1. The v-commerce future of e-commerce?
The emergence of e-commerce in distance selling:
Born in the 90's with the arrival of the minitel in France, the e-commerce or online sales is a digital media whose goal is to operate a commercial transaction at a distance. The very first transaction by credit card was made in the USA in 1994 with the purchase of Sting's album at $12.48 by Phil Brandenberger. It is in the years 2000, with the arrival of the high-speed, that the e-commerce really took its rise. But why is V-Commerce the future of E-Commerce?
Since then, it continues to grow and the figures today speak for themselves. As evidenced by the FEVAD, the turnover of e-commerce exceeded 100 billion euros in 2019, an increase of 11. 6% compared to 2018 announces the moderator blog .
But why has e-commerce developed so much?
The advantages of e-commerce:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the containment measures have profoundly transformed shopping behavior around the world and stimulated e-commerce.
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it allows to reach a very large audience. Moreover, its accessibility via all connected supports allows to buy what we want wherever we are, which would explain its strong growth.
Nowadays, nearly "8 internet users out of 10 buy a product or a service via an e-commerce site". The craze for e-commerce is very present and has experienced"a surge of +29% during during the containment" confirms the article on BCG.com. Everything leads to believe that the e-commerce became THE solution impossible to circumvent is irreplaceable. But then what are its limits?
The challenge of reconciling the shopping experience and the digitalized journey:
In its article on the limits of e-commerce, the site politechnicart emphasizes: "the main disadvantage ... concerns the dematerialization of the product at the time of purchase . With a few photographs, characteristics of the product, it is difficult to get a real idea of it. Even if the comments of the consumers can direct our research, it is possible to make us our own opinion only with the reception of the purchase.
The customer can therefore lose the feeling of a shopping experience due to the absence of visual and tactile perception of the product. The consumer projects himself much less in front of his screen than in real immersion in the physical store. This can be a barrier to their purchase.
However, this infinite shopping possibility is a real asset of e-commerce and it allows it to continue to grow. Nevertheless, consumers are still looking for a more emotional and human customer experience .
So how do you manage to combine the shopping experience with the digitalized path?
Thanks to 3D! Virtual reality and augmented reality, these two booming technological advances, can combine the two. They combine both immersion and digital through v-commerce.
The emergence of V-Commerce, the future of e-commerce:
With the rise of new technologies, the field of possibilities for brands is widening and it is becoming even more difficult to stand out. E-commerce continues to expand but consumers are looking for a more emotional and human experience . This is where v-commerce or virtual commerce comes in, designating commerce in virtual reality or augmented reality. Thev-commerce is a principle mixinge-commerce and virtual reality. "It can be sales made or facilitated by VR in physical stores, or directly sales made invirtual environments"explains us Virtual-Reality.com.
For retailers, it's all about maintaining the quality of the customer experience. Personalization and immersion in the brand's universe are the two watchwords. This allows VR to impose itself as an essential element in the new customer journey. So is v-commerce the future of e-commerce?
2. The advantages of V-Commerce :
An immersive brand experience for the customer:
As a real strategy, brands use it to develop a new relationship of trust with their customers while offering them a new experience with high added value. "If theemotional involvement the act of purchase, it also contributes to the customer loyalty. underlines the article of bearing point. Major luxury brands such as Dior perfumes, Clarins have already experienced this through virtual showrooms as we demonstrate in this article. But it also affects more accessible brands such as Decathlon, which in 2017 deployed an immersive experience in the wilderness to highlight its new Quechua tent. The Ray Ban brand relies on augmented reality in order to offer its customers to try on models adapted to their face. In this way, they put the emphasis on personalization.
All the solutions to immerse the customer in his universe and make him live an innovative and unique experience are the heart of v-commerce. So how can this experience be considered as differentiating?
A better valuation of the product with the 3D (360° view of the product):
As mentioned earlier, e-commerce does not always have the ability to promote the act of purchase due to the lack of value of products. With v-commerce, this problem no longer exists. Indeed, virtual reality allows a total immersion, as if the consumer was in the store buying and having, for example, the clothing in front of his eyes. Even better, "it represents a pre-sales tool which contributes to reinforce the purchase decision and to reassure the customer. This allows a better visualization of the product and a better understanding of its features" confirms the article of mbamci.com. They go even further by mentioning that"AR allows to avoid errors in size or bad color perception, and thus to reduce the returns (estimated by the FEVAD at a rate of 24%).)."
A true "phygital" journey:
The future of retail is ambivalent: both physical and digital. The future of retail is phygital. Chanel is a perfect example, eager to combine the digital and the physical, a project to integrate virtual mirrors into their flagship store in Paris saw the light of day in early 2020. On the Champs Elysées, they have developed connected hangers "demonstrating the importance of digitalizing the experience at the point of sale. (source factonics white paper). This new concept strengthens the customer/brand relationship, keeping consumers informed while simplifying their experience.
The physical world also invites itself into the digital world through a possible accompaniment, without leaving thevirtual environment. (Through a personal shopper for example). As in a physical store, you make an appointment with an advisor and you let yourself be guided by his advice in order to make the best choice. Another way to highlight the v-commerce and its multiple features.
3. The challenges of V-Commerce future of e-commerce :
A market to conquer:
Despite the enthusiasm of consumers and even brands, retailers are still relatively cautious about using this new technology. The challenge lies in their ability to adapt to the evolution of the consumer society and to understand this new environment. Some points of friction are reported by users, such as the lack of user-friendliness of the interfaces, the high download time or certain malfunctions. On the vendor side, costs can sometimes remain high and the technology, which is still in full growth, can have certain limits.
Details that seem to be quickly fading in light of the numbers that remain very promising. The AR/VR market would be76.9% between 2019 and 2024 to reach 136.9 billion by 2024. (FEVAD figures).
The v-commerce a market to evangelize to become the future of e-commerce:
So the market remains highly innovative if the 2020 Get App study is any indication. "45% of respondents say they are likely to buy more from brands that offer product and service interactions using immersive technologies". Points of friction are a mere blip against the capacity of v-commerce.
The v-commerce offers, thanks to virtual and augmented reality, an additional dimension compared to e-commerce. It responds to customer constraints and improves the purchasing process. Consumers can save time and energy, while accessing a wider choice of products.
Real interest for the merchant as well as the user, it should continue to develop in a very significant way. The post-covid era foresees new requirements in the buying process and offers great opportunities to conquer.
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