Digital Spotlight #17 - Web-native AR is the Road to Mainstream Adoption in Furniture Shopping

Here is the monthly round-up of all important news and articles in the world of furniture e-commerce and technology.

FURNITURE TECH

Augmented Reality - Redefining the Furniture Buyer Journey [FREE E-BOOK]

According to Gartner, by 2020, 100 million consumers will shop using AR online and in-store. 

Today, we are finally seeing the new generation of AR experiences - web-native, meaningful, relevant, with frictionless and delightful user experience — the last stepping stone towards the mass adoption of augmented reality in furniture. 

In this e-book you'll find answers to these questions:

• How will AR change the way people shop for furniture?
• Why should you consider adopting AR - statistics, use cases, and examples from leading furniture brands and retailers?
• Why is web-native AR the road to mainstream adoption?

Tech-savvy furniture retailers like Interior Define are already using web-native AR to drive more sales. 

Ready to find out how AR will change the path-to-purchase in the furniture industry?

What Brands Are Getting Wrong About AR

We see a big gap between consumer appetite for AR and the adoption rate on current Augmented Reality solutions in the space. The question is: Why? User experience. Customers nowadays are busy and do a lot of their shopping while on the go. Offering web-native AR means customers can easily visualize products straight from the browser, without the barrier of leaving your site to go to the App Store and download your mobile app. 

Some creatives think that AR in branded apps might not be long for this world. That doesn't mean that AR is marketing is going anywhere, just that marketers will need to deliver AR the way consumers have become accustomed to using their phones.

E-COMMERCE NEWS

Clear, Fast and Easy: Survey Finds Online Shoppers Want It All

According to the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper Survey, transparency on fees, control over delivery, and easy returns are among the leading must-have cited by online purchasers. Here are some of the key findings: 

• 90% percent of consumers research items before making online purchases, and 95% of all buyers expect to see shipping fees and taxes in their total before they complete their transaction;

• 1 in 5 consumers has more than five loyalty program memberships. Reasons for joining include free shipping, discounts, and reward points.

• While shoppers like the idea of next-day delivery, they are more likely to consider lower fees or incentives in exchange for slower shipping.

• Returns are important as well, with 73% of respondents noting the return experience impacts whether they will continue to shop with a retailer.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND DIGITAL UPDATES

Big Retailers Get on Board with Interactive Catalogs

As the world is going more digital, retailers realize that they need to change how they communicate with their potential customers. Large retailers are beginning to look to social media to modernize their traditionally print-focused catalogs, in response to shifting consumer behaviors. Ikea recently revealed a shoppable version of its catalog via Pinterest – allowing aspirational customers to bring together the look they want, and easily purchase what they need. 

INFOGRAPHIC OF THE MONTH

The Importance of Technology for Improved Shopping Experience

According to NRF, more than 3 out of 5 consumers say retail technologies and innovations (augmented reality, visual search, voice assistant, social shopping etc.) improved their shopping experience. In the report, 63% of consumers said retail technologies and innovations have improved their shopping experience on mobile devices, while 66% said the solutions have done so in stores and 80% online. 

Source: NRF

UPDATES FROM CYLINDO

Customers That Engage With AR Are 8x More Likely To Convert - Mini-Interview With Julie Shulman From Interior Define

How will AR change the way people shop for furniture, why should you consider adopting this technology and is web-native AR the road to mainstream adoption? We’ve talked with Julie Shulman, the Director of Product Management at Interior Define. 

“We understand that our customers are busy and do a lot of their shopping while on the go. Offering web-native AR means our customers can easily visualize our products without the barrier of leaving our site to go to the App Store and download our mobile app” - said Shulman.  

Initial data shows that the majority of customers engage with AR towards the end of the buyer journey helping to propel our customers towards their purchase decision. According to Interior Define, customers that engage with AR are 8 times more likely to convert than customers that choose not to engage with AR.