Augmented Reality in e-Commerce: How to Improve User Experience
The e-commerce industry has experienced immense growth in recent years. This can be highly attributed to the change in consumer mentality making them accept and adopt online shopping. The consumer has also had a change in shopping behavior that can be attributed to the global pandemic and also the technological advancements. This has seen an increment in the number of consumers making purchases online. Every buyer comes with expectations of getting the best experience through their purchase process. Unfortunately, this is the biggest challenge in the e-commerce sector - trying to meet the customer demands and satisfy their needs.
The introduction of Augmented Reality technology into the e-commerce sector has become a game changer. It has improved customer experience making them comfortable making them opt for online purchases rather than walking into a physical store to make a purchase. In the following article, we will see how augmented reality can be used in the e-commerce sector to improve the user experience.
It Provides Try-On Solutions Virtually
Some of the greatest challenges facing the e-commerce sector are the fear of the outcome by the clients. It is the fear that clients have wondered if the item they acquire online will best serve their needs. This in turn reduces the conversion rate. If the customer takes the risk and makes the purchase but unfortunately the product does not serve the intended purpose, the client returns the purchased product - this increases the return rate. The higher the return rate, the higher the negative rating.
Augmented Reality (AR) gives e-commerce users an opportunity to preview products and experience services without walking into a physical store. This means that a client who wants to purchase a piece of furniture for the house or office can try the size of the furniture without walking into a physical furniture store. This is done by using your device to capture the empty space you intend to put the furniture. Drag the selected piece of furniture that you want to buy. The augmented reality technology will help you know if the piece of furniture will fit in the said space. The same can be used when buying clothes, furniture, electronics makeup accessories, fashion accessories such as sunglasses, and kitchen appliances.
This greatly influences fast decision-making by the client. The client is able to have confidence in what they are buying without much worry.
It Provides Preview Placement
For decor-enthusiastic people, the fear of how the product they intend to purchase will blend with the house or office decor is always high. When making an online or physical purchase, it's hard to tell how that couch will blend with the Decor in the house, or how the television will look on the wall. This pushes many potential buyers to walk into a physical store than make the purchase online. This is so because they are able to view the product and brainstorm with the salesperson on a one-one basis which is not the same for online purchases.
The integration of augmented reality technology in e-commerce helps solve this. It gives the customer an opportunity to get a real-life glimpse of how the product will look in the home or office environment as applied on the Zolak website. One can actually customize the appearance to make it best suitable for the new environment. This is not applicable to physical stores making e-commerce unique. This increases customer confidence which results in increased traffic and sales.
It Creates An Interactive User Manual
A user's manual is a guide that helps the user of a new product, software or application navigate through effortlessly. It's prepared by the technician, developer, or manufacturer. It has over the years evolved from a printed document with a step-by-step guide in different languages and published in tiny fonts. Many people will attest to needing to read or follow the manual. They came to FAQs on the products page that had links to a video tutorial. Again, very few users contacted the support team or opened the video tutorial. Then came the interactive Manual - the game changer that offers much-needed help.
The incorporation of augmented reality in the interactive manual helps the customer easily understand how to use a product, application, or software. It also shortens the client's learning curve. It is able to respond to the actions of the user. It provides on-page contextual support while using a software website or application. The augmented reality user manual is able to scan a product and show the buttons in real life and in the current environment. It uses arrows and animated text to indicate the buttons.
It's Used In Social Media Filters
The use of social media filters is mainly associated with fun for social media users. What many don't know is that augmented reality filters have been used by brands to propel their products. Brands use augmented reality filters to showcase their products to potential customers. The customer is able to try the product and see how it would look on them. It is also a great way to increase audience and engagement. People can tag you as they post their content which will help you grow as a brand. Lastly, the wow effect caused by the use of Augmented Reality technology makes you stand out among other products. As an E-commerce, the adoption of augmented reality social media filters helps in growing the brand and increasing traffic.
In Summary
Customer experience is essential for the growth of the E-commerce industry. Adopting augmented reality technology can be a great fuel to boost the customer experience. It will help in increasing customer satisfaction that makes them come back again. It also helps in increasing the customer base by reaching many audiences and converting them to buyers. The future of e-commerce is technology - augmented reality technology facilitates the fast growth of the e-commerce industry.
