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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

• Shopping with AR will surge by 2025, demon- For instance, one third of consumers would still go to a
strating its commercial clout and proving that it shop if there were interactive, virtual services such as
can move consumers closer to the checkout. Al- an intelligent mirror with which they could try on clothes
ready 16% of shoppers globally have used AR in or make-up. This shows the role advanced retail tech-
the shopping process. But while necessity might nologies can play in enhancing the in-store shopping
have fuelled AR trial for many in the last year, more experience and increasing customer footfall. Around
consumers are now actively seeking out AR as a 50% also state that the inability to see, touch and try
viable alternative to real-life retail: 2 in 5 shoppers out products are the most important factors preventing
expect AR to be available when shopping in the them from shopping online. This shows how important
next year, and 3 in 10 prefer to try on clothing new options for product previews and testing via online
items using AR rather than having to go in-store. channels will be for an optimized experience. Hence,
The findings showcase the vital role that AR can the digital showroom is just the beginning: around three
provide in supporting product interaction across the quarter of Gen Z and Millennials would consider buying
shopping journey and the direct impact on retail a virtual product, suggesting a significant expansion of
sales, with more than half of global consumers who the virtual economy in the next decade.
have used AR saying that it encouraged them to
make a purchase. Hence, retailers not utilising AR The exclusivity that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) offer
technology run the risk of not meeting consumer will increasingly be an important unique selling point for
expectations and missing an opportunity to nudge virtual products. We are talking about a unit of data
shoppers closer to the checkout with an enhanced stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that cer-
shopping experience offering the benefits of in- tifies a digital asset to be unique, and therefore not in-
store retail at home. terchangeable. NFTs enable consumers to own unique
pieces regardless of their physical existence and en-
The study makes clear that it is high time to prepare for courages spending money on exclusive brands.
the virtual economy boom: e.g., to provide consumers
with immediate access to inventory information before Essentially, the study shows that despite the many
they go to a store. Gen Z and Millennial buyers anyway challenges retail stores worldwide are facing, digitiza-
use their mobile phone to purchase products, while tion can be a powerful tool to lure people back into
stating that they never go shopping without a stores or to build new business models. ◊
smartphone. Besides, the young target group has not By Daniela La Marca
only gotten used to augmented reality (AR), but will al-
so be demanding this service for themselves in the fu-
ture.

July 2021: Mobile Marketing & Analytics 5