The connection between e-commerce and smartphones is a blossoming relationship. With desktop computers no longer the only option available to browse and shop online, this marriage of technology and convenience is one that’s likely to be rock solid for generations to come.
However, this relationship should be prepared to add a new addition into their lives: Augmented Reality i.e. AR. this technology is also beginning to be marketed as Mixed Reality or MxR (blame Magic Leap for that one). Online furniture retailer Wayfair just released a brand new app called WayfairView. For use on smartphones and tablets, the app can project a lifelike 3D image of an item of furniture straight into your home. Having the option to see what an item will look like before purchasing – whether that’s ceiling lights, sofas, chairs and much more – will be an ultimate game-changer for shopping on your mobile or tablet. “WayfairView should give people more confidence to buy from us without worrying whether something’s the right size,” said Mike Festa, R&D division Director at Wayfair.
Watch the video below to see how it works:
Wayfair is among several other companies experimenting in augmented and virtual reality. Ikea has also introduced a VR experience, designed to let the user wander around a kitchen and interact with the furnishings of their preferred layout. Users can also experience the kitchen in VR from a child or very tall person’s perspective, so as to avoid potential hazards such as sharp corners or low-hanging lights.
The addition of AR and VR within mobile shopping couldn’t have come at a better time for e-commerce. In the US alone, sales made from a mobile reached a staggering $104 billion in 2015 – an enormous 38.7% jump from 2014’s total of $75 billion. Black Friday sales from a mobile typically make up a huge portion of the revenue.
With mobile shopping now the most popular it has ever been, any business or organization with a website not currently set up to cater for mobile viewing is likely to be left in the dust before long. As this blog post explains, it’s not just the users that will look elsewhere if the site isn’t mobile-friendly, but Google too. “Since April 2015, website operators who neglect their mobile visitors have been more likely to see sizable losses in ranking regarding mobile web searches. This is due to a change in the Google search algorithm.”
Though AR and VR within online shopping are still in their relative infancy, the prospect of adding such options to the world of mobile commerce will no doubt be incredibly tantalizing and exciting for consumers to try out.
