The new in-trend — Augmented Reality in shopping and retail. AR shopping enables customers to engage with brands and products via digital experiences that allow them to try on, try out, interact, or personalize their product virtually. (Deloitte Insights) Different brands are starting to implement this fresh way of bringing shopping to a more realistic manner into the home of consumers. 

But How Does It Work?

Visual Credit: Sephora Virtual Artist | HEATHER ADORNA

Sephora

You may be familiar with this trendy and feel good makeup brand among the Millenials. Sephora introduced the ‘Virtual Artist’ through their app and it uses facial recognition technology to allow customers to digitally try on products. Through a face scan, customers can try different shades of the designated product and instantly purchase it, if it’s to their liking. Customers can also take up makeup tutorials as the app will digitally overlay a simulated look on the customer’s face. 

Visual Credit: IKEA Launches Augmented Reality Application | Architect Magazine

IKEA

IKEA’s app – IKEA Place, implements augmented reality by allowing you to test out furniture virtually. By taking a picture, the app automatically measures the space, then provides recommendations on furniture that fits in the space.

Visual Credit: Nike app uses AR and AI to scan feet for perfect fit | Dezeen

Nike

Nike Fit, Nike’s feature app, allows users to determine their true shoe size. To enable the app’s functionality, users will have to point their phone’s camera to their feet and the app will determine their shoe size. The shoe size is then saved in the app for future in-store purchases, as the employee could simply scan the QR code in the app and retrieve the customer’s shoe size. 

Amidst the pandemic, with the rise in online shopping, more consumers have trusted their retail needs online as compared to before, and this also means that retail brands and online shopping platforms need to upgrade customer experience as well as the user interface in order to satisfy the needs of consumers. Hence, AR shopping has definitely helped elevated the needs of consumers of testing the physicality of a product. Although most products still can’t be touched through the screen, with AR, brands are strengthening consumers’ trust in terms of product quality and brand engagement, by allowing consumers to experience the product in a simulated format. 

According to Worldpay’s survey, 95% of people in China have used virtual or augmented reality in the past three months. The research also highlights that 84% of Chinese people believe VR/AR to be the future of shopping. (Josoren)

To conclude, AR shopping is indeed here to stay and we will certainly see the immense growth that it will bring for retail businesses, especially after the pandemic.