eBay to use augmented reality to make shopping more fun and attract enthusiasts across different segments: Report

Online retail store eBay is planning to bring a new augmented reality feature on its website, in order to make online shopping a fun experience. The company has also hired a data scientist, Jan Pedersen to run its artificial intelligence efforts.

Reuters

According to a report in Bloomberg, the new AR feature using ARKit will allow you to interact with products in a more immersive manner. So if you are a car enthusiast interested in buying new wheels, this feature will enable you to see how they will look on your existing car. It will also help sellers to select correct box sizes by overlaying an image of the box on the merchandise, the website reported.

Chief Executive Officer of eBay, Devin Wenig said, "Shoppers look to eBay for unique items at good prices and quick delivery is not the only factor that influences their spending decisions." He also mentioned that the e-commerce is not only about logistics but the cost, convenience and inventory matter a lot as well.

The CEO also predicted that retail consolidation and brick-and-mortar store closures will continue. This will cause a lot of physical retailers to partner with eBay to enhance their online presence.

Wenig further said that the company plans to add more apparel and home goods to attract younger shoppers and women, to balance its customer base as it is 'skewed' towards older men at the moment.

Mohan Patt, eBay’s vice president of buyer experiences said the company's key strategy is to maintain growth and keep improving the way artificial intelligence and data are used to personalise what visitors see on the home page. He also mentioned that the goal is to expand the company to enthusiasts in different categories seeking inspiration from mission-shoppers who know what they want.

He added, “Personification is all about getting you to buy things you didn’t know you wanted”.

The company recently unveiled a plan to take more control of customer payments on their website and will take help of Dutch fintech company Adyen for the same.