The majority (82%) of shoppers want to ’view-and-touch’ products before committing to buying them online, says a new study.
According to the PushOn report, which suggests that 45% of the surveyed cohort say that they need to feel reassured about the product they are purchasing, 40% report that augmented reality (AR) is a desired feature that would increase their trust in buying from an online store.
30% want artificial intelligence (Al) integrated in online services for immediate assistant. Some 1,000 customers were surveyed on their shopping attitudes. This chimes with a Capgemini’s recent ’Digital Transformation Institute’ report, which also found that shoppers are keen to interact with AI, so long as it has a ’human face’ – 62% of consumers reporting that they want AI to be more human-like and 49% of the same cohort says that they would have a higher affiliation with a retailer if that was the case.
Sam Rutley, managing director of PushON, explains: “It’s clear from our research that in order for shoppers to part with their money online, they must receive the same level of reassurance that they would in a brick-and-mortar store. Without the physical ability for customers to experience the tactile nature of a product or to obtain advice from a sales assistant, online retailers must provide the virtual ‘next best thing’ through the implementation of technology.”
Rutley continues: “From AR enabling a 360-degree view of a product, to AI chatbots allowing for questions to be answered in real-time, brands can now accurately reflect the service provided by a physical store to ensure that they don’t miss out on custom from either entity.”
We previously reported to Argos introducing a new AR experience on its IOS app, enabling customers to view a variety of TV models in situ via their Ipone and Ipad before they commit to purchasing.
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