According to TikTok, AR Portals are the Future?! (a young millennials take)
TikTok user Sunken Blimp blew my mind when I watched a viral video on the ‘Serendipity’ AR furniture portal.
I was casually scrolling through TikTok the other day (as we all do before bed, right?) when I came across this video of a user approaching a random PORTAL on a beach. The user, while using an app on their phone, proceeded to walk inside of said portal as we watched with them the environment transform into an AR furniture showroom.
The company, Serendipity is a furniture store based in Miami, Florida. They specialize in making real-life, physical furniture as well as digital, Metaverse furniture, distributed as NFTs. Their designs take inspiration from the beach and seashells so, if you think about it, having this portal showcased on the Miami beach was an amazing and creative idea, combining both worlds and giving consumers that unique, immersive experience.
The Truth about AR and Shopping
I’m not going to lie, seeing this video kind of freaked me out but also made me curious as to if what was mentioned is true… Are AR portals the future of e-commerce? Given Serendipitys unique concept, I’d say for now its an exception. However, we are being exposed to the concept of AR shopping through several different outlets.
Sephora is just one example of a company integrating Augmented and Virtual Reality into the buying process. Through the Virtual Artist app (launched in 2016), consumers can try on hundreds of makeup products to see how they’d look on before purchasing. Other companies that use AR to try on products include Ulta Beauty (for makeup), Amazon (for makeup and clothing), and Nike (for shoes and clothing).
Companies that have been bringing AR into your home include Home Depot, Ikea, Target, and Wayfair. Using these brands respective apps, consumers can see what different furniture pieces look like in their home before purchase (taking size and space into account). I personally have never used these functions on any app for any reason, but I do see the convenience of trying them out and am not opposed to doing so in the future.
Well, What’s the buzz on Social Media platforms?
Snapchat, the popular Social Media platform that has been normalizing aspects of AR through its use of filters and Lenses, believes that Augmented Reality is still a hugely untapped market for retailers.
Which to me makes sense, as far as I know, Snapchat has been going downhill as the demographic consists mainly of teenagers sending (risky?) photos with the peace of mind that they “disappear”. If Snapchat rebrands their business model to aid in virtual shopping, things could really turn-around, so I see how it’d be an advantageous move, going forward.
According to a survey Snapchat head of UK business solutions, Fintan Gillespie conducted of over 25,000 people, across 11 markets, 55% of UK users listed shopping as their #1 reason to use AR and noted that it makes online shopping easier and more enjoyable. Although, 77% of people are interested in using AR as a means to shop, less than 50% of brands have implemented a VR try-on experience.
Snapchat has made some strides partnering with various brands from American Eagle, Off-White, and Farfetch (as shown above) in giving consumers the opportunity to try-on clothing using AR. This was successful in helping stores sell products during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Other social media platforms like Youtube and Instagram have been experimenting with AR try-ons. Instagram in particular has introduced an AR-powered makeup try-on feature for brands NYX, Urban Decay, and Lancome.
While these advancements in AR/VR technology are great and all, like I mentioned already, I’ve never used it… but these features have been available to me since 2016. Although seven years have gone by without me touching these features, I have known about them and researched them for quite some time. Maybe I am (mid-twenties) just in the wrong demographic, but when I buy things online I know what I want and don’t need to waste the time going through the extra steps of seeing it virtually on me or in my home. For now, it’s just a fun gimmick… with the way technologies advancing, I’ll probably eat my words on that in another decade or so.
