Ever stood in front of a piece of furniture that caught your fancy in a shop and struggled to picture where it belonged in your living room? Ever shopped for clothes online and struggled to visualise how each piece would look on you? It won’t be long before those days go the way of dial-up internet and plastic straws. Augmented reality technology is taking its rightful throne as the most complete experience in retail shopping, for consumers and businesses alike.
What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
Virtual reality is an idea that has been knocking around the tech industry since the eighties. Virtual reality aims to recreate our reality in a virtual space. Augmented reality does quite the opposite: it brings the virtual into the real world. AR technology works by superimposing digital content onto real-life experiences. This is accomplished through computer-generated displays of visuals, sound, text, and graphics. This ‘augments’ the real world experience. But what are the practical applications of AR technology?
For one, like the ones described above, augmented reality essentially solves some real-world issues that we run into. AR technology allows you to sit in the comfort of your own living room and interact with a virtual version of that ottoman that caught your eye and decide where you want to place it. Or even whether you want it at all, now that you’re looking at it against the backdrop of your household. Not sure whether the trendy new printed leggings are really your style? With AR, you can ‘put on’ a virtual version to see if it tickles your fancy.
Another increasingly popular version of AR is the ‘search’ function that is integrated with our smartphone cameras these days. These allow us to simply point our lens on any item or product that we may see in passing and effectively shop for it then and there. To say nothing of gaming: Pokemon Go had the entire world in a chokehold a few years back when it offered users the chance to capture their adorable pocket monsters in the real world. The iconic snapchat photo filters, TikTok and Instagram filters, have all snuck into our lives without us ever noticing it.
AR in Retail
As might be expected however, most commercial players are interested in capturing the potential of AR in the commercial space. The roles AR is capable of playing in this space are many and varied, from brick-and-mortar businesses to the e-commerce space. For one, AR improves the shopping experience, which is good for all businesses across the board. Customers needn’t suffer through queues to experience the product before making the decision to buy, and are able to make better, more informed purchase decisions because they get to interact with a product and how it would function in their experience without ever having to pull their wallet out of their pocket.
On the other hand, AR allows businesses to enrich their brand experience and stand out from the crowd. Hotels can offer an in-depth look into what a vacation would like, architects would be able to offer a virtual tour of the house-in-planning on the very land it is supposed to be built, and customers can immerse themselves into a ‘try before you buy’ experience before breaking out the plastic to buy into a luxury brand. Personalisation and convenience is key in the modern shopping experience, and that’s exactly what AR would offer.
The Challenges of the AR Retail Experience
As mentioned before, convenience is key in improving the experience for a shopper, sometimes even when it comes at a steeper price. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few key points to consider before investing everything you have towards integrating AR into your business.
Develop an App or a Website?
These days, it feels like every business or brand is trying to build an app – which is the exact same criticism your client or customer would have should you try to do the same. Trying to coax your client into downloading your app for the AR experience you have to offer might well be the point of resistance that causes them to drop out of a potential transaction. This is especially true when the potential customer is someone who doesn’t bring a level of brand loyalty with them. Someone who is just ‘browsing’ what you have to offer and comparing your brand with others could easily deem your value addition as a burden on them. Coupled with the burden of adding yet another application onto their smartphone, they might opt out of exploring your brand altogether.
On the other hand, developing a fully functioning webpage or website that provides the customer with the experience you want to offer would be an easier way to go about things. You would have the advantage of being compatible across both personal devices as well as desktop/laptop computers and the cost saving of unnecessary app development. However, a web page may not be able to build the same brand relationship that a dedicated app can garner.
Marker-based and Markerless AR
Markers refer to how AR superimposes digital content onto our reality. Imagine the case of a clothing item: the garment is the digital element that needs to be superimposed onto a (our) body. The software that carries out this action might be one that relies on a marker to set our body apart from the rest of the image it ‘sees’. It may even need markers to distinguish wrists, ankles and neck so that the item of clothing can be properly placed, for example. End-users of the software will have to be responsible for placing the markers correctly, if they are to have an effective and rewarding AR experience. Much like in the case of a dedicated app, this places too great of a burden on the consumer or client. There is also greater room for error within the experience, as the consumer will have to rely on the instructions they are provided with to experience your brand.
Markerless AR does not depend on external markers to carry out its function. It is easier to use, but on the downside, there is greater room for error. The software works based on visual elements it can recognise, like a flat surface, or an easily distinguishable silhouette like a hand with individually visible fingers. On the other hand (pun not intended), it may easily mistake literally anything else with five digits for your hand.
The Expense of Rendering 3D Images
Any retailer that decides to showcase their portfolio via AR will have to contend with the fact that every single product they have on offer will have to be captured using 2D technology and rendered in 3D. The process is time-consuming as it is expensive. Most businesses compromise by providing AR experiences for only a select few of their products. A hotel or resort for example will limit the experience to a certain wing or section of the property, or just to their main attractions.
Unfortunately, the AR experience might still not be an enjoyable one even after all this. Showing 3D models in proportion with the scene they are being superimposed on can be a challenging task. A furniture shopper will most likely find the AR option valueless if they cannot size the piece of furniture they are aiming to buy against what they have already.
AR technology has the potential to be a transformative force in the retail space. However, its efficacy will depend on the technological achievements we have at our disposal. Technology is ever-evolving, which means that our investment can become out-dated within a very short window of time. AR technology can be harnessed to provide consumers with better shopping experiences, to track user data on what consumers are looking for the most, and if harnessed properly, it can even be used to add value to existing products. The creativity and the discipline with which a business does so will dictate whether AR makes or breaks its future.
(Theruni Liyanage)