Virtual Shopping Experience: Changing E-commerce Business Storefronts

Modern e-commerce continues to evolve alongside technology advancements and shifting market trends. There are distinct differences between traditional retail and online shopping experiences. As customers become more informed, they expect a seamless journey that bridges both spaces, leading to a growing overlap between conventional and modern retail models. 

For example, the increasing number of customers highlights the need to incorporate technology into traditional retail, ensuring that online transactions provide fulfilling in-store experiences.

Even in brick-and-mortar stores, consumers often check online ratings and reviews before purchasing. This shift in consumer behavior has prompted retailers to explore new approaches to the shopping experience. 

Retailers now create virtual shopping environments in their online stores for a custom experience that mimics personal shopping. This blog provides details on the impact of online purchasing on the retail industry and explores how virtual shopping is revolutionizing e-commerce storefronts. 

Want to integrate virtual shopping into your e-commerce online store? Reach the best e-commerce website design company Bangalore today. 

What is Virtual Shopping? 

Virtual shopping is an e-commerce service that allows customers to browse and purchase items online, similar to the experience of shopping in-store. It focuses on leveraging technology to bring a human touch to e-commerce. 

Virtual shopping delivers the perfect buying experience simulating the physical store. Top-notch technologies like AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) allow organizations to develop virtual environments for customer interaction with the products and complete product purchases. There will be 2.77 billion virtual shoppers globally by 2025.

Virtual Shoppers: A Rising E-commerce Trend

Virtual shopping has been trending for several years. However, the pandemic was essential to bring virtual storefronts to the mainstream. Buyers were prevented from public spaces and found using their mobile devices instead of visiting the physical store.

E-commerce websites can now meet a virtual shopper with numerous smart communication channels and site engagement tools.

Types of Virtual Shopping Experiences

Virtual Shopping is further divided into the following types: 

1. Virtual Try-On 

Imagine being able to try on clothes or accessories without physically touching them. With Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), you can see how glasses or outfits would look on you before making a purchase. 

One great example is Lenskart, which uses AR technology to offer a Virtual Mirror feature. This allows users to try on different sunglasses and eyeglasses through the app or website using the device’s camera.

2. Virtual Try-Out 

Virtual Try-Out is the same as bringing the store to your room. It allows you to take virtual furniture to try in your space and see if it fits. 

For instance- the ‘IKEA Place’ app

3. Virtual Reality Store

Virtual Reality stores offer a unique and new experience to browse and purchase products without leaving your place.

4. Video Interaction 

Do you want to enhance your online shopping experience with a personal touch? 

Video interactions allow you to chat with experts and receive personalized assistance, like in a physical store. Amazon’s virtual storefronts feature explainer videos that describe products and demonstrate how to use video interactions effectively.

5. Visual Search 

A big goodbye to typing the search words. Visual search can explore products with images rather than words. For example, Walmart has a Scan & Shop feature to scan product barcodes or add pictures to find them in-store or online.

6. 3D Stores 

How does online shopping work in a 3D environment? 3D web stores bring products to life with dynamic visuals and three-dimensional images, creating an immersive shopping experience. 

For example, Zomato enhances daily orders by showcasing 3D models of food items through augmented reality (AR) data visualization, making the experience more engaging.

Advantages of Virtual Shopping Experience 

The top benefits of virtual shopping are as follows- 

• Developing an Omnichannel Experience

Virtual commerce provides offline and online channel integration through features such as inventory synchronization, ensuring consistent product availability across all channels. 

Customers can easily order online and pick up purchases in-store through a convenient click-and-collect system. Virtual try-ons let users try products virtually before buying.

• Minimizing Return Rates 

As a customer, virtual shopping allows you to try products before purchasing. Features like virtual try-ons, supported by augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), reduce the likelihood of returns. 

This enhances customer satisfaction and helps your brand eliminate the logistical challenges and costs of handling returns.

• Personalizing Buying Experience 

Personalization is essential in the e-commerce industry allowing businesses to cater to customer’s preferences. Personalization can be taken to new heights using data analytics and AI algorithms to create custom shopping experiences. 

E-commerce businesses can offer discounts, promote product recommendations, and provide real-time personalized support by observing user preferences and behavior within the virtual environment. This promotes the purchase experience and boosts user loyalty and conversion rates.

• Improving Business Sales 

Unlike traditional e-commerce stores, websites, and apps, an immersive shopping experience can significantly enhance engagement. By incorporating augmented reality (AR) into virtual shopping, customers can interact more effectively with products, appreciating strong sales channels from their homes. 

This allows shoppers to visualize how a product fits into their lives, which can influence their purchasing decisions during the online session. An improved shopping experience leads to greater sales growth opportunities.

How to Add Virtual Shopping Experience to Your E-commerce Store? 

Our e-commerce web design Bangalore team at Indglobal discusses the best ways to incorporate virtual shopping into the e-commerce online store. 

1. Determine the Required Virtual Shopping Experience for the Users 

A hardware store and an online fashion retailer operate differently. Selecting the right virtual shopping technologies requires several steps. Consider factors like customer needs, target audience, and company features. The options to execute virtual technology in your e-commerce website include-

• VR fitting room 
• VR games and apps
• VR showrooms 
• 3D web stores 
• Virtual store 

2. Integration with E-commerce Platforms 

Virtual shopping integrates with e-commerce platforms such as Magento, WooCommerce, and Shopify for an immersive online shopping experience. 

Zara, one of the best clothing brands has adopted virtual try-on technology using its Shopify store. This feature allows customers to see how different clothing items would fit them before buying, reducing the likelihood of returns and improving the overall customer experience.

3. Enhancing User Interaction with Innovative Tools 

The live and interactive experience enriches user engagement and offers a personalized shopping experience. Features like virtual try-ons and various interactive tools allow businesses to let customers interact with products. 

Interactive features offer several benefits:

• An accurate product representation and interactive features minimize the returns.
• A customized engaging shopping experience increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Interactive features allow customers to spend more time on the website or the application.

Summary

Virtual shopping is being recognized as the future of retail, as it offers a more human-centric approach to offline and online interactions. Shoppers can conveniently purchase items from home while still receiving services that resemble those offered in physical stores, simplifying the buying process. 

It also allows customers who usually shop in-store to easily transition to an online environment for a more seamless shopping experience.

Do you want to implement the latest trends and technologies in your e-commerce store? With the guidance of a leading e-commerce development company, you can create a perfect shopping experience and improve customer interactions, ultimately boosting sales.

At Indglobal Digital Private Limited, the leading e-commerce website development company in Bangalore, we offer innovative virtual shopping platforms tailored to your needs. With immersive storefronts and enhanced customer engagement, our team integrates seamless features for your e-commerce store, ensuring a smooth ordering experience. 

To learn more about the e-commerce website design services, talk to our e-commerce website developers Bangalore team today.