The news: Walmart is betting on new uses of augmented reality and other technologies that offer interactive and social capabilities to drive consumers to discover and share new items, per VentureBeat.

• The retailer already offers virtual try-on technology across categories such as beauty, hair, furniture, and optical.
• It also offers Be Your Own Model, which enables a shopper to use their own photo to better visualize how clothing will look on them.
• This summer it plans to build on those tools with the launch of Shop With Friends, which enables shoppers to mix and match apparel items to create virtual outfits on a model with similar sizing and shape, then ask their friends for feedback on their looks.

Why it matters: The technology boosts engagement and gives consumers more confidence in their purchase decisions.

• Consumers who interact with AR features have higher conversion rates, higher add-to-cart rates, and lower return rates, Desirée Gosby, vice president of emerging technology at Walmart Global Tech, told VentureBeat.
• Walmart plans to continue experimenting with new AR experiences to make shopping easier and more immersive.

Amazon’s approach: Amazon is also experimenting with new ways to shop online, including virtual stores, per Modern Retail.

• One of the virtual stores enables shoppers to browse consumer electronics arranged in a similar fashion to a high-end store.
• Another digital world appears more like a home where consumers can browse home goods curated by influencer duo Everything Envy.

The big takeaway: Ecommerce is still just a small fraction of the retail industry; we expect ecommerce will account for 16.3% of overall US retail sales this year.

• Walmart and Amazon see technology as key to growing that share by reassuring shoppers that they won’t encounter any surprises when their online orders arrive at their door.