AR in Retail: Illuminating Case Studies
How Augmented Reality is Transforming Retail Shopping
While VR immerses users in virtual worlds, augmented reality (AR) overlays digital elements onto the real world. Retailers like Sephora, Wayfair, and Converse are leveraging AR to enhance product visualization and the customer experience.
For example, Sephora’s Virtual Artist app lets you virtually try on makeup products using your phone’s camera. IKEA Place lets you preview true-to-scale IKEA furniture in your living space before buying.
AR provides on-the-spot product interaction, improving purchase confidence and lowering returns. 60% of shoppers prefer retailers with AR capabilities.
How is augmented reality impacting and transforming the retail industry?
Some key ways AR is revolutionizing retail include:
- Enhanced product visualization: AR allows customers to preview products in context. For example, IKEA Place lets you see true-to-scale IKEA furniture layouts in your living space. Amazon AR View allows you to view products in your surroundings before buying.
- Virtual try-ons: AR apps like Sephora Virtual Artist, Rimmel Get The Look, and Ray-Ban Virtual Try-On use facial tracking to let you virtually try on makeup, accessories, and eyewear. This provides an in-store fitting experience anywhere.
- Informational overlays: Retailers can attach digital information overlays like reviews, tutorials, and specifications to in-store products when scanned with AR apps. This helps shoppers make informed purchase decisions.
- Immersive brand experiences: AR provides wow-factor product launches and marketing. For example, a Pepsi Max AR bus shelter gave people a simulated skydiving experience through their phones.
- Analytics for retailers: AR shopping apps provide valuable customer data like dwell time, interactions, and sessions. Retailers can gain actionable insights to optimize merchandising and marketing.
With smartphone AR capabilities improving, retailers are harnessing augmented reality to blend digital enhancements with real-world shopping. This bridges e-commerce and physical retail to create intuitive, omnichannel experiences.
A Deep Dive into AR, VR, and MR: Comprehensive Examples
Bridging the Digital and Physical Shopping Worlds
AR and VR are often confused with mixed reality (MR), which merges real and virtual worlds. While AR augments reality, VR completely replaces it. MR leverages the benefits of both to create hybrid spaces for seamless customer engagement.
Brands like Amazon Go and Alibaba’s FashionAI concept store use MR, AI, and sensor fusion to enable grab-and-go shopping and smart dressing rooms. MR erases boundaries between online and offline retail, providing an omnichannel experience.
