First, what is Augmented Reality (AR)? It is a human visualization experience enhanced by technology that merges digital elements real elements. For instance, you see a nice ring while shopping online and you would like to see how it might look on your hand, as you would if you were in a store. AR, along with your phone or tablet with a camera, allows you to see the ring superimposed on the image of your hand. Without taking a trip to the jewelry store to try on the ring, AR gives you the next best try-on experience.
The goal of AR is to combine the real and the virtual worlds to “improve” the user’s experience. There are many practical applications in our everyday lives, while shopping is one of the first ones to have broader use.
While you may think AR is a new technology, in reality, the first application of AR was introduced to television weather forecasts with a green screen behind the presenter in 1979, over 40 years ago. Many years later, Google introduced Google Glass, an AR viewer in the form of a pair of glasses launched to the public in May 2014. Since then, it has been used in dozens of applications like flight safety, exercise, journey sharing, and warfare simulators to name just a few. However, until recently, it has not really caught on for online shopping.
AR to enhance the shopping experience is not a new concept but the advancement of smartphones, with exceptional cameras, is now making the technology easy to offer to the masses. Many retailers are exploring how they can use AR to make the online shopping experience more “real.” and increase online sales of those goods that many times demand better visualization before purchase decisions are made.
Augmentes, a Houston-based technology company, has been showcasing AR capability with a focus on online jewelry shopping for a number of years. If you are a jewelry store owner or jewelry designer, their AR technology can greatly enhance your shopper’s experience while helping your store dramatically increase conversion rates and reduce returns. Give their experts a call today.