“I believe augmented reality will be the biggest technological revolution that happens in our lifetime” – Tim Sweeney
And, we are already watching the growth and benefits of augmented reality across industries today. Augmented reality is everywhere and AR has truly changed the world of B2B/B2C selling. Studies indicate, the total spending on Augmented reality will be more than $60 million by the end of the year.
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Power packed with sales enablement technology, Augmented Reality with its interactive 3D models are helping today’s sales reps to present their entire sales portfolio in a 3-dimensional way that is far beyond the typical paper and virtual PPT presentations. This technology helps buyers understand the product in-depth and in its entirety.
In a screen dominated world, highly immersive and interactive experiences are a must.
A few noteworthy benefits of Augmented Reality in marketing and sales:
- Visual and interactive storytelling
- Creates stunning and in-depth experience for consumers
- Perfect demonstration of products in original size
A few providers who are enabling better use of augmented reality in sales:
- ASOS – Virtual Catwalk
ASOS is an integrated part of their mobile innovation. It was in 2019 when ASOS got fully on board with AR. A new feature called Virtual Catwalk was designed where it helps users to view all the ASOS products. The feature works when the user points the smart phone camera to a flat surface by clicking the ‘AR’ button available on the product page. The models virtually appear on the surface to help the customers review the products better.
- Gucci – Augmented reality sneakers for customers to pick from
Gucci’s augmented reality feature on their app has a ‘try on’ sneakers button. While the camera is pointed at the ground, the user can virtually try on different sneakers. By revolving the camera, the user can view the sneakers from different angles and take photographs.
- Toyota’s AR inspired vehicle demo
It was in 2019, when automobile brand Toyota launched their Hybrid AR app to help customers get a better idea on how their new model works. This VR based tie up was done with the agency Bandwidth. The app could overlay the inner images of the Hybrid on physical vehicles. The best part about this app was that the customers could interact with the app exploring and browsing more features of the vehicle.
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- The Ikea Place
The Ikea Place has done a commendable job by integrating the VR feature to their app because through this, the Ikea customers can place the pieces of furniture virtually in their homes and decide which one they should pick, enabling better buying decisions. Ikea was one of the first furniture brands to bring virtual reality selling to the lives of their consumers.
- Augmented Reality driven stadium tour of Man City
The Manchester City stadium has experimented with virtual reality to offer immersive and interactive match programmes. In 2019, the Football club integrated virtual reality to transform the visitors’ experience by arranging a visitor tour. This tour will make the visitors interact and sit next to the Manchester city manager at the top of the conference table. Technology has already become an integral part of how we watch sports, and with this, Man City raised the bar a little higher.