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Augmented reality complements e-commerce in New Zealand

A study made in New Zealand found the rise of virtual shopping experiences such as augmented reality and online product try-ons may soon replace the need for tactile shopping experiences, with 62% of New Zealand shoppers more likely to purchase a product they have tried on virtually.

According to the study, customers said that online shopping is convenient (68%), saves time (57%) and makes it easier to compare prices (55%). But despite its benefits, less than half of the respondents (40%) enjoy online shopping, with another 46% on the fence, stating it depends on the store.

For those who have been shopping more online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the physical, real-life experiences they have missed the most about shopping in stores, such as hand-picking items (76%), trying things on (66%), testing items before buying them (53%) and face to face customer service (50%). Interestingly, tactile shopping experiences are more important to women, with 78% stating they miss hand-picking items and 71% who miss trying things on, compared with only 73% and 61% for men, respectively. On the other hand, 55% of men stated they missed in-person customer service, compared with only 45% of women.

As online retailers improve their e-commerce sites by introducing experiences such as virtual product try-ons, online shopping may become more enjoyable for users. Of the 10% who had tried on products virtually online, the majority (70%) were satisfied with their experience, with 62% stating they are more likely to purchase products they have tried on virtually.

The highest levels of customer satisfaction were found amongst those who virtually tried glasses (58%), clothing (79%), makeup (88%), shoes (67%) and watches (75%). Likewise, shoppers were more likely to purchase hair colours (67%), glasses (63%), clothing (63%), make up (81%) and shoes (60%) and watches (75%) after having tried them on virtually.

Almost one in five of all respondents (19%) believe trying on products virtually is as good as trying on a product in real life; with 22% stating they would be willing to spend more on a product if they were able to virtually try it on before purchasing.

Live chatbots, however, received mixed reviews from respondents. Just under half the respondents (48%) believed chatbots were a useful tool while a third (30%) disagreed. When it came to helping drive online purchases, 36% thought chatbots positively influenced their purchase, while 34% said they were unlikely to purchase using one. The biggest complaints about chatbots were that they were unable to solve issues (54%), they continually redirected customers to self-serve FAQs (44%) and respondents felt the chatbots blocked them from accessing a live person (43%).

Studies say that New Zealand is the 40th largest market for e-commerce with a revenue of US$3 billion in 2020, placing it ahead of Iran and behind Portugal. With an increase of 20%, the New Zealand e-commerce market contributed to the worldwide growth rate of 26% in 2020. Revenues for e-commerce continue to increase, new markets are emerging, and existing markets also have the potential for further development.

Also, market expansion in New Zealand is expected to continue over the next few years, as indicated by a Digital Market Outlook. However, it has been predicted that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR 20-24) of the country for the next four years will decrease to 7%, compared to the year-over-year (YOY) growth of 20%. This decline suggests a moderately flooded market. Another indicator of market saturation is the rise in digitalisation of businesses in the country where 61% of the New Zealand population have bought at least one product online in 2020.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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