Augmented reality e-commerce with Coop Bau und Hobby
“Augmented reality will soon be part of the shopping experience for the majority of shoppers.”
Bitforge founder and Head of AR Products Reto Senn is not the only one who thinks so. The tech industry agrees that augmented reality will soon be part of everyday life in e-commerce, at least in certain product categories. Developments in the market are also pointing in this direction. One of the most innovative and experimental companies in this regard is Coop Bau und Hobby, which is now taking an important next step following its successful AR Christmas tree campaign .
Easy entry into AR Shopping
In December 2020, Switzerland’s largest DIY store was one of the first companies to test our web-based AR service Genie AR. In a Christmas campaign, which was accompanied by print ads and TV commercials, Coop Bau und Hobby had its customers place Christmas trees in AR before buying them. This way, they know exactly whether the intended tree size will fit in their living room or whether it should perhaps be one size smaller.
The campaign was very successful. It turned out that the users accepted the new type of product presentation very well and got on well with it. This is evidenced by almost two placed trees per user and over 80% non-bouncing sessions on the AR landing pages.
One of the first augmented reality shopping campaigns in Switzerland: AR Christmas tree from Coop
View garden sheds without app in AR
Due to the positive feedback, Coop decided to get down to business and implement augmented reality for certain product categories in the online store. Garden sheds will make the start this early summer.
On a dedicated landing page and on the respective product pages, Coop Bau und Hobby customers can now check which garden shed or toolbox fits best in their garden at the touch of a button. And without having to swing a yardstick in the garden first.
Is there enough space for the garden shed? And does it match the color?
Which box fits best?
The magic word is Web AR
The technological possibilities for augmented reality shopping have been around for a few years. However, the implementation was previously tied to a mobile app, which does not always make sense. And it is not financially feasible for all companies.
For this reason, we have developed Genie AR, an augmented reality platform that also gives smaller companies access to AR. Using a simple CMS, AR models can be easily organized and integrated into any website or online store via copy/paste.
