Augmented Reality- Changing game of the consumer experience.
In 2018, AR stole the show and continues to be a game changer in terms of changing the consumer experience. Having it’s footprints in almost every industry now, all eyes are on the realm of Augmented Reality (AR). To define, it is the ability to overlay and share physical objects, spaces and images on a user’s view of the real world. From being a wildly futuristic technology to transforming customer experience, AR has come a long way and is making its way into more of our day-to-day lives. What was commonly associated with gaming, has today shaken up the traditional ways of doing business, irrespective of the industry.
Currently AR’s primary functionality is in terms of mobile and headset based AR systems paving the way for application development along those lines. Companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple have been investing heavily in AR showing their commitment to the commercial support for this technology.
With the power of gripping human minds, AR is changing the game for marketers. The technology is opening magical doors for industries to enrich their customer experience. Close to 2.5 Billion people are expected to be a part of this ecosystem by 2023 which makes for an attractive user base for a plethora of companies to target involving their marketing efforts. According to a report from Gartner, at least 100 million users are expected to utilize AR-enabled shopping technologies in 2019.
I picked up 5 Key industries that will witness the positive intervention of AR in coming years helping marketers improve the consumer experience
1. Retail
What was expected to fade away with online intervention, is now rejuvenated by the AR technology. The technology helps retailers enhance the in-store experience and make it easy and interesting for consumer to take decision. From Virtual spaces, dressing rooms to full makeover, the retailers now are trying hard to kick out guesswork while picking products.
IKEA’s Place app allows customers to see how a particular furniture will look in their home-setup. It removes the uncertainty by clearly projecting the item in 3D and helping customer decide whether the item is suitable for their particular room or not.
L’Oréal Style my hair app allows users to get a 3D makeover where they can try different hairstyles and colors through their phone and have a reality check on the look they earlier left on the imagination. Many other brands like Sephora and Lakme also allow consumers to virtually try cosmetics to map the shape of their face features and color.
2. Interactive Packaging
Incorporating AR elements into the packaging, brands can actually give their consumer an interactive visual experience.
Heinz added AR elements in their packaging where users can hover their phone over a Heinz’s packaging label to unlock a secret recipe book. Users could then download these recipes which use Tomato Ketchup as the ‘secret ingredient’ via the app or the Heinz Facebook page.
3. Tourism and Travel
Dominant part of travelers being millennials, I see a great potential of AR to enhance travelers experience. From booking hotels, travelling to reading pamphlets, AR can be incorporated at every stage making it more of customer oriented and interactive.
A good way to advertise the hotel is to use AR to create all round room tours and engage guests to try out full spectrum of services. Simple pamphlets are nothing but equivalent to trash.
Marriott has already taken a step ahead with 3D animated ads in their magazine.
4. Publishing
From Books to Kindle and now an immersive experience of 3D books, the reader has changed. They are now attracted to books and magazines that can be brought into life. Brands have a lot of scope here in bringing AR elements where may be more information can be instantly received with just a glance.
5. Healthcare
AR has all the capabilities to help enhance doctors and surgeons practice to diagnose, treat and perform surgery more accurately provided they have access to real time data more precisely than ever. Especially for students, AR is bringing huge value by helping them better visualize the issues and scenarios.
FUTURE
Today, the key differentiator not only lies in what you sell but also how you sell it. The Customer experience has overpowered all other elements and brands now should recognize the game changing abilities of the technologies that enhances it. Having said that, AR has changed the whole system by extending interaction capabilities beyond simple novelty. The simple answer to ‘What’s next’ is making your customers happy with the technology they are comfortable with and also that hold them to be your regular customer.
