Using AR to Make Your eCommerce & Retail Business Thrive during COVID

Every industry has been impacted on a large scale due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the world of social distancing and contactless business services unfold. The scar of the recession has grown from starting of 2020 and will continue for some more time. Many businesses across the globe are struggling to survive during this unprecedented challenge. Research by the US Chamber of Commerce states that more than 54% of small businesses in the US have either temporarily closed or will be shut down very soon. To stay relevant in the pandemic era, businesses have started to adopt digitization more than ever before where AR and VR play the main role. Every eCommerce web development company is delivering services aligned with AR technology to attain a better shopping experience with lesser impact.

Talking about the retail industry, the only option left for the retailers is to utilize and leverage AR technologies to sustain customer demand. With the pandemic situation, people are not going out and prefer staying indoors to curb the spread of the virus. However, businesses must reach their customers to survive even if they cannot reach the store. Thanks to online shopping that has become an ultimate problem solver for many daily needs or essentials.

Significance of AR in Transforming the Way Businesses Work in COVID Era

Augmented Reality is one technology that enables online shoppers to give the feel of trying products before purchase just like visiting physical stores. If you are wondering – How much to make an AR App cost, make use of our app cost calculator to find an estimated cost in just a few seconds. With social distancing guidelines, let’s find out how the retail industry can use AR during a pandemic to deliver exceptional customers’ shopping experience-

Higher Engagement

AR can be a game-changing feature that enables brands to interact three-dimensionally with customers using their mobile devices. Incorporating AR helps in transforming the customer journey into an immersive & visually interactive environment with a trial-run of shortlisted items, helping them make purchase decisions more confidently.

Safer Shopping Alternative

Visiting physical stores is not a preferable option in the current situation. However, AR can promote contact-less shopping & virtual try-on at stores, ensuring lesser contact of the products like accessory or clothes. Making use of digital screens to shop will be a safer alternative than to try the products that may be touched by many other customers.

Personalized Purchase

Using AR, customers can try on pieces virtually without breaking any rules of social distancing just by using the digital screens that also enable them to share & take reviews from friends and families. No salespeople will be needed to guide customers and information collected through AR apps can be analyzed to provide personalized experiences for better purchase decisions.

Industries That Can Use AR to Thrive During Coronavirus

Brands need to understand that the move of going digital is essential as social distancing will be needed for a long time even after the lockdown. Some business sectors can adopt new digital retail channels & enforce eCommerce as the new normal to the customers using technologies like AR.

Real Estate

Even if COVID-19 impacts every industry including housing and real estate ventures, using AR & VR can help real estate agents or house owners prosper during these tough times. Many brands have adopted VR enabled app that enables buyers or renters to take virtual 3D tours of houses and apartments they find interesting just like a physical visit at the location.

Clothing & Footwear

Augmented Reality-enhanced shopping apps are the ones that have features enabling visual try-on before your customers buy. These help customers in visualizing how something will look on them without the need of trying clothes or waiting in queues for trail rooms. As customers can try before the final purchase, there is a lower chance of returned orders ensuring better purchase decisions.

Events & Conferences

Another industry that is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic is the tradeshow industry with several exhibitions getting canceled globally. Many companies are developing VR-based platforms that enable participants across the world to join large conferences virtually. Without breaking any quarantine orders, people from different locations can sit at home & gain knowledge of traditional tradeshows through virtual participation.

Furniture

AR holds the potential to render any physical product into a virtual model and showcase into a mobile AR store. Taking advantage of this, the electronics and furniture brands are making use of AR shopping apps that gives the chance to let customers preview how furniture looks on their living rooms using their smartphones before making a purchase.

Wrapping Up

As we live a life of new normal with social distancing norms, we must agree that the way your business work before pandemic won’t be the same again. Only innovative businesses using robust technologies are surviving. It’s time to embrace the immense opportunities through AR and make your eCommerce business thrive not just survive in the present situation of COVID and beyond. Being a leading Augmented Reality App Development Company, our expert teams holds strong technical expertise in helping many businesses find new ways to deliver ease and convenience, all at a distance. Get in touch with us to take your eCommerce business to a new level with AR capabilities.