Augmented Reality (AR) is revolutionizing the digital marketing industry. Some of the world’s leading brands, including Google, Facebook, and Apple, are already incorporating augmented reality capabilities in their platforms. 

Chris Bicourt, a passionate digital marketing entrepreneur, futurist, and Augmented Reality enthusiast, observes that AR provides entrepreneurs and businesses with an opportunity to deliver unique experiences to their customers through their mobile devices.

Marketers can employ this exciting and interactive technology to build brand awareness and accelerate business growth. In this article, Chris Bicourt takes us through five ways to use AR in your marketing strategy and drive business success. 

What Is Augmented Reality?

Investopedia defines Augmented Reality (AR) as an enhanced version of the real world achieved through digital visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli like haptic, olfactory, and somatosensory delivered via technology. It is a system that combines real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and precise 3D registration of real and virtual objects.

One of AR’s major goals is to highlight specific physical world features, enhance understanding, and derive smart and accessible insights that you can employ in real-world applications. These attributes make AR a powerful marketing tool. 

It effectively drives sales, increases engagement, and tracks consumer behavior to help make result-oriented business decisions. Now that you know what Augmented Reality is about let’s explore how you can leverage it for your marketing strategies. 

5 Ways To Use Augmented Reality in Your Marketing

Virtual Touring and Assistance

With AR, entrepreneurs can add a digital component to their products and physical locations. Customers can scan a product to activate an AR experience designed to provide more information about the product or other relevant supplemental experiences. 

Various industries and markets can benefit from this application of AR, including transport, hospitality, retail, and automotive industries. For example, Starbucks has employed AR to digitize the experience of touring one of its coffee shops. 

Customers can scan items within the shop to access a virtual tour, providing extra information to supplement the physical site. Hyundai was the first to develop an augmented manual for drivers in the automotive industry, while Mercedes refined this concept. 

If you own a Mercedes, you can access a feature known as ‘Ask Mercedes.’ This feature pairs AI assistance with an AR interface to answer various potential questions. 

Product Trial Before Purchase

Research shows that up to 70% of consumers would try a product in a showroom or sample before researching further and eventually making a purchase. For this reason, vehicle test drives, beauty samples, fitting rooms, and other related concepts exist. 

Augmented Reality can help you make the try-before-you-buy process easier and more convenient. It will enable prospective customers to try on clothing items, home interior design products, makeup, and other consumer products without directly interacting with them. 

With this concept, you don’t need a huge physical stock to allow customers to sample hundreds of items. For example, L’Oréal has already implemented an AR experience for customers to see how various hair and makeup products would look on them digitally. 

Creating a Buzz Around the Brand

Chris Bicourt says that marketers can use AR to create a buzz around a brand in the market. He observes that this strategy mostly applies to online marketing and indirect sales. 

AR will help you stand out from your competitor. You can use it to improve the status of your brand and ensure customer satisfaction with your product or service. Pepsi campaigns at the bus stop are a great example of creating a buzz around a brand. 

Augmented Brochures and Business Cards

There is no better way to make a business stand out than to add augmented features. For example, you can create a card that transforms into a screen for a product pitch video. This can be an outstanding way to engage your potential customers. 

Besides business cards, brochures and other printed marketing materials can integrate scannable virtual components to make a static page more dynamic. Such interactive features are an excellent way to make a lasting impression and promote customer engagement. 

Capitalizing on WebAR

According to Statista, mobile traffic accounts for 55% of global traffic as of 2021. You will leave a lot of money on the table if you don’t optimize your business website for mobile. Additionally, a Forrester report shows that about 61% of adult Americans would hardly return to a website that does not provide a satisfactory experience, regardless of the product quality. 

WebAR allows marketers to create a delightful and gratifying experience for their website visitors. For example, you can enhance product visualization by allowing site visitors to quickly view and visualize your products in their desired environment at the tap of a button. 

Forward-thinking brands like Shopify are already leveraging this innovative concept. Towards the end of 2020, Shopify reported that interactions with products with 3D/AR exhibited a 94% conversion rate than products without. 

These statistics highlight what you could miss if you don’t leverage WebAR to drive traffic, increase engagement, and maximize conversions. 

Conclusion

Augmented Reality is a powerful marketing tool with numerous strategies you can apply to your business. Chris Bicourt has outlined some of the most effective strategies above. As an entrepreneur or marketing, you can leverage AR in your marketing efforts to grow your business. 

If you need more information about using Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in entrepreneurship and digital marketing, you can reach Chris Bicourt through his website. 

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