Augmented Reality is a highly innovative, state-of-the-art technology that allows businesses to bring their digital products to life. The retail and entertainment industries have been making money using this highly engaging technology since way before Pokemon Go came out in 2016.
Today, Augmented Reality can be used on household devices like your tablet and smartphone. AR technology is expected to revolutionize B2B sales and change the way we do business.
Product Promotion and Marketing
With the help of Augmented Reality, brands can showcase their product more effectively than a static photo or even a simple video. That’s because Augmented Reality is interactive and can provide customers with better insight into a product and its functionality, something that they could not have achieved with traditional means of brand promotion.
Thanks to advances in visualization technology, AR programs can now simulate an in-person shopping experience, virtually on any device. Retailers can now allow customers to easily zoom or pan in and view from all angles without visiting in person, from the comfort of their own home or office.
Try Before You Buy
The biggest concern when it comes to online shopping is that customers cannot try on a product. Because of this, they are often left unsatisfied when they receive a product that does not fit them, does not have the feature that they require, or simply does not look good on them.
As a result, many online retailers experience a higher rate of returns than brick-and-mortar stores. Fortunately, Augmented Reality can be used to increase customer satisfaction by offering a physical store-like experience from the comfort of one’s home.
For example, Gap’s DressingRoom app allows customers to try on clothes virtually with the help of a Google-Tango enabled device. The app offers customers an avatar based on their body type and allows them to see how certain clothes will look like on them from different angles.
This can help customers make a more informed decision which can mean fewer returned items for online retailers.
Visualization Tools
Augmented Reality can also allow better communication between the customer and the company. One of the most notable examples of leveraging visualization tools is in the interior designing and decoration industry.
For example, Houzz, the home improvement company, has introduced the View in My Room 3D app that allows customers to select furniture from its online store and virtually place pieces into their own home wherever the customer wants it.
The app is designed to read room dimensions so that you can effectively see how a couch or a new carpet would look like in your living room, straight from the comfort of your own home.
Augmented Assistance and Touring
Augmented Reality not only offers customers a highly immersive experience, but also shares detailed product information with the click of a button.
For example, the ticket exchange company StubHub has an Augmented Reality app that provides users with a three-dimensional display of the US Bank Stadium which was the site for the Super Bowl LII. With this app, visitors were able to find the best seats by looking at the field virtually from different angles, right from the app.
Complex Data Visualization
For many businesses, displaying complicated or abstract concepts can be pretty tricky. With Augmented Reality, this is easily done thanks to 3D visualization.
For example, IBM has introduced an immersive tool known as IBM Immersive Insights that displays data in 3D, making it easy to explore and interpret. This tool was used by IBM engineers to understand Instacart’s grocery purchase data as well as customers’ buying patterns.
Although the application of AR is still emerging in B2B sales, there is a solid foundation for it to change the way businesses share insights.
Bottom Line
Augmented Reality has applications that far extend beyond video games. Marketers believe that the technology will be at the forefront of branding and marketing innovations of this decade. Using Augmented Reality in business can lead to higher customer engagement and satisfaction, improved relationships and higher sales.
If you are interested in leveraging Augmented Reality for your business, CDS Visual can help. Contact us today for the most immersive and influential branding and display of your products and services today.
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