How AR tools can take the business to the next level

AR-tool is not just fun, but also a very powerful tool that can improve the business reports, customer engagement, and brand loyalty and boost your sales.

Augmented reality benefits business

The covid-19 pandemic made a huge boom in the eCommerce industry. According to Adobe research, the consumers paid 32$ billion online more for the same amount of goods than 2 years before the pandemic.             

Indeed, online shopping became a natural part of our lives. We order food, devices, furniture and even clothes online. And the industry is going to grow by 14.7% annually. The online shopping experience is striking different from the offline one. The customer cannot touch, see and try the product which is hard to do through the smartphone screen. Here comes the imagination gap problem. The customer cannot imagine whether the product fits their needs. Fortunately, the world and the technologies are rapidly developing and here Augmented reality comes into play.             

Most likely, you have already heard about it, but let’s find out what Augmented Reality is and how does it work in eCommerce projects? 

What is AR?

In simple words, augmented reality is an enhanced version of reality. It works in the following when: a user points to the mobile device and looks at an object, and the software recognizes it through computer vision technology. AR is used in such Apps as Snapchat, Pokemon Go, and Google Street View. Maybe you also have used AR-powered technologies in your life.             

On the one hand, augmented reality can be an entertainment tool for a business. But on the other hand, can improve business sales and improve customer relations.             

Let’s go into some details.

AR tools improve business reports

The world is entering a “mobile-first” era. In February 2021 an average user spends around 6 hours using a smartphone. We shop, we drive, we order food and clothes, and we even sleep and work out with the help of various apps. Let’s take a look at the statistics prepared by Deloitte Digital.             

And people mostly use AR tools on their smartphones. For example, AR adoption is tracking with the mobile usage boom - by 2025, nearly 75% of the global population and almost all smartphone users will be frequent AR users.             

Yet AR tools empower the eCommerce industry. First of all, it helps create enhanced content for websites in a few clicks. Customers can get the sense of purchase before buying thanks to an AR. Nevertheless, this tactic bears fruit, because as Catsy research claims enhanced websites performed with 20% better conversion rates than the regular ones.             

Second of all, people enjoy using AR tools in business, especially when shopping online. According to Deloitte Digital research, 100 million users agree they'll use AR during shopping online and in-stores. Thus interacting with products that have AR experiences leads to a 94% higher conversion rate.

Augmented reality in business: best examples

As you can see, the potential of augmented reality is limitless. And we pick a few really cool examples of how companies apply AR tools in their businesses.

Yves Saint Laurent and virtual try-on tool

AR technologies are a powerful marketing tool. Our first example is the app developed to promote the new mascara of the famous French fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent.            
It is an easy try-on tool enabling customers to try new products. The app works in three simple steps: the user turns the camera on and immediately tries the new mascara on her or his lashes. According to Virtooal.com users spent 4 times more on the app, and they report the conversion rates to increase.  

Ikea Place for precise furniture placement

Ikea now can attract customers not only with delicious meatballs but also with AR tools. The world’s leader in furniture retail started its adventure with AR back in 2012, introducing the app allowing users to see whether the furniture fits the interior.             

But now IKEA made a huge step forward by creating Ikea Place, which now allows the customer to see how items from the catalogue will look in their homes. 

Adidas and virtual sneakers try-on

Do you know that an estimated 60% of shoe buyers buy the wrong size of footwear? This is the issue AR-tool can eliminate.             

Adidas introduced the solution at the end of 2019 which allows the customers to try on the sneakers without visiting the actual store. Thanks to the top-notch computer vision solution the customers can even walk in the shoes and then decide, whether they want to buy them or not.  

The cinema and movable posters

Augmented reality is a cool tool to entertain your customers. London movie chain AMC Theater has updated its iPhone app.             

Now the users can scan movie posters and learn more about the movie and the cast and buy tickets as well.

Wizart and its AR-powered visualizer

At Wizart, we create various solutions for the home improvement industry. The company's main focus is various types of AR-visualizers, e.g. tiles, wallcoverings, floorings, and rugs.             

It is really simple, the user downloads the picture, picks the design and sees how it looks in the interior. 

In conclusion…

The more your business adapts to your customer's needs, the easier it gets to stand amongst the competitors and conquer new markets. There are many ready-to-use AR tools that are easy to install on any type of platform or website. 

At Wizart, we create various AR solutions for the home improvement industry. We know how to help you to sell online the products you were traditionally selling offline. Contact us, and we will tell you more!