Jewellery virtual try-on is a great way to allow shoppers to test out jewellery products, using any device with a camera. The feature helps customers visualise how a piece of jewellery will look on them and is a great way to bridge the gap between the customer’s digital and in-store experience whilst they’re on your website.

What is a virtual try-on? This technology allows users to superimpose content (images, text, videos) over a real-world environment.

Stand out from your competition

Post-pandemic, this craze has become mainstream enough that it will shortly be as expected as finding a business on social media. According to Snapchat, 75% of the global population will be frequent AR users by 2025. This shows that it is an important consideration for the future-proofing of your business and, for early adaptors, will be a prime way to differentiate yourself from your competition.

Reduce your returns rate

Throughout the pandemic, many individuals turned to retail therapy as a form of comfort. People typically over-ordered what they wanted and what they could afford, with the plan to try them on at home and return what they didn’t like. The inability to see the jewellery first hand, to get a general feel for the jewellery, the fit and the colours, resulted in high return rates, which had a huge impact on retailers. High return rates not only provide an extra process for businesses to follow but returns can add up to be a high cost to the retailer. Virtual try-ons provide a way to combat this price and extra process – GemLightbox has shared that offering augmented reality (AR) has proven to reduce the product return rate by 27%.

Reach new customers

By offering virtual try-ons on your website, you can reach new customers. As we saw in our exclusive Data and Insights Report earlier this year, 62% of consumers who use the Google search shopping tab use it to compare similar products from different retailers. The possibility of including a virtual try-on feature becomes even more interesting considering the 94% higher conversion rate that Shopify found for those that had products with AR content compared to those without AR. This data suggests that virtual try-ons have the potential to capture new customers and dramatically increase your conversion rate.

With the ever-increasing noise that your customers are experiencing, it is important to connect with them in the manner that is best for them, whether that’s setting up your Instagram shop or offering the best payment terms. Each considered step that retailers take to differentiate themselves and grow their marketing strategies allows them to attract more customers. This is especially important as we see that customers are searching in a wider range than ever before. With the multiple ways that a virtual try-on supports the finances of your business, the interaction with your business and the online presence of your business, we can be sure that this is an incredible opportunity for businesses to stay up to date with the expectations of their customers and the virtual world.

Quick-fire facts from GemLightbox:

• 75% of consumers expect retailers to offer an augmented reality experience.
• 66% of consumers say they are interested in using AR for help when shopping.
• 71% of shoppers would shop at a retailer more often if an augmented reality experience was present.
• 6/10 people say they want to be able to visualise where and how a product could fit into their lives.
• 40% of consumers would be willing to pay more if they could experience the product through augmented reality.
• Interactions with products having AR/3D content record a 94% higher conversion rate than those products without.
• By 2023, the number of mobile augmented reality users will reach 1.73 billion.