Amazon launches AR shopping for sneakers
AR fashion shopping is making its way to Amazon: Anyone who wants to buy new sneakers can view them digitally on their feet in advance.
Amazon calls the new function "Virtual Try-On", which is rolling out in the USA and Canada for the Amazon iOS app. Using augmented reality, interested parties can digitally pull shoes from companies such as New Balance, adidas, Reebok and Puma onto their feet and swipe through different colors, for example. According to Amazon, thousands of shoe variants are available. An Android application is to follow soon.
Known idea meets the mainstream
Amazon's virtual try-on specifically for shoes is a familiar idea. Companies like Snap, Gucci, and Nike have been experimenting with AR for sales for several years. For the e-commerce industry, it could have a signal effect that Amazon, the world's most important e-commerce company, is getting even more involved in AR sales.
Video: Amazon
In the interior design space, Amazon is already experimenting with the AR app "Room Decorator" and says it is also working on an AR product that is to be a "world first".
It will be interesting to see if Amazon expands its AR shopping offering. Cosmetics or headsets with face filters are both technically feasible and established application scenarios that Google, among others, is experimenting with in search and on YouTube.
Sony uses augmented reality in the marketing mix for televisions, and Apple also relies on the visual persuasiveness of a product preview in AR and offers a direct iOS integration with QuickLook.
Litmus test for AR shopping
Amazon has a large product offering: If it were to continuously expand AR shopping to more categories, it would be a sign that Augmented Reality is significantly boosting sales. Snap, for instance, has been claiming this for years, saying that AR's persuasive power trumps influencer marketing.
The Khronos Group is advocating for an open AR commerce standard. Vendors can have their software engine or "3D viewer," as Khronos calls them, tested for compliance and receive a certificate for it. More information about the 3DCommerce standard is available on this website.
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