Though AR is still a novelty, it has the potential to surpass all the traditional marketing approaches. It can capture attention for over 85 seconds, improving the click-through rate by 33%.
For example, if a beauty industry markets their new product with an AR enabled poster that shows variants of it, it would grab more attention than a traditional poster highlighting the new product.
Well, that’s how AR is revolutionizing business. The virtual overlay over physical environment is giving customers a unique experience of virtual shopping.
With AR apps, they are able to learn about a product, try, and even interact. But, that’s not the only thing that you can do with it. You can incorporate augmented reality in marketing and promote your products/services. You can create thoughtful campaigns and interactive ads with it.
However, the question is how you can leverage AR marketing to boost your business?
Let us explore those ways in the article.
- Product Showcase
We all know about the success of IKEA’s Place app. It lets users try a variety of products within their space and see if they would fit in the room or not.
And it’s all thanks to AR. It curbs the question, “What if the study table doesn’t go with the interior? Or What if the sofa set doesn’t fit in the living room?”
It answers everything that would make your customers question online shopping.
Other popular examples include Home Depot’s Project Color app. It is an AR app that shows users how a paint color would look on the wall. It allows them to try different colors, textures, and other effects. Along with it, users can see how an object/furniture looks in their home.
Toyota Hybrid AR app is another popular example of marketing. It shows customers the car’s key features and how the engine uses energy. It demonstrates how the inner mechanism works, helping customers learn the value of the product.
Similarly, you can use an AR app to attract customers.
- Virtual Try-on
If you’re someone who avoids shopping just because of trial and fears purchasing without trial, you definitely know the benefit of a virtual try-on. Also if you find it useful, your customers too will find it helpful. They won’t return the products after purchasing them. Like Timberland, which provided a virtual fitting room, or the Warby Parkers Try-On glasses app, you can offer your customers a fun and interactive way to decide and buy products.
With a try-on feature, your customers can learn about the product quality and how it would look on them. They won’t have to put in efforts to try or return the product.
Let me tell you a secret. Most people don’t buy make-up products online. The reason is that they can’t try the product. Just by knowing the shade, they can’t say if the lipstick shade would suit them. So they head towards the in-store purchase option.
However, if you can provide them and others with a virtual try-on, they won’t abandon you.
- Deliver Information
Delivering what customers want is a critical component of marketing. If your search history is all about earphones, but the ads you receive are all targeting smartphones, you won’t be interested, right?
Similarly, if you have a theatre and run trailers of upcoming movies in between, it won’t interest your customers. Instead, you can add a movie poster and provide them with an AR app to scan and know about the movie. They can even watch the trailer and book tickets if interested.
This is the solution AMC theatres came up with.
You can implement a likewise strategy. Say you’re in the fast-food industry and want to inform your customers about the new flavors or new products. You can place an AR feature ad on your product packets. When a customer scans it, they can learn about new items or even view a video of it. You can also utilize this feature to give customers more information. For example, they can scan the packet and learn about the product in detail. Or, like the Taco Bell app, you can connect them with live social media content, building a strong community.
- Engaging Marketing Campaigns
Have you wondered how Netflix’s Stranger Things became a huge success? The secret is augmented reality in marketing. Its AR-enabled marketing campaign on Snapchat was why it topped the most watch debuts list in 2020.
How did they market?
They brought in Snapchat Portal Lens using which users could record videos of moving across the iconic homes shown in the series while monsters pop-up from everywhere.
This innovative way of letting users experience gave a better experience than through video trailers. It deepened the customer’s connection with the series, creating more emotions.
Likewise, AR marketing campaigns can help you captivate your customers’ attention.
- Brand Recognition
Building a brand is not just about marketing your products or promoting your business. It has to be something that keeps you in the customers’ minds all the time. The best example to explain it is the Google Search feature. They leveraged AR to provide 3D views of the objects. Next is Pepsi. Instead of some ad about quenching thirst in the summer while waiting at a bus stop, they installed AR technology in the London Bus shelter. They made the waiting less boring by making lion, UFO, and flying saucers appear directly in front of the people.
This surreal transformation is nothing but another marketing tactic.
Besides, you can create engaging stories with an emotional buy-on AR feature like Nike did. You can up-scale your printed advertising by letting users scan the posters and view AR effects, or so.
With AR, everything and anything is possible. Looking at brands like Pepsi, Nike, L’Oreal, it is evident that augmented reality in marketing can help build successful business models. You only need to open your doors to imagination and make them real.
Every magical thing or idea you have in your mind, you can implement in your next marketing ad campaign.
Think and explore!
