Any model fashioning a website’s product usually looks like they’re wearing the perfect fit. It entices us to quickly make that purchase and then disappointment hits.
This is because while online shopping is extremely convenient, the products are restricted by the inability to touch, wear, feel, or even picture them in real time. Not only is this an inconvenience for shoppers, but it’s also an even bigger issue for eCommerce businesses.
If a person is not happy with their online purchase, they can return it. But for businesses, this implies a high return rate meaning loss of chunks of revenue solely because of the product return.
eCommerce return rates can be 2x to 3x higher than brick-and-mortar stores.
How can eCommerce Businesses reduce product return rates?
eCommerce Businesses usually have to deal with returns because customers cannot physically try on the products or picture them in real life. Or the products do not match the website’s description.
Thankfully, the evolution of the internet has lent us a solution that countless eCommerce brands have adopted today- Augmented Reality.
By leveraging Augmented Reality in websites, eCommerce brands have been able to lower their product return rate by offering customers more informed choices during online shopping, which is a definite win-win for both ends.
This is just one of the many benefits that AR has in store for eCommerce businesses. Let’s explore more about it now!
What is AR & Why are eCommerce Brands Adopting It?
Augmented Reality overlays digital information in video, text, or image format onto everyday surroundings, objects, and locations from the real world. Be it interacting with the face filters on social media or playing PokemonGo, embedding AR makes it all realistic and engaging.
In eCommerce, AR is enabled to give consumers an immersive experience, allowing them to have real-time interaction with products while remaining in their environment. Customers can learn a lot more about a product through AR than they could from a static image or even a video. Since AR helps to bring eCommerce products to life with detailed information, customers are enabled to make confident purchase decisions.
Augmented Reality has the potential to greatly personalize any purchasing experience for shoppers. For instance, with AR features like Virtual Try-on, customers can view how a product looks on them. With AR Visualization, they can see what a product looks like in its physical environment, and so much more.
6 out of 10 respondents to a Google survey revealed they want to be able to visualize how and where a product could fit into their lives.
Evidently, if an eCommerce brand is struggling to keep up with the changing times with its traditional methods, AR is a great tool to its rescue!
Benefits of AR for eCommerce Brands
Better Shopping Experience
In eCommerce, Augmented Reality has the potential to greatly personalize any purchasing experience for shoppers.
For instance, with AR tools like Virtual Try-on, customers can view how a product looks on them, what sizes might fit them, what a product looks like in their physical environment, and so much more.
With such AR tools, customers can make confident buying decisions, hence increasing customer satisfaction and fostering customer loyalty which ultimately makes their shopping experience a lot more enjoyable, efficient and interesting.
Improved Conversion Rates
There is a 94% higher conversion rate when interacting with AR-enhanced products.
Evidently, increased conversion rates are one of the most notable advantages of Augmented Reality in eCommerce.
This is because people are more likely to convert if they have a more immersive and engaging product experience and a better idea of the product they are about to buy—all of which AR gives them.
Reduced Product Returns
High return rates are one of the major issues eCommerce businesses face as consumers continue to prioritize online purchasing. Some of the reasons behind this are receiving broken or damaged goods and customers claiming they returned the items because they were “not as described”.
They also have the rare opportunity to try-on products before they buy with the help of AR tools like virtual try-ons and product demos.
As a result, Augmented Reality technology aids in the combat against high return rates by enabling customers to make informed purchases.
Preferred by Next-gen Shoppers
As more brands have become digital, the expectations of shoppers have also changed. They seek shopping experiences that are less tedious, convenient, and interactive.
Gen Z / Millennials are both 71% more likely to use AR all the time vs older generations.
This figure illustrates how an eCommerce company that integrates Augmented Reality into its operations can instantly connect with its next-generation users.
Vossle Features to create a Highly Personal Brand Experience
Vossle is a WebAR Platform where anyone can create an unforgettable AR experience in under a minute. It does not require any coding, previous knowledge about AR, or even downloading a certain app.
All you need is a 3D model that will be used for the AR experience. For instance, if your eCommerce business sells jewelry, you need the 3D model of your jewelry.
Vossle can assist you with the 3D models or you can create and upload your own. Then, from the variety of features available on Vossle, you can choose the feature best suited to your needs and create your AR Experience.
