Since the end of confinement, the population has returned to the shops. In the United States, stores are looking for an effective way to motivate customers to come and shop. According to a study published by Snapchat, augmented reality could be an effective lever!
Does shopping need a facelift? After many months of consuming almost exclusively online, returning to stores is not easy for everyone. Foresight Factory carried out a study for Snapchat and we notice that the expectations of the public have evolved. In fact, 35% of American consumers surveyed report that they would be more than motivated if there were virtual and interactive in-store services.
Today, mobile is the preferred way of consuming a third of Americans and, after making a purchase, it is showcased on social media. However, knowing that 60% of millennials never go shopping without their phone, there is an opportunity to seize to restart the machine.
Is shopping online while in a store possible? Analysts have asked themselves the question … This is where augmented reality comes into play to enrich the customer experience. Respondents seem to be fond of it and the study predicts a real development of AR over the next five years. The use of this technology could thus grow by 30 to 40% in the United States over the same period.
Currently, consumers go to stores to do research; but not necessarily for purchases. In the US, one in two people report that they have missed social ties in the store in recent months. And more importantly, 20% of respondents say they would go shopping more frequently if experts were available to advise them. An in-between is therefore largely conceivable, for example by integrating tools such as messaging and augmented reality into the in-store experience.
100% digital communication is obviously very efficient today, but, according to the study, the real world and the digital world can come together to give birth to a mode of consumption until now almost unprecedented. With a smartphone in each customer’s pocket, we can imagine many scenarios: making a digital shopping cart in store and ordering later, virtually discovering products and finding them in real situations, discussing everything with a virtual assistant or an online advisor. being in a store …
In short, the market is changing, customers are changing and consumption patterns are now multiple. Marketing professionals must anticipate and offer one or more alternatives. The fact that this study is signed Snapchat is no coincidence. While Facebook is eyeing the audio side and Instagram wants to compete head-on with TikTok, Snap is promoting augmented reality here. A technology that its users have integrated very well.
But, should we bet everything on this point? The answer is no ! It will depend on your activity, your target and the channels to use to reach it.
