Burberry merges Google Search with AR for shopping inspiration

Brief:

Burberry partnered with Google on an augmented reality (AR) shopping experience that is activated from mobile web search results, per an announcement.
Shoppers who use Google Search on their smartphones to search for the Burberry Black TB bag or Arthur Check Sneaker can click on an image in the results to see a 3D image of the product overlaid on a real background.
The AR tool is currently available in the U.S. and U.K., and the company plans a global rollout for other products in the coming months, per its announcement.

Insight:

Burberry's collaboration with Google on an AR shopping tool aims to expand the reach of its efforts. By providing a 3D demonstration of its products accessible from Google Search, Burberry's shopping tool can reach a wider group of consumers than if it was available in a brand app or on the brand's website. Burberry's deployment suggests that consumers now recognize and understand AR technology enough for it to be more widely available, helping bring the in-store shopping experience to more of its customers wherever they are.

AR-powered shopping can help engage customers and manage their expectations for how products will look before they make a purchase, thereby improving customer satisfaction while reducing the likelihood that customers return a product because they're unsatisfied with it. For example, the AR image of a handbag or sneaker can be placed next to other clothing items, simulating the in-store experience before making a purchase.

Burberry's AR shopping tool is the brand's latest effort to adopt new technologies to improve the customer experience (CX) for luxury consumers. The company in November opened a new flagship store in Tokyo and let shoppers scan QR codes with their smartphones to activate an exclusive AR experience. The following month, Burberry created a digital pop-up experience powered by Google Lens in London, letting users see a live feed of themselves on their phone surrounded by a herd of Burberry deer.

AR technology has become more popular among retailers to showcase their wares. Retailers will spend $1.5 billion on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology as they seek to provide a more engaging customer experience (CX), researcher International Data Corp. (IDC) forecast. By providing an immersive CX, the technologies have a variety of applications for product demonstrations among cosmetics, fashion and home decorating brands.