With the increasing popularity of social media, the way we shop is continuously changing. The likes of AR could also adapt our habits even further.
Although the holiday season has been and gone, humans in general love a good shop. How we do this shopping has changed dramatically over the years. While we can still head out real world to hit the shops, online retail has become the more convenient format. Taking this even further, we now see a much wider range of platforms trying to get us to buy something – the likes of Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat all have features that let us buy items at the click of a button.
Covid of course made this even more prevalent since physically going to the shops was impossible unless it was for essential items. However, even before Covid struck we were enjoying the ease of online shopping and being influenced by our online spaces.
AR shopping to change the space?
A report from Artilleryiq noted that consumer purchases influenced by social media are expected to grow from $492 billion globally to $1.2 trillion by 2025. This significant increase will be spearheaded by the rise of social influence and the ease of online shopping.
AR is now seeing wider use in eCommerce, as using our phones has essentially become a part of everyday life. Snapchat is already massively popular for its filters and AR capabilities, and adapting these to shopping is a logical step forward.
Snapchat has already partnered up with one of the biggest online shopping platforms, Amazon. The partnership has seen Snapchat lenses being utilised to allow users to try before they buy. At the moment this is focused on glasses. Users can see what the product looks like and then click buy which allows them to purchase the real item on Amazon.
It’s not just the fashion industry making use of technology to sell its products. Ikea also has a try before you buy format with its IKEA Kreativ platform. The AI-driven platform allows a user to create a fully rendered version of their real-life spaces. They can then browse the IKEA catalogue and see exactly how an item will look and fit in the room.
With the click of a button
For some, the preference will always be physically going around the shops for a browse. Yet for many, the convenience and practicality of online shopping is too tempting to pass up. Within a few clicks of a button, someone could see a realistic representation of furniture in their room, buy it all and have it delivered to their door.
The future of technology such as AR or AI programs being used in our shopping experiences is likely only going to increase over the coming years. Gen Z is immersed in social media apps which directly influences their shopping habits. This in turn makes online spaces not only one of the most prominent places to advertise from but also directly sell. As this generation grows so too will the way we shop.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
