitting comfortably at home. AR will help in enhancing the shopping experience with the exact color display and virtual dimensions of the products.

AR can help in guiding customers while they shop and choosing the right products. Thus, businesses can gain more customers as AR helps in offering customers with an informed purchase decision.

Brands aim to put customers at the heart of the business by providing an exceptional shopping experience with Augmented Reality technologies. They can make it easy for customers to choose products quickly, eventually leading to an increase in conversions. Here are some of the use cases that explain the importance of AR in eCommerce brands and how it helped them to solve challenges-

As the name suggests, virtual trial rooms are one of the emerging AR innovations used by several stores to attract customers enabling them to try the products without wearing. This acts as a revolutionary solution for retailers and a marketing connection that help in driving cross-channel traffic. Virtual trials are also available in online shopping websites to help users get a richer experience while they shop at the comfort of their homes like watches, jewelry, shoes, furniture, clothes and many more!

Another effective example where AR comes into play is the user manual that explains the process of reading a manual of appliances in an interactive method using a virtual guide. Users no longer must go through a thick book of manual, instead, they can use their smart devices without any hassles to understand the details of the product. This not only saves time but also helps in building the trust of the customers eliminating the unknown risks before making a purchase of any appliance.

There are many people who feel that in-store makeup testing is quite unhygienic especially for people with sensitive skin. L’Oreal’s Virtual Makeup stylist is one of the AR innovations that offer customers a convenient experience through which they can go for a makeup trial using the camera. This helps customers in choosing the lipstick that suits their skin and matching eyeshadows that go best with it. Test multiple products right on your face sitting at your home and order the best ones through the click within the app.

Augmented Reality is all set to bring transformation in the eCommerce world with product visualization solutions, mainly for selling small products like eyeglasses as customers prefer to visualize them before buying. These AR apps enable users to see themselves wearing products and buying them at their own convenience without visiting stores. One company is Warby Parker Glasses that use Instagram’s Poll feature helping users to ask questions to their friends and followers in real-time and check results. This help brands to boost awareness and engage customers in an innovative way.

With the motive to offer the most accurate virtual fitting of the body, the body measurement solution based on Augmented Reality helps in offering the best way to measure the fitting of the customers. Most of the returns and exchanges are mostly related to fitting in case of online shopping while buying clothes or any wearable products. This app will solve the most common problem that comes with fitting as online users can try the products that fit their body before placing an order.

Imagine buying a piece of furniture that you really like from the store and getting disappointed about it since it doesn’t fit into your home! This can happen to anyone. The renowned furniture brand, Ikea came up with the idea to introduce AR-enabled shopping to their customers that not just saves time but also the efforts it takes to bring home the best furniture. All you need to do is install the Ikea Place App and start scanning your room by placing the Ikea products virtually. Try furniture visualizer developed by top Virtual reality mobile app development company to choose the right furniture that fits into your home spaces.

We are in an era where customers want the shopping experience to be centered around them across all touchpoints whether its mobile, web or in-store. They wish to try the products with touch, taste and wear before making the purchase. The introduction of Augmented Reality in eCommerce will not only increase consumers’ interest and overall participation level but also transformed eCommerce into an advanced retail space. Get in touch with the top AR App Development Company and make AR a part of your eCommerce firm to avail immense benefits focused on customer satisfaction and an increase in sales rate.

Will Augmented Reality Solve the Toughest Challenges of the eCommerce Industry? was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.