Unleashing the Potential of Augmented Reality in Retail: The Future is Here!

By Connie D. Figueroa On May 1, 2023 0

Today, augmented reality in retail represents both innovation and a challenge to the online shopping experience. Every second, new trends emerge, offering new opportunities and learning experiences for retail industry professionals. Augmented Reality in retail allows for novel experiences such as try-before-you-buy.

Before purchasing a product or service, customers can try it out and see how it can provide a solution or solve a problem. They can even modify a product to acquire something produced specifically for them. But how is augmented reality used in the retail industry?

What future prospects might we anticipate as a result of this constantly growing technology? If you’re asking yourself these questions, you’ve come to the correct spot. Continue reading to learn more about augmented reality applications in retail and how it affects the retail buying experience for manufacturers, sellers, and customers.

Before we get into the specifics, it’s crucial to first define augmented reality.

What is Augmented Reality?

AR(Augmented Reality) is a technology that improves our experience of the actual world by superimposing digital information on top of it. AR technology works by recognising real-world items and augmenting them with digital information using sensors, cameras, and software.

Content may consist of text, photographs, movies, and 3D models. Typically, the digital material is shown in real-time on a smartphone, tablet, or AR headset. The ability to engage with digital material in a more natural and intuitive manner is one of the primary advantages of augmented reality.

Instead of seeing digital material on a computer monitor or television, we may view and interact with it in the real world. This makes augmented reality applicable to a variety of fields, including education, advertising, gaming, and more.

Take a Look at Types Of AR

It is important to learn the nuances between the many forms of augmented reality technology before deciding which to implement in your business ecosystem. Those things are:

1. Marker-Based AR

Marker-based augmented reality is also known as image or recognition-based augmented reality. It creates augmented reality by the simple detection of markers. Markers are patterns that can be recognized by a smartphone or other camera, and the resulting photos can be processed to remove any external visual cues.

Paper models or photographs of real-world things might serve as the basis for further alterations within a virtual environment. When a device scans the markers, a simulated world is generated that may include a constructed object, video, animation, or text.

Apps that let users scan markers with the cameras on their devices make marker-based augmented reality viable. The restaurant industry is a prime example of the successful implementation of augmented reality in retail. Marker-based augmented reality is used in applications like interactive menus that depict how a dish would look and allow users to explore various elements.

Boston Pizza used this innovation to introduce an augmented reality interactive menu, viewable on customers’ smartphones. The fact that the menu item can be displayed without any additional hardware may increase the technology’s accessibility.

2. Markerless AR

To observe 3D products and simply manipulate them in their reality, markerless AR is a different application of augmented reality. When a store doesn’t know anything about the user’s actual location, they can use this type of augmented reality. Using the user’s smartphone or headset’s various input data, the technology mixes software, video graphics, and audio to render 2D images as interactive 3D graphics.

The presented results are more accurate, even if the items are out of the user’s line of sight, thanks to simultaneous localization and mapping technology. Markerless augmented reality apps have a number of benefits over their marker-based counterparts.

If a headset isn’t readily available, the user can launch the augmented reality app on a mobile device and get to work wherever they happen to be. With this new technology, users may see more and share their experiences with others. Macy’s now lets iOS app users see furniture in 3D thanks to augmented reality application programming interfaces.

Customers using an app can imagine how a product would look in their own living spaces by tapping the “View in My Room” option.

3. Location-Based AR

Smartphones and other devices with built-in location recognition are essential for location-based augmented reality. When a user activates this augmented reality software, their environment is augmented with computer-generated content. The user’s perspective alters the produced world.

One of the most prominent examples of this technology’s effectiveness in retail is IKEA Place. Users can peruse a variety of furnishings and envision how those pieces would look in their homes. Customers can customize their experience by selecting from a variety of themes, layouts, and colors.

4. Projection-Based AR

Spatial augmented reality, also known as projection-based augmented reality, is a type of AR in which digital information generated by a computer is projected onto a stationary background. One of the simplest augmented reality applications, projection-based reality requires no additional hardware.

The generated data provides the necessary illusion of space for the user and the constructed item to move around in. In the retail industry, projection-based augmented reality can be used to highlight the benefits of a new product at launch events or to highlight the distinctions between competing products.

At their London headquarters, Nike has developed an augmented reality projection experience. Users could create their own 3D versions of Nike footwear.

Must Read – Experience a New World with Our Immersive AR(Augmented Reality) Technology!

How Augmented Reality Is Being Used In The Retail Industry?

From interactive live events and gamification to AR guides, takeout content, and product packaging, augmented reality has many potential applications for the retail industry. The most typical cases are provided below.

