The internet can connect us to our friends and family in ways we never thought possible. Zoom has changed the way we educate our children, connect with our coworkers, and keep our parents and friends safe. But a zoom session for shopping is not as satisfying as trying something on.
Etsy and Amazon have added short videos to their platforms to help buyers and sellers communicate more about items for sale, but even this amazing development does not satisfy those of us who really love the experience of shopping.
To that end – Amazon, and separately, H&M have launched a whole new way to shop! Augmented Reality is helping buyers, like you and me, try before we buy.
Augmented Reality (AR) uses your phone camera to place an item in your space. Amazon uses AR to with objects. You can view the object, something like a sticker, through your phone when looking at your living room. You can make the object larger or smaller by pinching your screen to zoom in or zoom out. Charles and I used this feature when we bought a lamp. Before we bought, we tried out a dozen different lamp “stickers” using the AR technology.
H&M used AR to present their most recent fashion line. Their use of AR requires the purchase of an AR pop-up book of sorts. Numerous actors including Helena Bonham Carter modeled the clothing. Their images are then available in your phone when you scan the various QR codes in the book. The models and actors pop-up, about 10cm tall, and model the clothes on your phone while the book serves as a stage. The AR characters show the movement of the clothing line with this use of ingenious interactive technology.
As you may have noticed we are uploading videos to our Etsy shop. We want you to have the most interactive experience possible so you really enjoy your time with us! To that end we are looking into developing AR for you. You can expect updates from us as this technology develops and as we learn how to make it useful for you.
Until next time, Stay well!
Pendant and Ring 