How can your business benefit from augmented reality?

As the technological world advances, more and more companies are finding innovative ways to better their user experience. Digital transformation services are playing a huge part in this innovation, providing companies with bespoke strategies to lift their business off the ground. Augmented reality, which is a hybrid between regular online use and virtual reality (VR), is helping companies to drive sales, by allowing their customers to try-before-you-buy when shopping online. Augmented reality works by introducing an online consumer to an interactive experience with the product that is simulated digitally.

What is augmented reality and how does it work when shopping online?

Imagine you are shopping for a new armchair. You are searching online for one that suits your taste, while also keeping in mind the sizing and pricing of the chair. In the time of COVID-19, you might not feel comfortable going to a physical store and shopping in person, but you want to know how the armchair would look in your home.

Using augmented reality, you can place detailed 3D imaging of the armchair you like within a space in your home. This would allow you to get as close as possible to seeing the armchair in your living room before actually buying it, therefore showing you how it will look once it arrives.

This way of shopping is ushering in a digital transformation. While many shoppers have begun exclusively shopping online, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, augmented reality is only increasing the number of people who are confidently ordering items online.

eBags sales boosted by augmented reality

One company that is experiencing a meteoric rise in sales due to augmented reality technology is eBags. eBags stocks a range of luggage options online, and has recently implemented an augmented reality feature in their mobile shopping experience. When shopping for eBags on your phone, you can ‘Try It On’, meaning that you can drag the bag you are shopping for onto various photographs of different people to see how it might look on.

Since implementing AR on their site, eBags have experienced a 112% increase in mobile conversions when users interacted with the augmented reality feature. It is clear from this example that augmented reality can boost mobile purchases - let’s take a look at how and why this is the case.

Is augmented reality shifting the world of digital transformation consulting?

Many digital transformation consultants are beginning to offer bespoke plans for online traders to use AR on their websites. Augmented reality is showing figures that are consistently high in boosting mobile sales, and is definitely turning heads within the digital transformation industry. Improving the user experience is one of the most crucial aspects of digital transformation services, and by implementing an augmented reality feature onto an online store, the average experience of the user is automatically going to improve.

Why does augmented reality improve the quality of the online shopping experience?

Here are just a few key ways.

1. AR improves consumer engagement on your site. According to Forbes, 40% of customers are willing to pay more for a product if they can experience it through augmented reality first. AR improves customer engagement by gaining further trust between your product or service and the buyer. The more they can picture themselves wearing or using the product you are selling, the more likely they are to press ‘Buy now’.
2. AR can be helpful in any industry. While some things are more easily to implement in AR form than others, practically any industry can benefit from augmented reality shopping. Whether it is the beauty industry, the fashion industry, engineering, homeware or jewellery, AR can improve the mobile shopping experience in leaps and bounds.
3. AR helps to simulate an in-person shopping experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many shoppers have been frustrated by being forced to shop online for everything. Augmented reality helps to simulate an in-person shopping experience by allowing customers to all but reach out and touch the product. Detailed imaging and simulations of the product in your home or on your body can instill peace of mind in customers who are unsure about shopping online.

How can digital transformation services help implement AR features?

If you are interested in featuring augmented reality on your company site, it’s time to act now. More and more companies are implementing this feature and boosting their customer engagement almost instantly. The best way to do this is to work with a digital transformation agency to achieve the best possible result for your budget and for the industry you work within.

Here are a few ways that a digital transformation consultant can help implement AR on your site.

- Assessing your customer demographic. Different demographics will respond differently to AR. For example, an age 60+ demographic might be less likely to use the feature, either because they don’t know how it works or they may not like it. However, shoppers between the ages of 13-34 are statistically more likely to benefit from AR while shopping online.
- Making AR work for your products. Of course, there is the question of how you could improve your UX by making AR work for the particular products you sell. Digital transformation services can allow you to gain insights on how your products would be best presented using AR.
- Marketing your AR feature. Once the feature is designed and set up, now comes the point at which you need to market the augmented reality feature on your site. Digital transformation service providers will help design the marketing process to ensure your AR feature reaches its maximum potential.

Final Thoughts

Technology has advanced in so many ways during recent years; augmented reality is one of the most groundbreaking features of this incredible advancement. Use this helpful guide to augmented reality and find out how your business could benefit from this sales-boosting feature that transforms the mobile shopping experience.

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