Virtual Try-on
Virtual Try-on feature is an excellent tool, especially for eCommerce brands that sell products such as apparel, accessories, footwear, and so on.
This is because Vossle’s Try-on feature enables such brands to let their customers try on hundreds of products rather than having to make a decision right away before making a purchase, all from the comfort of their homes.
According to a study, 71% of consumers are interested in shopping with retailers that offer AR-based “try before you buy” options.
Anyone can instantly create real-time and interactive Virtual Try-on experiences and give their customers the option to “Try before you buy”.
Customers do not even need to download any app or upload their photo/video to try-on virtual products through Vossle. They can simply turn on their smartphone’s camera and start exploring.
The underlying technology of AR instantly produces a 3D representation of the product on the shoppers’ faces, feet, necks, etc. This significantly simplifies the whole purchasing process and makes it a lot more fun for the shoppers which directly impacts any eCommerce business.
Markerless AR
The technology behind Markerless AR makes our immediate surroundings come alive, based on where we look.
Consider a furniture company that already has an online store for its goods. The brand now wishes to devise an innovative strategy to promote more furniture sales online. This is where a Vossle Feature like Markerless AR comes into play.
Prospects can use Markerless AR to scan the code on their phone, hold it up to their room, and immediately view a 3D representation of the furniture in the actual setting. This solves the common struggle to visualize an online product in its actual environment when viewed on the website. This is beneficial for the furniture brand as their customers can visualize and try on different furniture in their home or room till they come across the ones that best fit their choice.
Similarly, many eCommerce brands can avail the Markerless AR feature on Vossle to provide their customers with the luxury of viewing an online product in real life before purchasing it, hence encouraging quick decisions and increasing product sales.
Games
One of the first industries to adopt Augmented Reality was the gaming industry. Today, there is a cult following and an increasing demand for AR-enabled games. This is because immersive technologies such as AR and VR have revolutionized the gaming experience which led to AR being adopted by many other industries as well.
Of course, as its popularity has grown, so have the number of platforms that make it easy to create AR games. For instance, with Vossle, anyone can quickly and easily develop a WebAR game without any coding knowledge. All you need to do is follow these steps:
1. Create an account on Vossle
2. Go to the AR creation module and select games
3. Select pre-existing templates. You can optionally upload assets to replace the default ones.
4. Click create and you are done!
Vossle’s core engine takes care of the rest. Simply share the URL created or the QR code with your users.
One such example of a WebAR game is of the eCommerce brand POND’S. The brand collaborated with Vossle to promote a new product launch. This is a fun, immersive game where all you’ve got to do is burst bubbles with your nose and experience the magic of AR!
Any eCommerce brand can use Web AR games as a fantastic tool for marketing, advertising, or even just providing an enjoyable experience for customers.
Employing Vossle AR Doesn’t Require You to Redesign Your eCommerce Website!
Once you’ve created your AR Experiences, the question that comes to mind is how to use them on your website.
Any AR Experiences created on Vossle for all your products can be instantly integrated on your eCommerce site with our list of plugins- WooCommerce (WordPress), Shopify, and Magento.
The Experience link generated from your AR takes a few minutes to integrate into your website, meaning that you do not need to redesign your website by any means.
The Future of AR in eCommerce
After a slow but steady climb, AR has started to play a bigger role in eCommerce. The businesses that embraced this technological advancement have emerged as the leading players in their respective industries by having a one-up over their competitors.
Currently, 100 million consumers are shopping with AR online and in-store. 94 % agree they’ll use AR the same or more when shopping next year.
These figures are undoubtedly going to accelerate as more and more industries have started to adopt AR as a powerful tool to boost their business.
Conclusion
As you can gather by now, eCommerce is already growing at a great pace and will continue to do so in the coming years, and using AR can surely help a brand have an advantage over its competitors.
With Augmented Reality, practically anything is possible and is only limited by your imagination. Important players have already started using AR in their companies. And now’s your time to get on board too!
With Vossle, you can explore many WebAR experiences best suited for your eCommerce brand in a matter of a few minutes. Our platform gives you the power to create your own WebAR experience without the need for technical knowledge. Start today for free on Vossle!