When it comes to using mobile devices to increase brand value and drive sales, augmented reality (AR) gives you another tool in your toolbox. The demands and wishes of customers are increasingly driving forces in today’s market. These preferences vary as technology develops, and a company needs to adapt to these changes. With the ease of utilizing their mobile devices, augmented reality (AR), a new trend in marketing and sales methods, enables organizations to provide their customers with one-of-a-kind experiences. In this article you will learn more about AR in marketing.
One of the most important media platforms for customers to communicate with companies and make decisions about their purchases is mobile. When it comes to using mobile devices to boost brand value and drive sales, augmented reality (AR) gives you another tool in your arsenal.
1. Allow clients to sample before they purchase
Customers always want to test products before making a purchase. The use of fitting rooms, cosmetic samples, test drives of cars, and several other related ideas attests to the success of this sales method. One of the newest trends in the retail sector is enhanced shopping occasions. Through the use of AR, potential buyers can try on and model a variety of home-related products, apparel, makeup, and accessories without having to engage with them directly. To enable clients to try on or sample dozens, perhaps hundreds, of things in search of the one that best suits their needs, AR eliminates the need for a sizable physical inventory.
As more companies come to understand the advantages AR offers, the applications of augmented reality in this field have already started to proliferate. Facebook has been eager to develop the first AR applications, as one might expect. With its AR feature, customers can virtually try on cosmetics and accessories and simulate how they would look before making a purchase. With the use of their device’s camera, potential customers may try on virtual sunglasses in the first Facebook AR advertising.
In recent years, the cosmetics industry has been particularly passionate about adopting augmented reality to enable their clients to view how the makeup would look on them virtually, companies like Sephora, and L’Oreal has used collaborations to increase revenue exponentially. Buyers almost always need to model a certain makeup item on themselves to evaluate it, augmented reality is very useful for online cosmetic sales methods.
The ability to create a virtual dressing room or fitting room is another area where augmented reality has the potential to excel. Dressing rooms are necessary for buying clothes. Customers must haul heavy loads of clothing to the changing area, and staff members are continuously needed to pick up abandoned items. In addition, a store’s ability to let customers try on apparel is constrained by the amount of merchandise it has on hand.
In the AR changing room, customers may easily access a digital library of clothing items, eliminating a large portion of the bother. To give their customers a virtual experience to aid them in making clothing selections, brands like Topshop and Timberland have been at the forefront of developing AR fitting and changing rooms.
2. Improve travel and assistance
Businesses have the opportunity to complement their physical sites and products with a digital element thanks to augmented reality. Customers can scan a product or an object to bring up an augmented reality experience that is either designed to provide complementary brand-related experiences or further information about the product.
In this sense, there are many different markets and industries where AR is being applied. For instance, the ticket seller StubHub developed an augmented reality software that allowed customers to see a 3D representation of the Super Bowl venue. Fans may choose the ideal seat for them by visualizing how the field would appear from various vantage points. To digitize the experience of exploring one of their coffee shops, Starbucks has turned to augmented reality. To access a virtual tour that provides additional information to complement the physical location, users can scan objects inside the store.
Hyundai and Mercedes have both begun using AR applications in the automotive sector. Mercedes has advanced the idea of an augmented manual for drivers, which was first developed by Hyundai. Mercedes owners have access to a technology called “Ask Mercedes,” which combines an augmented reality interface and an AI assistant to provide answers to a variety of questions.
3. Upgrade promotional products
By including a virtual element, augmented reality can elevate branding tools like business cards and brochures. Users can access a variety of features that provide them with more information and methods to contact the company by scanning printed documents with their mobile devices.
For instance, if a user scans a brochure in the right place, a video highlighting a particular component of the information it contains will appear, adding some dynamic content to the static text. As an alternative, a business card can use augmented reality to display contact choices that will enable the user to get in touch with you with just one click, whether it be via phone, LinkedIn, or email. AR-enhanced branding materials give their designers the ability to incorporate engaging virtual components into the text.
4. Encourage brand awareness
A strategy for indirect sales and marketing can also incorporate AR. While earlier uses of augmented reality tended to concentrate on direct strategies for boosting sales, the brand itself can also benefit from using AR.
If done well, developing an innovative, or entertaining augmented reality experience may generate a lot of publicity for a company. Since most people are still learning about augmented reality, a well-designed augmented reality experience will spark conversation and leave a lasting impression. That kind of exposure and customer goodwill can produce long-term benefits since people favour a brand that keeps them content and happy.
A Pepsi campaign located at a bus stop would be an excellent example of how to use augmented reality to generate buzz. Along the wall of the bus terminal, Pepsi provided consumers with access to an augmented reality window. Within the AR vision, users were treated to the sight of a roaring tiger, UFOs, and roving robots. Pepsi was able to spark conversation and build its brand by providing an augmented reality experience to break up the monotony of bus waiting. Since then, Uber has imitated the strategy with a comparable campaign in Zurich, resulting in AR experiences for their users and more than a million YouTube views.
Companies may create millions of dollars in earned publicity by using tactics like these. A brand can stand out from its competitors in a crowded market by using an AR campaign to generate long-lasting conversation and name recognition.
5. Use augmented reality for business-to-business
In many ways, augmented reality is poised to change the B2B customer/vendor experience. The struggle between what customers want and what a seller can deliver has long been a challenge in business-to-business sales. Along the entire chain of the sales process, AR can significantly enhance things.
Making dynamic sales presentation materials is one of the most important ways AR can increase B2B sales. In the previous paradigm, salesmen were provided with brochures, flyers, and maybe a PowerPoint presentation. In contrast, imagine a sales employee that has access to digital devices that can be tailored to provide augmented reality programs that provide a virtual 360-degree view of their product lines.
Customers can examine and interact with products using augmented reality (AR) sales tools in as much depth as they choose, from a broad overview to a fine-grained analysis of individual parts. Customers have easier access to the information they need to make decisions thanks to augmented reality since it brings the product into the meeting space.
AR interplay
Customers typically demand as much customisation and specialized tailoring of products and solutions as they can get. It’s not always simple for vendors to handle these needs. Utilizing augmented reality solutions can let clients get involved in the creation of their products. This input can then be digitally transmitted in real-time to the vendor, resulting in a smoother feedback chain that enables customers to get exactly what they want and vendors to deliver it. Between customer expectations and provider satisfaction, AR can build a bridge.
When it comes to post-sales assistance, AR offers a similarly disproportionate impact. Too frequently, users are forced to rely on user guides or confusing online knowledge bases that offer little assistance. This may cause a customer to become frustrated and find another place to do business.
AR for mobile
Although augmented reality solutions for customer service are still in the early stages of development, the early results are very encouraging. Augmented reality offers the potential to improve customer service by making it more interactive and responsive, from AR manuals to the potential for remote technical help.
Conclusion
In terms of gaming, augmented reality is more than simply a curiosity. Over the next ten years, AR is likely to be one of the key factors influencing advances in sales and marketing. Forward-thinking companies will be able to improve the customer experience they provide with AR, which will enhance business opportunities and revenues.
If you would like to discuss how augmented reality could benefit your company, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can discuss the opportunities for you. Here you can learn even more about how immersive media is applied in six different industries. Want to know how AR is changing the eCommerce market? Read it here.
