Virtual Try On: A Modern Shopping Tale

What do the centuries-old Cinderella story and virtual try-on technology have in common?

“(...)Don't go!’ the Prince says to Cinderella, who starts to run away as soon as the clock strikes midnight. At the entrance of the palace, Cinderella drops one of her glass slippers. When she gets home, she thinks she will never have such a perfect day again, but she is wrong. Because the Prince, who finds her glass slipper, is so in love with her that he would do anything to find her. He spends days, even months, making every single girl try the shoe in every household. The Prince is wandering from house to house from town to town and one day he finally arrives at Cinderella's house…"

What would this classic bedtime story look like if the prince had requested an AR app from the nation's top software developers instead of going from house to house making every single girl try the shoe?

Modern times and modern solutions create modern stories. Although the tales take place in a magical universe far from our world, it is still possible to learn from them. For example, the Cinderella tale above could be a great example when we are talking about the online shopping experience and virtual try-on solutions.

We do not live in the land of fairy tales, but we want to tell you a story; the story of how you can choose the right shoes with AR.

Advanced Online Shoe Shopping with Virtual Try-On

Cinderella drops her shoe and returns home. Everyone feels sorry for Cinderella in this part of the tale, and there are countless young girls that must try the shoe first. Since technologies such as virtual try-on are not possible in this universe, the prince has to visit countless homes one by one. You may think about the Prince as a brand, he will visit homes to find the ideal customer. Possible customers/every young girl visited by the prince from all over the country dreams of that perfect shoe but have no idea what it actually looks like. If only they can see it on themselves once before the prince arrives… 

Today, shoe models can be viewed through AR applications before they are purchased, you can even try them on thanks to virtual try-on technologies. These AR solutions are now easily accessible to both customers and brands.

As artlabs, we offer the ultimate virtual try-on experience for shoes. A little warning: The sensation of trying on shoes with your phone can cause your perception of reality to deteriorate for a while, you may get caught up easily. It is most definitely a better option than visiting tens of stores only to return two out of three purchases because you thought the color would match your outfit or you didn’t know the texture was going to be like that.

Reduce Returns with the Power of Virtual Try-On

Returns are literally like homes where the prince returns empty-handed. Brands visit customers' homes while they’re shopping online, just like our Prince Charming in the fairy tale. Of course, he leaves the house just as quickly after the ill-fitting shoe trials. While the unhappy and empty-handed prince loses time, the brand struggling with returns suffers both material and moral damage.

Today returns are a big problem for many brands around the world. Fortunately, the power of visualization is about to shatter these unfortunate numbers. Many customers prefer AR applications in their shopping experience and state that they are satisfied with this service. There are 100 million consumers shopping with AR online and in-stores, and 94% of them agree they'll use AR the same or more when shopping next year according to Snap Inc’s report.

At the same time, customers whose shopping experiences improve with AR, also strengthen their bond with the brand. They become more confident and their tendency to buy with trust also increases according to the same report.

In the end, the customer/Cinderella is satisfied, and the brand/the Prince is happy. Even Cinderella’s sisters and all the other girls whose feet didn't fit that glass slipper can have a happy ending in our alternate story. Because AR applications will track your feet and make sure that the shoe fits perfectly regardless of your foot size. They also offer features such as zooming in/out and 360-degree rotation, as well as viewing the shoe while standing or moving. Anyone holding the camera at their feet can adjust the size of the shoe virtually.

Make Your Brand The Hero of This Modern Fairy Tale

As you can see, even an old fairy tale can be associated with the shopping habits of today’s customers. Most of us are past the age to listen to these fairy tales, but we can always learn from them and apply these learnings to our everyday lives.

After all, Gen Z will continue to write new fairytales in light of all these technological developments and innovations. In this story of eCommerce, both the customers and brands will live a happily ever after thanks to the technologies like augmented reality.

The world is changing, not just fairy tales. If you want to become the hero of your customers with virtual try-on experiences, you can contact our professional team today and learn more about our solutions.