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2022 could be the breakout year for mobile AR shopping

Written by Tom Ryan

Pinterest’s “Try On for Home Decor” feature - Source: Pinterest

A new study finds 76 percent of consumers have already used AR (augmented reality) one way or another. Of the 24 percent who haven’t, half hope to do so in the future. The survey from Camera IQ, an AR-design platform, was taken in December and featured 1,500 U.S. consumers with the majority between the ages of 18 and 44. AR’s potential has received some hype as related to the development of the metaverse, but the study contends similar AR-experiences are already available on Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms. Other key takeaways from the survey:
  • AR experiences often go viral: Seventy-eight percent say they are likely to share a brand’s AR experience with their community, while 53 percent say they have already shared AR content on social media; 
  • AR accelerates the buyer’s journey: Fifty-nine percent say they would be more likely to purchase a product they’ve seen visualized through AR; 
  • AR offers several crucial use cases for brands: Among consumers who have used AR, product visualizations are the most common experience, at 39 percent; followed by virtual try-ons of clothing, makeup and accessories, 36 percent; and playing games on their mobile devices, 32 percent.
A survey of 2,500 U.S. consumers last year from Snap, Snapchat’s parent, found one in five consumers have used AR when shopping, with 28 percent non-users interested in doing so in the future. Asked which parts of the online shopping experience they would be interested in using AR for, the top responses were to:
  • Get a 360 visualization of a product, 25 percent;
  • See what products look like on me, 23 percent;
  • Help me see how customized products will look, 22 percent;
  • Help me work out the exact size of a product, 19 percent;
  • Make shopping more fun, 17 percent.
On its fourth-quarter call in early February, Jeremi Gorman, Snap’s chief business officer, said, “We believe that AR represents a consumer-centric shift in how our community shops and experiences new products with virtual try-on and visualization, allowing consumers to make the leap from ‘This looks good’ to ‘This looks good on me.’ This leap could help lower returns and increase conversion rates for retailers.”

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