Augmented Reality for Businesses in 2022

Augmented Reality usage in retail has been growing steadily since 2016. In fact, last season, 60% of mobile shoppers reported using AR for mobile shopping.

And the use of mobile devices and apps has led to a 13% increase in mobile sales. This is projected to reach $1 billion by 2022.

So, the future looks bright for AR – and retailers who take advantage of augmented reality now will be ahead of the curve as it becomes more popular.

An overwhelming majority of millennials have claimed they would shop more if they had an augmented reality experience, and 61% have even claimed they prefer retailers who offer those experiences.

Moreover, the use of this technology does not come without its challenges though.

Although, consumers tend to believe that products presented with AR are of higher quality than those that aren’t, but the cost is a major obstacle for retailers looking to include this technology in their business.

On other hand, the augmented reality app delivers an experience that will engage the user, create a richer interaction with your product or service, and help them to better understand your offering.

So, the term augmented reality was coined in 1990 by Tom Caudell, a Boeing scientist working on heads-up displays for military aircraft.

And it was popularized in 1997 by Mark Weiser at Xerox PARC who spoke of “the power of mixed reality”.

Firstly, mixed reality combines the real world with computer-generated effects so that both are seamlessly combined to create an enhanced version of reality rather than just an augmented version of the real world.

Secondly, this is done using various forms of technology such as 3D projection systems and head-mounted displays.

Moreover, AR is also considered a subset of VR that adds more realism to a virtual environment or experience.

So by 2022, augmented reality (AR) will become ubiquitous and part of everyday life.

AR will bring more opportunities to enjoy and learn from the world around us by supercharging our ability to visualize and interact with data, information and entertainment in the real world.

And the advantage offered by AR is that it allows us to view and analyze information in a way that is more natural and intuitive than the traditional mediums of text or video.

Further, it gives users a digital layer of information on top of the physical world; this is what we call “augmented reality.”

IBM predicts that AR will be as big as a $100 billion market by 2022 as its implementation will foster creativity and innovation across various industries.

And the ultimate goal of technology is to transform the way we perceive and interact with our surrounding environment.

The implementation of AR can be done for any purpose – entertainment, education, communication, advertising and so on.

So it can be used in the games and entertainment industry, travel and tourism and many other areas.

Benefits –

1. Create a Credible Experience-

The main benefit of augmented reality for businesses is being able to create a rich and immersive experience for customers.

But, the goal is to offer them a memorable experience by creating something unique, which leads to increased customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

2.  Marketing accessible to everyone-
Augmented reality marketing exists within our reach. And it connects us to a world where there are no barriers or boundaries, all you need is your phone and you are ready to go.

And further, this eliminates language, literacy, education, socioeconomic status as barriers that can otherwise prevent people from accessing marketing campaigns.

3.  Personalization in Marketing-

The best part about augmented reality marketing is its ability to offer personalized experiences for each user.

And if you have used an AR app on your mobile device, you know how cool it feels when the virtual content gets customized based on your location, direction or movement.

4. Offer Customers Confidence:

3D AR technology will allow businesses to offer customers the confidence they need when making a purchase decision; by enabling them to see how products look in their environment before making a purchase.

And this feature will offer customers peace of mind as they make their final decision on what to buy, as well as increase conversion rates for businesses that implement 3D AR technology into the real world.

5. Eliminate language blocking-

This could be especially helpful in business situations.

And if you’re looking to land a deal with a foreign company, you might want to provide them with an AR presentation that lets them read your sales pitch in their native language.

Guide on How Augmented Reality can be used for businesses?

1. Product Demonstration

This is one of the most powerful digital marketing techniques, especially in the B2B sphere.

And it allows businesses to explain product features and benefits in a simple way to their potential customers.

Further, it uses AR technologies to make complex products easier to understand.

The mobile app development companies are doing wonders in this job for the businesses who are planning to take their products into the world of AR.

2. Business Model Augmentation

Augmented reality helps businesses bring products into reality by allowing consumers to view products virtually before they are actually made or mass-produced.

And this way, businesses can identify consumer habits and preferences more accurately before making any major investments in real-life prototypes of their products.

AR business models provide better quality control by ensuring that businesses are producing what people want instead of forcing them to produce what they think people want.

So this increased level of customer satisfaction before they even turned out to be your customer.

3. Virtual Training

AR is useful in all kinds of training programs, whether for employees or consumers.

For example, if you are an airline company, flying an aeroplane for real may not be possible for every employee.

But what if your staff could learn how to fly an aeroplane through VR? They can interact with different scenarios and learn how to handle them without putting anyone’s safety at risk.

And this type of training is also useful for consumers who want to learn about complicated products like cars before buying them.

4. Navigation

The augmented reality benefits for businesses are much wider than we can imagine. In-store navigation powered by AR mostly comes in the form of a mobile app.

And these apps leverage advanced programming language features such as Python try-catch to provide users with much more effective and user-friendly navigation.

With this technology, customers can receive step-by-step instructions on how to get from one location to another.

And a lot of businesses have already started using in-store navigation powered by AR.

5. Increase product sales by using AR for online shopping

Businesses can increase product sales by providing customers with an interactive 3D model of the product they are looking for before they purchase it online.

And this will allow consumers to better visualize what the product will look like in the real world, which may affect their final decision to buy or not to buy.

6. Creating Interactive Catalogues

The next best thing you can do to reach out to your customers is to create interactive catalogues with augmented reality technology.

And this will help your customers find what they are looking for in a jiffy, as well as showcase your products in a fun and engaging way.

7. Converting 2D Images into 3D

This is one of the most important features of augmented reality technology. If you have a catalogue with images of your products, all you have to do is to convert them into 3D models and send them over to your customers via an app or a text message.

So this way your customers can then use any AR-enabled device to view the 3D image and share it with others as well.

8. Augmented reality in a round-off

Augmented and Virtual reality reaches out to the customer in a very advanced way. And it gives them a whole new insight into what they’re buying, bringing it to life in an unexplored way.

So with the help of virtual reality and augmented reality, one can experience a whole new world and it’s entirely up to you to explore and discover it.

In a world where virtual reality and augmented reality have many applications, the online retail space is transforming in a way that would have been inconceivable a few years ago.

In a nutshell, these technologies have been able to improve the way customers shop online by creating a more engaging and realistic shopping experience.

360-degree images are a great marketing tool for any store. It provides users with a unique visual experience that they can’t get from a flat image.

Conclusion:

As you can see, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have entered the e-commerce space with a bang.

New developments made by the day are creating new opportunities for marketers.

It is without a doubt that AR and VR are indeed here to stay.

Innovations made by the day are creating new opportunities for marketers.

You can hire a website development company to help you grab the world of AR with ease.