The visual economy has introduced a new paradigm for retailers - Augmented Reality (AR). The marriage between retail and AR unlocks a whole new experience for buyers to be delighted by, which means more customers for businesses.

As part of our Visuals Make a Difference launch, we’re taking a close look at the problem of eCommerce returns and what retailers and shoppers can do to prevent them. Guide: Part 1: 6 Tips Guaranteed to Cut Return Rates for Retailers Part 2: 7 Easy Ways YOU (the online shopper) Cut Back on Product Returns

Today, we’re proud to announce our partnership with Magento Commerce, the leading provider of commerce innovations to merchants and brands across industries. Through the partnership, Magento Commerce customers will be able to offer product visualization including our 3D configurator, Virtual Photographer™️, and augmented reality.

As a young company, we're always looking for innovative, differentiating ways to help our customers improve their product experiences. But it's not every day that we spy an opportunity to improve the world at large. That's why, when we started to read up on the growing epidemic of product returns and their negative impact on the environment, we felt compelled to get involved. Not because product returns are always "bad," but because, based on data, many of them are preventable.

Today, shoes are right up there with designer purses as a subject of obsession for collectors. There is nothing more exhilarating than scoring a rare release...and the rarest of all are ones they customize themselves. But the desire to personalize a pair of shoes isn't confined to the collector circuit. As Jacob Metzger of the designer retailer, Grailed, notes,

3D configuration and augmented reality used to be considered "futuristic" technologies, reserved solely for sci-fi films films and one's imagination. But these tools are here and ready for eCommerce brands and retailers to take advantage.   

 

Clothing is the most personal and persistent expression of one's style. Which is why a 3D configurator for clothing retailers makes so much sense. Increasingly, people are shopping online, and they don't want to sacrifice the opportunity to impose their preferences on their purchases. If there is a way to make a piece a little more personal through color, cut or added elements, brands are wise to offer that option through a configurator. It gives shoppers more ownership over their experiences. But don't just take our word for it.

Returns are a serious problem in eCommerce. They cost retailers about 10 percent of their overall sales, and they’re increasingly something customers want to be free and easy. But the real cost of returns goes far beyond how they affect eCommerce retailers’ bottom lines.