AR takes immersive commerce next level, says Immertia
An augmented reality concept that links an intelligent holographic assistant to products, will soon provide information and advice to shoppers, potentially turning every product into its own sales, marketing, and support centre. A second-stage prototype developed by tech start-up, Immertia, creates the holographic person that can only be seen by viewing through a smartphone camera, and appears to be inside the product packaging.
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A video demonstration, available on the Immertia website, shows a smartphone user scanning product packaging to activate the virtual assistant, and subsequently unlocking a range of information, presented in a range of virtual settings.
Dave Chaffey, Managing Director of Immertia, said the response to the prototype had been overwhelmingly positive. “It’s been an absolute showstopper for us. People are stunned – some describe it as overwhelming.”
“There’s a real power to augmented reality, but many people are only just starting to realise it. This demonstration shows a tangible use, and a game-changing concept. You can see the moment the penny drops.”
In the demonstration, the female holograph provides information in English, or in Spanish, and leads an interactive experience where packaging design is fluid, clickable links hover in mid-air, and other products are presented in a three-dimensional space.
The content is streamed from the product manufacturer in real-time, which Chaffey believes will be a powerful trust factor for tomorrow’s consumers as they first try the technology.
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Conversational Commerce
This prototype completes the second stage of development for the Immertia team. The first prototype, demonstrated in 2020, virtually links an intelligent voice assistant through a product, so that a consumers can ask product-related questions and receive spoken answers.
The company is now working on the third stage – bringing the two prototype technologies together to produce a human concierge, who can answer product questions, and facilitate sales.
Chaffey describes it: “Consumers wanting information will scan a product to activate the product concierge, they’ll ask their questions, without the need to type, and they’ll receive an answer from a friendly, helpful person in plain language.
“It’s a simple, intuitive way to receive information, and it’s great to know that the information is always current.”
“The concierge will be able to pull up other information too – instructional videos, ingredients, where the product is sourced from, anything the manufacturer thinks offers value.”
“And, in some cases, consumers will be able to purchase the product, from the product, with the help of the concierge.”
Overcoming Challenges
The commercial applications are large, with use cases in food and beverage, FMCG, manufacturing, health, education, and many more industries.
There are still several challenges that the company faces to reach their goal, and Chaffey says that the team are “waiting for technology to catch up” before they can take the next step forward.
“Augmented reality is headed for explosive growth – so the technology won’t be too far away. It will be coming to market at a great time.”
According to Immertia’s roadmap, the first hologram product will launch in 2022, with the conversational version anticipated for the second half of 2023.
The company has commenced an equity capital raise to accelerate its moves to market. The company has two AR platforms in-market currently, with plans to release an additional four platforms in 2022. More information is available from the website – immertia.io
