Technology has been creating solutions for everybody and everything. Be it sales for businesses, market promotions, education, communication, delivering information, and whatnot! Even manual jobs are now being sorted and done by technology enabled robots. A step ahead in these verticals are the new technologies that are redefining the way all this information and content can be presented to the user. Welcome to the worlds of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality which allows creation of all content including texts, audios and videos in 3-dimensions.


Optimizing Online Stores


Digital Space is nowadays a necessary extension of all businesses, however big or small. A mobile app or a website with appropriate cart and payment options, are a business essential, especially during the ongoing Corona times. These online store options do not have a salesman or a saleswoman to make a mark amongst millions of sprouting online business entities across the globe. Businesses thus, need to look for ways to give their viewers a reason to download their app, to view it again or to visit their website.


Augmented Reality as a technology is one short solution to all these issues. It enables creation of 3-dimensional objects and content, which can then be superimposed on a real time background image. The technology does not require any special hardware to access its functionalities and the scope that it can provide businesses is limitless. Thus, it is slowly becoming the choicest UI/UX technology platform for companies the world over.


Augmented Reality in Business


Let us now analyze ways that it can become an eminent partner for you too:


  1. The perfect salesman: Think about it, when a customer visits a furniture store; he or she looks at the various designs and then tries to visualize on their own, as to what will suit their requirements and existing setup. A salesman herein helps the customer make that perfect choice. Augmented Reality based apps allow customers to superimpose products offered by businesses (created as 3-d objects) to help customers get a real-like feel of the utility expectations of the product in their existing backgrounds. IKEA has launched an AR utility app in this front.


The technology enables a huge scope for retailers the world over. Similar sales promotions are being eyed for garments retail, cosmetics retails, etc. Amazon has launched an innovative campaign called ‘AR view’. It is a new feature on its app that lets customers view their chosen products in the background of their living spaces in 3-d.


As per a report on Statistica, ‘In 2020, consumer spending is expected to account for 37.4 percent of global AR/VR spending this year.’


Businesses are moving fast to grab their share of the pie.


  1. The Know All Engineer: Augmented Reality is also being utilized to convert thick boring and never-read hand books to engaging content, that would provide expert advice to customers and help them understand the usability of different company products in a better sense. Hyundai and Mercedes, have been at a forefront in utilizing Augmented Reality for this purpose. They have in fact converted user manuals and guides to AR apps.


  1. The Best Showroom Space: Augmented Reality can help provide information to viewers as and when a particular functionality is triggered. The information provided is also in the 3-dimensional format. Based on these functionalities, Maruti Nexa has launched the concept of AR based showrooms titled ‘one by one’, wherein a customer may view a product from all angles , get the specs of the products as well in 3-dimension and may even experience the feel of the car and even test drive it. The concept is a prototype in itself as to how the futuristic showrooms shall look like in the upcoming times and Augmented Reality is going to make a big difference herein.


  1. The perfect Marketer: With global clientele on the web, comes global competition. Augmented Reality can help apps and websites to stay a step ahead here. The concept attracts users and helps them stay on your website page and app for the sheer joy and experience of being able to use a newer technology that is both interesting and fun. For instance, the ‘Google Animals’ enabled by Google are augmented reality products that can be superimposed in any room or camera background. The result was a sudden hike in kids and parents visits to their pages to look out for the technology for themselves. The resultant pics taken by the viewers were further updated on social media platforms, to provide the company direct page traffic and marketing worth millions.


With the overall pricing for adoption of this technology going down, it has definitely become a marketing strategy for businesses to attract viewers. Any business, big or small can thus, now plan to hire a app developer and use this technology for their business setup as well.


  1. The Awesome Product: In terms of a business proposition, Augmented Reality based products and Services are being sold by businesses. Pokemon GO, an Augmented Reality based game, brought in millions of dollars to its owners in sales. So have the other successful AR-based games. Another example is of BooksARlive. The app startup converts the boring text of books to engaging 3-d videos which makes learning fun. Wikitude is selling the AR kit to startups and companies to develop their own AR based functionalities. So, the scope and utility of this technology is being explored further by companies in search for better business opportunities.


Conclusion:


Basically, the world for an individual is what he or she gets to see from their eyes. Augmented Reality launches a new world or rather, parts of a new world over and above our existing one. Google Maps is using an AR feature for its walking customers wherein the exact direction to be taken is overlaid on the map.The technology has the prowess to change how we look at things and how they would seem to us. Both these factors inculcate immense scope of growth for businesses. Augmented Reality is here to stay and make a difference. The evolving functionalities and their innovative applications developed are proof enough.