Augmented Reality: Envisioning A Futuristic Market For Fashion Retailers

Augmented reality app development is all about living the scenes from our favourite science-fiction movies.

From Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed movie 2001: A Space Odyssey to James Cameroon’s magnum opus Avatar, if the science-fiction movies all had one common factor in hand, it was the prediction of futuristic tech concepts. Minority Report did it. Back to the Future did it. Blade Runner did it. And the list could go on.

They have all presented to us their versions and interpretations of a future dominated by advanced technologies. And most of them have come true or are in development currently. Self-driving cars, video calling facilities, anti-gravity jetpacks and more. But what has been one of the most interesting advancements that has also been implemented in commercial aspects is the phenomenon called augmented reality.

Today, the augmented reality market is worth $3.5bn with over 1bn users using an application of this technology. Gradually, companies and businesses are waking up to the potential of augmented reality and realizing that they could be tapped for profits and innovative marketing and promotions. Numbers also reveal that over 70% of the users share that augmented reality would bring them profits.

But there’s one specific industry that perhaps has the best and the most interesting application of augmented reality – the retail industry. Close to 63% of the shoppers believe that augmented reality will elevate their shopping experiences. And true to this, companies are listening and implementing the technology into their operations and promotions as well.

If you hardly had any information about this, well, this particular post will help you understand everything you need to know about augmented reality in retail (in detail).

So, let’s get started.

Ever since online stores started coming in and the on-demand economy started growing, retail stores have been pushed to the side lines. They’ve been facing concerns like decreasing footfalls, piled up inventories, shutting down branches and more. And this is not something new. Between the year 2010 and 2013, mall visits reported a decline by 50% . That was a time these technologies had just started popping up.

Such concerns gradually became a real challenge for retail store owners between the years 2015 and 2018. With eCommerce giants like Amazon rising simultaneously, retail stores were further pushed back. And we all know what happened in 2020. The pandemic again shut a lot of stores because of social distancing protocols.

Over the years, a lot of businesses survived, too. But they have been mostly because of adopting digital transformations in their operations. Several businesses across the globe resorted to innovative solutions to their concerns, increasing the curiosity and loyalty of consumers.

And one technology that has always been under the radar for experimentation is augmented reality.

To cater to the needs of millennials and retain existing customers, Zara adopted augmented reality app development. With its app, it allowed users to show their phones to a podium or window at their stores or scan a particular image on their website and get to see models like Fran Summers and Lea Julian sport their preferred looks. When they like it, they could immediately buy it either online or at a store.

If you notice, this entices all the senses a human being can experience and even gets the attention of people who have never bought apparels from Zara try the app and their clothing once. This was nothing less than a masterstroke and a game changer.

And if you’re a business owner who intends to make profits this coming season, now would be a good time to integrate augmented reality shopping websites development or augmented reality app development for your retail store. To help you get started, let’s look at how.

Smart Mirrors

What if we told you that you could try a fashion apparel you like without even putting it on? Well, say hello to smart mirrors then. Smart mirrors are futuristic alternatives to the trial rooms that exist today. These devices help you try out clothing and give you a better idea of how you would look when you actually wear them.

For this, all that the user has to do is take an apparel of their choice and point it at the smart mirror for it to scan the clothing. Next, the mirror will scan the user and recreate a computer-generated model on the mirror. The scanned piece of clothing will then be overlayed on to the user’s image to give a final look. With this, users could see a 360-degree view of them sporting the outfit, instantly change colours and patterns, try different sizes and do more without even wearing the trial piece.

Considering the hygiene standards that are becoming the norm, this will be a blessing in retail stores. Besides, retail giants like Ralph Lauren, Zara, Burberry and others have replaced conventional trial rooms with smart mirrors.

Virtual Tailors

Another interesting application of augmented reality app development is in the concept called virtual tailors. Yet another futuristic application, this is where you would need no tailors or any sort of manual intervention whatsoever to take your measurements for the perfectly-fitting apparel.

Sounds intriguing already?

With virtual tailors, there will only be sensors, scanners and machine learning algorithms accurately taking measurements of your body and stitching the perfect attire for your special occasions. Tailor-made gets a whole new definition with its introduction.

Though it seems surreal, a company called Fit Freedom already offers its customers this experience. The augmented reality clothing app development captures measurements and transmits the data for processing across layers of product lines to finally deliver a product that is made to perfection.

Firstly, it is fun and how you use it entirely depends on your creativity. We saw how even a mundane process like taking measurements for stitching could be made fun with the help of augmented reality.

Secondly, tech giants like Apple and Google are offering their augmented reality kits and platforms so you could make use of them to create your own clothes finder application. From generating leads and improving campaigns to increasing your business revenue, you could leverage the potential of augmented reality to your advantage.

And if you’re still wondering what benefits augmented reality app development could bring you, here’s a list: