Almost half of UK shoppers would be more likely to buy online if they could use technology such as augmented reality (AR) to test the product in a realistic way, according to research.

A survey of 1,000 UK shoppers by e-commerce agency PushON found growing demand for new immersive technologies such as AR and VR (virtual reality), with 45 per cent of customers saying they would like the chance to “look around” and get a feel for products in 3D.

Additionally, 40 per cent singled out the virtual imagining offered by AR as a method of trying out a new product.

Ikea has already teamed up with Apple to trial AR technologies that allow customers to visualise how furniture would look in their own homes.

Overall, more than 52 per cent of shoppers said that retailers would need to offer a more seamless omnichannel experience to retain their loyalty.

Other technologies that would improve the online shopping experience included Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chatbots, with 17 per cent in favour of retailers using these to make recommendations based on previous purchases. Meanwhile, 16 per cent said they would like to use mobile payments to speed up online purchases.

However, whilst 30 per cent of shoppers now admit to visiting a store to try out goods and 70 per cent of shoppers have gone on to make the purchase online, the report’s conclusions were not all bad news for traditional retail.

More than 81 per cent of those asked said they thought physical shops were ‘vital’ to the shopping experience, with 70 per cent reporting that they enjoy the experience of in-store browsing, especially for larger purchases.

A further 62 per cent of consumers said they still prefer to try on clothes in-store to get a feel for how they will look and fit.

In the same vein, customers said they would be much more likely to shop in store when making a big ticket purchase, with almost two fifths reporting a ‘mental limit’ of £1000 for a single online purchase.

Sam Rutley, managing director of PushON, said the research suggested that online shoppers who are open to using new technologies are still looking for the same level of reassurance they would receive when making a purchase in a bricks and mortar store.

“Without the physical ability for customers to experience the tactile nature of a product or to obtain advice from a sales assistant, online retailers must provide the virtual ‘next best thing’ through the implementation of technology,” he said.

“From AR enabling a 360 degree view of a product, to AI chatbots allowing for questions to be answered in real-time, brands can now accurately reflect the service provided by a physical store to ensure that they don’t miss out on custom from either entity,” he added.

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