
12/Aug/2020
Build the car of your dreams, from the comfort of your home
The shift towards online shopping has been increasingly picking up speed in recent years. In fact, a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. has estimated that by 2020, 100 million consumers will shop in AR online. This trend has led retailers worldwide to turn to both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in order to offer customers an experience much like what they would have inside a brick and mortar store.
For many customers, online shopping comes with certain concerns, especially when purchasing large, expensive items like a car. Customers want to make sure that what they are choosing is the right fit for them. This means a precise idea of dimensions, color, style and exactly what a product will look like before committing to a purchase, as well as the ability to interact with it and customize it according to their specific requirements.
In the case of the automotive industry, the use of AR and 3D technology has actually helped enhance the overall customer experience by offering a lot more than what a standard storefront can. Due to limited space, car dealerships are unable to display the full range of products and configurations of their vehicles. 3D technology can help fill in this gap. Indeed, many car manufacturers have been turning to AR experiences to give a boost to the car purchasing journey, and allow customers to configure and better understand a vehicle’s features, thus strengthening their final purchase decision.
Explore virtual vehicles
With Threedium’s transformative 3D and AR Technology, customers can visualize and explore the vehicle of their choice in its entirety, in real time. A 3D viewer allows for zooming and rotating for different visualization perspectives, as well as a closer look at the interior and specific features of each model, from every angle. Basically, customers can get up close and personal with the car of their choice, much like inspecting it in-store, without ever leaving their home. From there, car manufacturers can take it a step further with Threedium’s web-enabled augmented reality. This places the vehicle in their own environment – such as their driveway or garage – giving them the opportunity to gain a better idea of its size and scale, as well as a very real sense of what it would feel like to own it. This immersive experience allows customers to engage directly with the vehicle of their choice, helping them make confident and informed purchasing decisions.
Customize your car
Threedium’s 3D Configurator allows car manufacturers to offer customers the option of custom-designing their own car. From changing the colors to upgrading the wheel type and adding interior accents, customers have full autonomy over the car of their choosing. Leading UK creator of trucks and vans, Deranged Vehicles, utilized Threedium’s 3D configuration technology as a way for their customers to tailor-build their vehicles to their own taste, all directly from their browser. Similarly, the Clive Sutton Mustang Dealership in the UK also utilized an engaging online vehicle customization experience for its customers, which was first launched at the 2018 London Motorshow. The results were immediate; thanks to the relative simplicity of the process, the dealership saw an increase in their sales of 30-35 percent in just 7 weeks. Some customers even went for upgrades they would ordinarily have refused in-store, as the personalized experience of the configurator gave them a clearer understanding of their value.
Keep it simple
Of course, when it comes to utilizing AR or 3D Technology, no matter how impressive or novel it is, it won’t matter if a customer has to wait for long loading times or slowed-down websites. Customers expect their online shopping experience to be easier, and more hassle-free than visiting a store; this means stable, high-performing technology without hiccups or lag-times that is easy to use. What makes Threedium’s 3D technology stand out is the fact that it is lightweight and directly supported by all browsers, without the need for downloading extraneous applications.