As we know from our work with brands and marketing, AR is fast becoming a staple of brand campaigns and experiential consumer engagement. Unsurprisingly it is also growing in use as a driver on the path to purchase, both for e-commerce channels and traditional bricks and mortar retail.
Leading retailers such as IKEA and L’Oreal are enhancing the ‘at home’ shopping experience with enchanting yet deeply practical try-before-you-buy features. Simultaneously, others are creating more immersive in-store experiences to attract footfall, enhance shopper experience, expand display capacity and increase conversion rates.
AR is proving its worth as a highly versatile retail tool. From the world’s biggest retail names to local, small scale activation; in-store shoppers to remote, global audiences; brand-specific to a full retail portfolio – AR is an increasingly valuable way to engage, entertain, reward and sell.
For example:
IKEA became AR pioneers when they first developed an app way back in 2013 that let users see certain items of furniture in their homes. An update that made the most of rapidly evolving smartphone technology came in 2017 with IKEA Place. Today, it is possible to fill an entire room with virtual IKEA furniture to see what it might look like. Don’t like that colour? Change it with a swipe. That bookcase too big? Switch it out. Other ‘try-before-you-buy’ applications quickly followed and are quietly revolutionising the world of at-home e-commerce.
7-Eleven has long been an AR pioneer. Their long-running partnership with WebAR platform Zappar has brought a series of fun, exclusive in-store experiences to their customers, from kicking NFL goals to a Deadpool takeover. Over time, shoppers have learned to expect more from 7-Eleven stores than just products on shelves; a trip to the humble grocery store is a genuine experience.
Read more about WebAR are the potential benefit it offers here.
Not all AR experiences need phones. Sephora, one of the world's leading cosmetics retailers, were amongst the first to introduce 'magic mirror' experiences to their stores, giving consumers a new way to engage with the thousands of products on display. The technology has evolved rapidly and they have since been joined by a multitude of other retailers from the world of cosmetics but also fashion, pharmacy, outdoor, automotive and many more.
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