Toronto-based augmented reality solutions company NexTech AR Solutions announced on Wednesday the launch of an AR product that would allow customers of online vendors to view eyewear before they buy it.
The solution uses artificial intelligence-assisted computer vision to recognize and track facial features on a subject using a cellphone or computer camera in order to make it look like the customer is wearing certain apparel items, such as glasses, goggles, hats and jewelry.
NexTech plans to support tracking lips, mouths, ears and other zones above the shoulder in the near future.
This “Try-It-On” feature is integrated directly into e-commerce solutions and can be built into retailer’s websites. As a result, retailers do not need customers do download any cumbersome software or apps. The solution can also be embedded in banner ads and social media posts on sites such as Facebook and Twitter as part of outreach to potential buyers.
“One of the most significant pain points that remains in online retail for a consumer is the inability to try something on before they buy it,” said Evan Gappelberg, chief executive of NexTech. “This often leads to frustration, the ordering of incorrectly sized items and unnecessary returns that are costly to the retailer.”
The AR solution is designed to be as simple as possible to integrate with only a few lines of code. That means that e-retailers don’t need significant development time or expertise to get it up and running.
“Technologies like augmented reality shouldn’t be available only to large brands with deep pockets,” Gappelberg said. “There are thousands of small to midsize retailers that don’t have budgets or technical knowhow to develop the AR technology in-house that could significantly boost sales by implementing such a technology. By eliminating the need for developing an app and offering a simple, cost-effective web-based program, NexTech democratizes AR use and makes it available to everyone, empowering online retailers of all sizes to offer a personalized 3-D-AR shopping experience to their consumers without cutting into profits.”
NexTech also offers solutions that allow retailers to sell household products as well, such as rugs and small appliances. One example provided by the company shows a customer viewing a vacuum cleaner sitting in a room from a laptop screen, allowing a sense of how large the item is in comparison with the rest of the living space.
Market analytics website Statistica estimates that AR in the e-commerce market will reach $4.8 trillion by 2021, including technologies that will provide a more intimate experience for online shoppers. Research from DigitalBridge in 2017 suggested that 74 percent of consumers expect retailers to offer an AR shopping experience and a third of those also said they’d be more likely to buy a product after using AR to preview it.
Other companies have been exploring the use of AR to help sell products, with the early trend following larger objects such as furniture and cars. They include the recent release of a Try-It-On solution from Warby Parker Retail Inc. that also uses face tracking technology to let customers view eyeglasses with their mobile phones before buying frames. Retailers such as JCPenney, Glasses.com and Lenscrafters have also made use of AR solutions to give customers a chance to try it before they buy it.
NexTech’s Try-It-On AR solution using eye tracking is available today and the company has put up a demo to better understand its features. “NexTech’s new Try-It-On AR technology [enables] retailers to offer a virtual fitting room to their consumers to assess the look and fit of an item before purchase,” said Gappelberg.
Photo: Pixabay
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