How are different industries using augmented reality to attract new customers?

We are living in a truly evolving world. We see it with virtual reality in gaming and augmented reality in a range of industries. And the ones who benefit greatly are us, the consumer. A lot of the modern technologies available today are meant to make our lives easier, and they do. Think about something as simple as a QR code. You are in a store and see a piece of clothing you like. However, it does not come in the size you need.

Now, the price tag has a QR code you can scan with your smartphone that shows you the stores where you can find these clothes in your size. So clever. One of the up-and-coming technological advancements, AR, is proving to be a force, so let’s look at how industries are using it to attract new customers.  

Retail

This is where businesses can get quite creative since this industry offers many opportunities. Long before AR was even uttered in the same sentence as retail, online stores were the answer for shoppers. It opened up a whole new type of customer, the one who is after convenient ways to carry out their shopping. It has proved vital, but it does not tick all the boxes. And these boxes can be ticked through AR.

Here is a scenario. A customer wants to buy a pair of jeans and is not willing to head to the store, so they opt to shop online. While this way is convenient, the customer is limited because they are unable to try on the pair of jeans. Businesses looking to attract new customers can introduce AR; customers will be able to use their smartphone with the linked business app to try on the pair of jeans all virtually.

They will display on the screen, and the customer can select the item to try on and see exactly how they would look wearing it. Then at the same time, click buy. This is the epitome of convenience. Brands like Sephora and Kohl’s are already making use of this.  

DIY and Home Improvement

Similar technologies have been available for this industry for some time; however, many times, it’s only a gamified version. It is also difficult to shop for paints, furniture, and even appliances, considering you physically need to test them. But AR has a perfect solution for this. A brand like Home Depot has already introduced AR to its customers. They can shop for paint, furniture, etc., all online and test how it would be in their kitchens or rooms.

This gives the customer a first-hand view of what that room would look like with the selected coat of paint and frees up a lot of back and forth since a customer can test different scenarios before purchase. This also increases the likelihood of the sale.  

Marketing

Remember we mentioned QR codes earlier? Well, they do come in handy with augmented reality too. Here’s how. Marketing is a great tool to use to reach your customer base. And there are countless avenues you can use within marketing too. One of which is business cards. Now, we are not speaking about the conventional business card. With AR, you can do the following.

If you are looking to share an insight into your business, add a QR code to your business card. Potential new clients or customers can scan the QR code and be transported to a virtual world right on their smartphones. This Web AR experience can transform your business card into a fully immersive digital experience. This experience will incorporate 3D and animation to promote your business.

Think about it this way. You have a landscaping business, and potential customers can scan your business card and be taken on a journey to a Web AR experience that carefully shows your services. They can see for themselves exactly what you do. This is groundbreaking and can save you and your customers a lot of time while also growing your business.

Social media

Social media is already a fantastic tool to use to attract new customers to your business, and with AR, even more so. A prime example of this is advertisements. Let’s look at brands that made it possible. Pepsi shared on their social accounts that people will be able to enjoy an AR experience via bus stops.

The brand transformed the bus stops into AR experiences that people could enjoy on their smartphones. This led many potential customers to be curious about what they were going to see. And in turn, this led customers to buy their products.

Another example was Netflix using Snapchat to market the ever-popular Stranger Things in 2017. This was quite a fun one since people were able to use Snapchat to transform the room they were in, into a room from Stranger Things. This increased the interest in the show since viewers were largely intrigued and enjoyed being able to experience the setting outside of their TV screens.

While AR is making waves with many industries coming into the fold, thankfully, some companies are championing it successfully. These companies are innovative, and a lot can be learned from them.