Compatibility is a huge factor in the success of immersive commerce integrations, impacting the core pillars of distribution, user experience, and the cost-effectiveness of the solution. For businesses looking to harness these powerful digital experiences to enrich customer journeys and drive profitability, understanding the importance of compatibility is key to maximizing the potential of their rollout.
Three key areas
While compatibility is a wide-ranging topic, for maximum reach and efficiency, there are three key areas to consider:
1. Devices and hardware
The speed of change when it comes to digital devices and hardware is well documented. From the continual evolution of smartphones to the launch of new products such as Apple Vision Pro and other wearables, the technology sector never stands still. As such, it’s crucial that immersive experiences are designed with broad compatibility in mind, to ensure that whatever the customer interface, the user journey is optimized and immediate.
And as the gateway to immersive product experiences for consumers, the range of devices involved underscores the importance of cross-platform compatibility. This is particularly the case in today’s omnichannel consumer landscape, where buyers weave between an array of physical and digital touchpoints. Unifying a customer journey that might take in different websites, social media channels, and visits to physical stores is one of the key benefits of immersive commerce, one that is underpinned by seamless transitions between devices and platforms.
Enhance’s web-based 3D and AR solution provides a seamless customer experience across platforms
The immersive commerce solution offered by Enhance XR serves as a good example of one that is compatible with all devices, including the latest headsets from Apple and Meta. With extensive experience in the sector, one of the factors that sets Enhance apart is the commitment and expertise to continually update their software tools to ensure that they remain optimized for use as hardware evolves.
2. Existing company channels and infrastructure
Ease of integration is one of the key factors business leaders look for when evaluating different immersive commerce integrations. Working hand-in-glove with the existing setup is the ideal, ensuring that immersive tools can be added to existing product pages and other channels without prompting technical, aesthetic, or operational changes.
And when it comes to user experience, the interaction should be just as seamless. A friction-free launch from the website product page or any other channel ensures the customer experience is enhanced. For this to be the case, the chosen software solution has to prioritize compatibility with the company’s existing platforms.
As immersive technology has advanced, so has the range of integration options open to companies. As a result, solutions now exist that can be embedded into existing channels just by dropping a simple piece of web-responsive code into the relevant pages. With no technical requirements and no coding knowledge needed, these types of deployment offer the simplest way to bring immersive commerce to a business, with minimal intrusion and maximum user-friendliness.
3. Commerce platforms
Ecommerce platforms like Shopify have become integral to online retail, offering merchants a robust framework to manage their businesses. Meanwhile, Shopify’s own internal statistics highlight the benefits immersive experiences bring for online sellers, reporting conversion rate boosts of up to 94% and reductions in product returns of up to 40%.
With these gains to be had, it’s crucial that immersive commerce solutions offer broad compatibility with the long list of commerce platforms, plugins, and website builders on the market, to ensure that merchants derive maximum revenue benefit.
As an example, Enhance’s software offers full compatibility with all of the following:
- Shopify
- Magento
- WooCommerce
- Prestashop
- BigCommerce
- Webflow
- Wix
- Vtex
- Opencart
- Squarespace
- Square
Benefits of ensuring broad compatibility
When thinking about compatibility in immersive experiences, alongside the fundamental requirements of functionality and usability, the big-picture benefits can be grouped into three main areas:
1. Distribution
As with any consumer-facing initiative, reaching the largest possible proportion of the target audience is a key goal. For immersive commerce, that comes down to distribution – specifically, the number of consumers who can interact with a company’s product experiences on devices enabled for the technology.
Broad audience reach is one of the keys to boosting conversion rates with 3D and AR
With research showing that the growth of immersive experience interaction amongst consumers is tracking the proliferation of smartphones, forecasts hold that 75% of the global population will be frequent users by 2025. With mobile devices set to continue as one of the primary tools for commerce, ensuring compatibility with the many models on the market guarantees firms access to an enormous audience.
2. User experience
Consumers place a premium on satisfaction. Just as a great in-store experience is likely to generate a positive reaction and brand loyalty, the same holds true for a properly optimized immersive commerce experience.
With surveys finding 71% of consumers would shop more often with brands offering immersive technology to help with purchasing decisions, the opportunity to drive sales, encourage repeat business, and deepen affinity with customers is evident. What’s more, as the experience will inform the buyer’s first impression of a product, a seamless and appealing interaction offers the best chance to showcase it in its very best light.
3. Cost-effectiveness
As with any technology solution, the ultimate measure of success is its impact on the bottom line. When implemented correctly, immersive technology has the potential to offer uplifts across a wealth of key business metrics, resulting in gains in both revenue and profitability.
For leading UK sofa retailer DFS, that amounted to a 22-fold return on their investment in immersive technology, in part down to incremental revenue generated by the rollout beating forecasts four-fold.
While costs for immersive commerce integrations exist on a spectrum, determined by type, scale, and complexity, solutions exist for all budget levels. Choosing an expert technology partner focused on optimization and compatibility is a good way for firms to ensure they get the right solution for their needs, and one that enables their investment to reach its full potential.
Game-changing experiences
Compatibility underpins the power of immersive commerce integrations, enabling businesses to deliver game-changing product experiences and personalized customer journeys. By prioritizing solutions that deliver compatibility across devices, websites, and commerce platforms, businesses can unlock the full potential of their immersive commerce rollout and keep satisfied customers coming back for more.
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