AI and Spatial Commerce are reshaping the world of ecommerce, opening up a wealth of new opportunities for merchants to boost sales and cut costs. Last month, Julia Leusing, Boris Redlich, and Aaron Schaarschmidt from shopware AG presented an OMR Digital Masterclass in German, giving best-case examples of these technologies in action.
The following article shines a spotlight on the AI and Spatial Commerce tools featured in the Masterclass session and explains why they should be a fixture of any modern ecommerce site.
Making AI and Spatial Commerce work for your ecommerce business
AI and Spatial Commerce tools offer no end of innovative potential for ecommerce merchants. We'll be looking at three main ways in which you can benefit from this technology – minimizing returns, reducing costs, and establishing a distinctive brand presence.
Minimizing returns with AI and Spatial Commerce
Time-consuming and expensive, returns are a thorn in the side of all ecommerce businesses. On average, online customers return 20% of products – and as much as 40% in the case of fashion, shoe, and jewelry retailers. Research suggests this is mainly because the newly purchased items don’t fit or fail to live up to expectations once they were tried on. Which, of course, is where AI and Spatial Commerce come in …
Finding the right size with AI
There are plenty of AI tools on the market that help online customers find clothes that fit them like a glove. For example, our partner Footprint Technologies uses smartphone-based foot measurements to make sure that every shoe sold is a perfect fit. And with 3Dlook.ai, online clothes retailers can offer their customers a highly personalized experience with accurate body measurements, size recommendations, and a virtual try-on feature.
Visualizations and virtual try-on
With Spatial Commerce, online customers can visualize and configure products in 3D. This is used to impressive effect by furniture ecommerce merchants like Deliciae and GO IN, enabling them to boost conversion rates while minimizing the risk of returns.
Cutting costs with AI and Spatial Commerce
Contrary to popular belief, AI and Spatial Commerce don’t necessarily involve huge investments for ecommerce merchants who are looking to raise their game. By customizing out-of-the-box models with existing data, you can make big savings with a surprisingly small outlay. Here are just three examples showing how.
Boosting everyday productivity with AI
Since ChatGPT arrived on the scene, generative AI has taken the world by storm – and the world of ecommerce is no exception. With GenAI tools like Shopware’s AI Copilot, online merchants can whip up anything from product descriptions to blog articles at the touch of a button. This will reduce the need for external creatives – or send the productivity of your in-house team skyrocketing. In either case, it’s good news for your bottom line!
AI-assisted automation
AI is also ideal for automating daily tasks like generating product attributes, translating or summarizing reviews, and even creating image keywords with Computer Vision models. And just wait till you see how far chatbots have come now that AI has been added to the mix!
Virtual product rendering
One area in which Spatial Commerce offers plenty of untapped potential for ecommerce merchants is virtual product presentation using 3D, AR, and VR models. By generating product images in all possible colors and variants, you can save on expensive photoshoots. And, of course, this customer-friendly feature has the added advantage of reducing costly and wasteful returns.
Establishing a distinctive brand presence with AI and Spatial Commerce
Ecommerce brands have to strike a balance between being true to themselves and standing out as innovators. With AI and Spatial Commerce, you have virtually unlimited branding opportunities – the key is to identify what potential it has for your brand and your company. And how it can make your brand uniquely appealing.
Product presentation and storytelling
Zalando’s interactive fashion assistant is a perfect example of how AI can bring products to life. Like a real-life shop assistant, it showcases the brand’s products while making suggestions based on the user’s profile and historical data. And storytelling is the beating heart of Carolina Herrera’s virtual webstore, where the shopping experience includes virtual try-on, 3D shopping, and online product customization.
Interactive customer experience
IKEA’s 3D room planner app, IKEA Kreativ, is a masterclass in AI-driven branding. Retaining the company’s trademark simplicity, it allows customers to create a virtual room and then experiment by choosing products and positioning them within the room – even removing items or mixing and matching furniture. All of which inspires customers to explore new products while keeping returns satisfyingly low.
Harness the power of AI and Spatial Commerce with Shopware
But what can AI and Spatial Commerce do for you and your ecommerce brand? Here at Shopware, we can help you create unique customer experiences using the very latest AI and Spatial Commerce technology. Talk to us about the best way for you to maximize productivity and minimize costs – and make your customers into lifelong fans.
