Updated: Dec 02, 2024 By: Marios
The future of retail is poised for transformation with the rise of augmented reality (AR). At its core, AR blends virtual objects with the real world, creating an immersive shopping experience through computer-generated 3D images.
This exciting tech lets consumers engage with products like never before by providing detailed visualizations that help them make purchasing decisions.
In particular, AR is a game changer for home decor shopping, enabling customers to visualize how items will look in their own spaces before making a purchase. This version maintains your original ideas while enhancing clarity and engagement.
Thanks to augmented reality (AR), customers can visualize a virtual version of the furniture they want to buy in their own spaces, allowing them to see how it looks before adding it to their basket. The question is: will AR become a key component of future online shopping in home decor? Let’s explore its feasibility!
The Role of Augmented Reality in Retail
The aim of Augmented Reality is to offer customers the possibility to interact with virtual versions of the items they want to purchase. We can already observe this practice in the fashion and cosmetics industries, and these immersive tools enhance the customer's experience (and sales).
What Do We Need to Know About Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality consists of merging computer-generated images into our real-life surroundings. As a result, we can see virtual objects “floating” in our spaces, or being settled in places we want to see them. If you have ever played Pokémon GO, you already have experience with AR!
It’s also worth mentioning that AR is not the same thing as VR, or virtual reality. With VR, users are immersed into a digital space that gives them almost real sensations – their entire surrounding is “virtual”, unlike with AR, where only one part or item is virtual.
The Role of AR in Modern Retail
Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly popular with retailers, since it really brings the shopping experience to a whole new level, as can be seen on major brands’ websites, suchas IKEA, Wayfair and even Amazon – all of which have adopted AR tools.
For instance, IKEA's “Place” app enables users to visualize how virtual furniture would look in their homes, while Amazon's “AR View” offers a similar functionality across a wide range of products. This version maintains your original ideas while ensuring a smoother and more engaging presentation.
AR also contributes to shaping fashion retail, especially in the field of clothing. It is now possible to virtually try on the clothes we want to buy before purchasing; these developments prove AR’s potential to make shopping more intuitive and engaging, while decreasing the rate of returns.
However, keep in mind that the use of AR and any type of AI is not always fully secured. Thus, never forget to download VPN tools in order to protect your connection and data before browsing!
What Are The Benefits of AR for Online Home Decor Shoppers?
If shoppers want to buy decor items and house furniture that can perfectly fit their spaces, using AR is probably one of the most efficient ways to do so.
The immersive shopping experience is not only pleasant but is also highly useful when you can’t try out or shop for items in a real store.
You Can Visualize Your Items in Advance
The use of AR allows customers to visualize their items with specific details such as sizes and colors, all of which is very helpful to help in decision-making, as bad choices in home decor online shopping are always disappointing – not to mention difficult and costly for both retailers and customers!
After all, returning a bed frame or wardrobe is nowhere near as easy or cheap as returning a pair of jeans or lipstick.
Enhanced Personalization
When using AR for online shopping, buyers are also able to create customized items as if they were in a video game!
In that way, they can tailor the furniture and items they intend to buy to meet their real expectations. In other words, AR gives buyers the power of personalization, and this is a truly valuable point.
What Tech is Needed to Make AR Work?
If you are curious about the magic behind AR, know that the builders of AR tools use LiDAR and other specific software to craft their products. Let’s take a more in-depth look at this.
The Magical Tools Used in Making AR Tools
AR developers mostly use a technology called Light Detection and Ranging, shortened as LiDAR.
This amazing technology gives users the ability to better perceive the computer-generated elements with their senses. It becomes possible to accurately see these elements in real spaces, with their real sizes and features app.
Magic Integrated into E-Commerce Mobile Apps
Thanks to its integration with some e-commerce mobile apps, AR is now available to most online buyers.
In the making of these AR tools, the developers managed to directly implement them into the retailers apps. That way, buyers are not forced to use separate apps and software to benefit from the magic of AR!
By leveraging cutting-edge tools and integrating them into user-friendly apps, retailers can make AR experiences flawless, increasing their adoption in home decor shopping.
What Are The Challenges?
Despite all the exciting promises linked to AR in home decor shopping, we must not forget that challenges are to be faced. This technology is in its first years, and users still need to better understand why they should use it.
Production Costs and Technological Resources
AR tool builders and retailers who want to integrate these tools into their apps and software must invest a sizable sum to achieve their goals; crafting quality 3D elements that possess all the real-life features app expected by the buyers can be costly.
In order to run smoothly with mobile devices, AR tools require high-end technologies, which means that the users must have highly effective smartphones and mobile devices to benefit from a smooth use.
This limitation in technological resources has an impact on the accessibility of AR tools. However, most Apple Pro and Pro Max phones are equipped with LiDAR technology, showing that this is expected to become the norm in the future.
AR is Not Yet Widely Known
As discussed previously, the use of AR enhances buyers' experience in home decor shopping. However, AR’s potentials are not yet widely known, and users do not fully know or trust its benefits and accuracy.
As a consequence, AR is not yet considered the futuristic tool that is going to immediately change the overall habits of online home decor shoppers. The latter still need to learn more about AR in order to adopt it into their habitual buying processes.
AR in Home Decor Shopping: What Should We Expect For The Future?
We still need to be patient if we wish to see AR bringing the intended changes to home decor shopping habits. Yet we must consider the fact that technological advancements will bring AR experiences to a higher level, making them more realistic and accurate.
AR could also bridge the gap between online and offline shopping by offering hybrid experiences, such as virtual consultations with interior designers or augmented reality showrooms where customers can see in-store products virtually.
Retailers embracing AR early will have a competitive edge, offering unparalleled convenience and personalization to tech-savvy customers. As AR hardware becomes more affordable and consumer awareness grows, the technology is poised to become a staple in home decor shopping.
To conclude, Augmented Reality is transforming how we interact with the world around us, and its potential in home decor shopping is vast.
By allowing customers to visualize, personalize, and make informed decisions, AR bridges the gap between imagination and reality. While challenges remain, advancements in AR tools and increasing consumer interest point to a promising future!
For businesses, investing in AR technology can pave the way for an innovative and customer-centric approach to retail. For shoppers, the dream of designing a home with a simple tap on a smartphone is no longer far-fetched – it’s just around the corner.