AR Tells A Product Story : Using augmented reality to boost a store’s performance stems from the necessity of storytelling marketing. Using augmented reality, you can create an engaging and informative narrative about your company’s background or the creation of your product. By learning more about the company and its products through this narrative, consumers will feel more invested in both.
Using AR to Display Operation Instructions : Augmented reality can be used in retail applications to simplify the process of assembling and utilizing a product by providing step-by-step guides.
AR Product Visualization Can Be Personalized and Customized: AR is a great chance for retailers to tailor products to individual customers by letting them add or remove features. Customers get a more enjoyable shopping experience & save time & energy thanks to this individualized approach. Users may simultaneously envision how a product will look in their own environment.
AR is used to create interactive live events and product launches : When it comes to generating awareness about a new product in the retail business, AR is unrivaled. Customers, rather than sitting on the sidelines, can take part in the action by trying out the products themselves, albeit in a simulated environment. Because of the scalability of this technology, the organization can hold events in a variety of settings without having to worry about logistics or infrastructure.
AR Takeaway Content will bring consumers back : Those clients who haven’t decided whether or not to make a purchase are given access to an AR app before they are sent home. In this way, customers who are on the fence about purchasing a product or service can learn more about it & form an informed opinion. When a potential buyer is interested in a product but the vendor doesn’t have one to show them, an AR replica is the next best thing.
Interactive AR Packaging : Customers can access the AR packaging using their smartphones. In order to receive coupons, learn about new product lines or tastes, or learn about the company’s history, all consumers have to do is aim their phone’s camera at a QR code.

Benefits of Augmented Reality for Retail Stores

Since AR applications provide shoppers with a novel experience, they have a significant impact on retail sales both online & in-store. Customers are more likely to acquire something that meets their needs if items & services are introduced in novel ways, if more information is provided about various models & if the potential of each new item is demonstrated.

The use of AR software can enhance the customer service experience. In addition, they take use of the sales team’s efforts by generating an interactive & immersive environment in which customers may experience a product firsthand before making a purchase decision. The following are some benefits of augmented reality in stores.

1. Useful Brand Awareness Tool	The greatest way to make your brand stand out in a crowded market is with the help of AR. Customers are more likely to interact with a brand if they believe it is offering them something they can’t get from competing products.
2. AR Reduces Returns	More than 20% of items purchased online are returned, while just 9% of items purchased in physical stores are returned. There are numerous causes for buyer dissatisfaction following an internet purchase. The most common explanation is that they didn’t like how the goods looked or fit. Not all customers feel like their needs were met by the product, and those who did say they didn’t get their money’s worth. Businesses may reduce their returns with augmented reality retail apps by giving customers a chance to try out the goods in their own environment before they buy it. This technology is already being used by a number of clothing shops.
3. AR Increases Retail Conversions	Successful augmented reality advertising campaigns have shown that consumers are more likely to buy a product after experiencing it virtually. This has led to an increase in the number of companies using this method to demonstrate the capabilities of their latest goods. Shopify reports that AR-enabled brands get a roughly 200% increase in retail conversion rates.
4. Interactive Upselling	Using augmented reality, a business can make a customer want to buy something they hadn’t considered before. A consumer shopping for sports gear, for instance, might be suggested a pair of shoes or a pair of sunglasses to complement their purchase. Brands can use augmented reality retail apps to promote upselling and cross-selling of related or related products.
5. Effective Visual Merchandising	Because it allows for a visual demonstration of a product’s features and capabilities, augmented reality is a powerful tool for improving retail merchandising. With augmented reality, customers can make a purchase decision even if the item is temporarily out of stock. Similarly, it enables merchandisers to showcase only the most in-demand items, while customers can see the remaining products virtually through AR.
6. Data Analytics	Retailers may better understand customer habits & the elements that go into making a purchase with the help of the data offered by a variety of AR platforms & applications. In addition, they have access to multiple AR applications to test out what works best in promoting future products & services to customers.

Conclusion

Augmented reality in retail is a technology that improves our experience of the actual world by superimposing digital information on top of it. It works by recognising real-world items and augmenting them with digital information using sensors, cameras, and software. Augmented reality has many potential applications in the retail industry, such as telling a product story, simplifying the process of assembling and utilizing a product, and tailoring products to individual customers. It can be used to boost store performance, tell a product story, simplify the process of assembling and utilizing a product, and customize products to individual customers.

AR can also enhance the customer service experience and take advantage of the sales team’s efforts by generating an interactive & immersive environment in which customers may experience a product firsthand before making a purchase decision. AR retail apps can help businesses reduce returns by giving customers a chance to try out the goods in their own environment before they buy them.