Infographic: Augmented reality in e-commerce

Long gone are the days when people sat at home in the evening at their PCs and browsed through the products on offer. Mobile devices are playing an increasingly important role – whether at the station, in the park or at lunch, people are shopping for all they’re worth. The smartphone has long since replaced the classic PC as the end device for online purchases. Mobile commerce accounts for two-thirds of purchases worldwide. According to Statista, this figure is even higher in Switzerland. As many as 83% of Swiss respondents stated that they use their cell phone to make purchases.

Providers are now being asked to offer new and exciting features for their stores. This allows them to make the shopping experience even more intense for the user. Augmented reality is increasingly coming into focus! More than half of Swiss people have already used AR applications, according to the latest AR Barometer from the University of Lucerne. A full 39% even stated that augmented reality can replace a visit to the store. The top product categories are furniture, clothing, furnishings, cars and electrical appliances.

But why should vendors opt for an augmented reality function in their online store? Here, too, studies provide us with valuable data. Ordering a product online always involves uncertainty – you can only see whether the carpet will fit in the living room or whether the color is right when you unpack it. Many people are therefore reluctant to buy certain products. Equipping the store with augmented reality helps to reduce this uncertainty. Customers are demonstrably more satisfied with their purchases.

This phenomenon even has a name: “Mental Simulation” and “Endowment through Perceived Ownership”. The better we can imagine products, the more likely we are to develop a need for them. This “virtual” ownership of a product ensures that we are more likely to add it to our shopping cart.

Several studies also confirm the increase in the conversion rate through augmented reality. Depending on the study, the figures range from just under 20% to almost 130%. Nowhere do the studies show falling or stagnating trends – the trend is therefore clear.

The AR Barometer from the University of Lucerne also provides what is probably the best argument for AR in e-commerce: two thirds of Swiss respondents like to view a product in AR before buying it. Given that only very few stores currently offer this technology, this high figure is astonishing. It clearly shows how great the potential of augmented reality is in Switzerland and can be in the future.

You can download the entire infographic with the findings on augmented reality and all the sources used here.