Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the country, more and more consumers have changed their shopping habits and one in four shoppers expect to do upcoming holiday shopping online1.

And, while online shopping for clothes and smaller items has always been the norm, purchases of more expensive items like smartphones has routinely been done in person so consumers could physically interact with those devices and compare features, size and color options.

In order to continue to provide the ultimate shopping experience, Samsung is using augmented reality in two ways that will allow shoppers to interact with Samsung products virtually: in–store and online through mobilevirtualtour.com and Samsung.com.

Retail & Online Experience [Samsung.com; Mobilevirtualtour.com]

Eligible devices2 located in Samsung stores and select retailers3 will feature an app that launches the AR experience, allowing customers to explore and compare multiple devices all in the palm of their hand. The mobilevirtualtour.com experience offers the same functionality from a smartphone, tablet or PC all in the comfort of a user’s home. Using either of the AR journeys by clicking the app in store, or by scanning a QR code online, shoppers can simply navigate to the device of their choosing and explore sizing, color options and even see how devices look while being worn.

“Building off of Samsung’s existing AR technology allowed us to adapt to a new shopping experience in light of the pandemic, when customers were not able to visit stores or they had concerns about touching several devices, so we thought, why not bring the store to the customer,” said Radhika Jadcherla, Senior Manager – Innovation & Product Management. “And what better way than implementing a touchless experience that brings them so close to the product experience that it’s almost as if they are in the store.”

Size and Compare Options

The Size option allows consumers to see how big a device is virtually compared to their own hand. The Compare option gives shoppers the ability to see how different devices in the Samsung family and across competitor devices compare to each other in real time. For example, a shopper can see how the Galaxy S21 Ultra compares to other smartphones on the market or what size Galaxy Watch fits best on their wrist.

Colors and The Look

The Colors tool gives shoppers the ability to see how different devices look in various available colors. The Look function enables Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds shoppers to virtually see devices on their body, giving them even greater confidence to purchase.

“This project was a really great collaboration between the retail, mobile and samsung.com teams to ensure a smooth customer experience throughout the journey,” said Catherine Dubut, Manager – UX Strategy. “We look forward to building on this platform and hope to bring this functionality to more products in the future.”

1  2021 Holiday Insights, July 2021
2  Currently, the AR experience is available for the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Buds Pro, Buds2 and Buds Live, Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 series through the Retail Mode Journey and the RMX Journey.
3  In-store availability at Best Buy and Samsung.com and RMX online.