“𝐓𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐲” 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲!

Covid-19 has supercharged all the interactive things, for example retail industries. According to IBM’s 2020 U.S. Retail Index Survey, pandemic has accelerated the transition to digital shopping by about five years. There is one technology that is on the rise in this space, and that is Augmented Reality, which promises to revolutionize the entire fashion industry (AR).

Virtual “try-before-you-buy” experiences ranging from previewing furniture and items in your home with everyday brands like IKEA and Home Depot to digitally trying on luxury fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have been on the rise. If seeing is believing, trying-on seals the deal.

AR has rapidly evolved from a nice-to-have feature to a necessary technology for retailers. One truly exciting application of AR and related technologies is to showcase large purchases like furniture that consumers often trouble visualizing in their home. IKEA has relied on customers visiting its stores to sell furniture for years, but it now hopes that a smartphone will fuel sales. With 98 percent precision, the app measures items automatically based on room measurements. The software uses an iPhone or iPad camera to scan the expanse of a room in order to imagine a product inside it. To make their choices, users can search through an online database of over 2,000 IKEA items. After selecting a product, users must point the device to the desired location in a room, then drag and drop the product into place.

Hygiene and protection are top priorities when many physical stores reopen. Beauty stores including Sephora and Ulta have banned consumers from physically checking makeup items on their skin in response to the pandemic. Instead, retailers are turning to augmented reality (AR) to enable consumers to virtually try out thousands of beauty products before making a purchase.

Sephora’s mobile application includes a “Virtual Artist” feature. The film was an instant success, attracting nearly 45 million views in its first eight weeks. It alleviates one of the most common concerns that customers have when purchasing cosmetics online: “Is this shade right for my skin tone?” Is it going to look nice on my face?”

Whereas Ulta’s interactive try-on beauty app, GLAMlab, which was launched five years ago, has also seen an increase in use since the pandemic. Following Covid, engagement has risen sevenfold, and more than 50 million shades of foundation have been digitally swatched with the app.

Mary Dillion, CEO, Ulta says, “Augmented reality innovation includes testing in-store Ulta digital stylists in six pilot stores. This tool, intended for associates in the salon or brow bars to show possibilities to guests in the store, offers virtually try-on for hair color, makeup and eyebrow shaping.”

Augmented and virtual reality technology are here to stay, because they satisfy the emerging needs of retailers and purchasers and InfiVR can enhance customers’ shopping experience and can make both buyers and shops very happy if customers fully utilize AR technology. InfiVR is specialized in providing Augmented Reality and virtual Reality services for product promotion and presentation, as well as customer service, warehousing, delivery, and other fashion retail procedures.