Future of AR in Retail Industry

What is AR?

Augmented reality (AR) is a key transformation enabler for offline consumer engagement that brands and retailers are implementing in order to digitalize the customer experience. This digital innovation is already causing a significant shift in how retailers do business.

Benefits of Augmented Reality:

• Increasing brand visibility and awareness

  AR is a fantastic tool for increasing a company’s brand awareness among a broader audience. Mobile apps with cutting-edge AR features will assist a brand in providing users with one-of-a-kind experiences. The use of augmented reality in retail marketing strategies gives brands a lot of leeway to come up with inventive ways for interactions, also get instant feedback.

• User content personalization

Retailers frequently customize content to meet the customer’s highest expectations. You may have noticed retail stores filtering out content for you so that you can search for relevant items without wasting time. VR, or Virtual Reality, is also used to improve the experience. They work together to provide complete AR VR retail solutions.

• Language barriers are dispelled

Although, with so many languages spoken around the world, there are still some barriers to overcome, but these are only temporary. You can see any of the 40 foreign languages as your native language when using Google Translate AR mode. AR shopping app features channelize language(s) in such a way that it is either region-specific or, with the help of AR and AI tools, helps you understand its services. Even if you use printed catalogues, the AR content in them will guide you to the language that is most convenient for you.

• Trials/tryouts are made simple.

Waiting outside the trial rooms for your turn can be extremely boring and time-consuming. As a result, there are virtual mirrors where you can simply find out the size of the dresses you like and see how that apparel looks and fits your body on a digital screen in front of you.
This is a fantastic application of augmented reality in retail which is also possible when shopping online. Jewelry stores, Optical brands, Fashion Brands are loving this feature.

• Increase your return on investment.

Augmented reality being a cutting-edge technology that is constantly evolving, an e-commerce or m-commerce retailer who offers such services will undoubtedly earn significantly more than those who do not. AR integration in the retail sector has become a must-have trend in recent years. Making an AR app is also simple and cost-effective these days.

• Reduces hygienic problems

AR shopping experiences from the comfort of one’s own home are as close to real-life shopping experiences as possible. With “Try On” and “Try Out” features, Augmented Reality marketing strategy reduces the need for products to be handled and touched even in stores. Germs and social distancing have become major concerns since the Covid-19 outbreak. To avoid cross-contamination, online sales have increased. Overall, the incorporation of AR in the retail sector is beneficial for the hygiene issues that are on the minds of customers.

• Add life to printed content

Have you ever noticed how just by holding your phone over a specific image, you can get all the information about it as well as similar items of interest? It is made easier by the use of augmented reality in retail applications. This has been adopted by a large number of businesses. Printed products will not go away because they are an important part of marketing. It’s one of the awe-inspiring augmented reality marketing strategies.

Many brands, including Lacoste, Tesco, Converse, Zara, IKEA, and MTV, are using augmented reality (AR) to embed smart interactive content into their products and immerse consumers in a world where real and virtual merge.

• Gamified packaging

Consumer and packaged goods companies have probably the least amount of information on their customers in comparison to the amount of physical contact they have with them. Augmented reality has enormous untapped potential for brands to revolutionise their packaging as well as how they connect and engage with today’s consumers…Know More

• Mining with AR/VR Data Visualization

Consumer insight can enable a company to better personalise and tailor products to their customers’ needs and demands, broaden their product/service offerings, create new marketing strategies, develop detailed customer personas and customer journey maps and more. Companies have slowly moved on from old-fashioned excel to Data visualization and now the Data scientists and business executives are turning to augmented reality visualisation tool to quickly explore and understand data. Data visualisation in 3D allows users to discover trends and patterns that may not be immediately apparent in 2D visualisations.

Credit: LlamaZOO

Reference Links:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UudV1VdFtuQ
• https://youtu.be/dpzN-wLl1wI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec4V3uQAKqM

DevDen, a creative AR VR development company, has assisted numerous startups, SMEs, and brands in developing cutting-edge AR VR retail solutions.

And whether it’s AR in online or offline shopping, things we focus as an VR AR developer includes Advertising, localization, incentives and discounts, personal approach, interaction, discoverability, privacy, and UX.
Some of our major projects are featured in our Portfolio section, which you can view. To know more on the process and how much it costs to integrate augmented reality into your retail app, let’s get over a quick chat.