Page 6 - AeM_Apr_2018

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

What opportunities does

Augmented Reality have in store?

The trend away from shopping in retail stores to online
ordering is gaining momentum, but how can retailers
counteract this trend? One possibility is the use of
augmented reality, a form of so-called mixed reality.
Generally, no costly technologies are necessary
because the customer brings his smartphone directly to
the point of sale (POS), hence, carrying the necessary
equipment with him. AR enhances reality perception by
computer-aided information. In retail, these can be the
display of product information, offers, product
recommendations or navigation through the store. A
special form of augmented reality is the AR mirror
through which customers can see themselves and
virtually test jewelry or clothing.

According to the German market research
institute Spledid Research, customers‘ interest in AR is
generally high, citing "support in everyday life" and a
high "interest in technology" as the customers’ reasons.

The research revealed furthermore that it is most
important to make sure that the handling of augmented
reality is simple, which is why many users prefer a
universal app over a specific app for each individual
shop. That way, the customer has everything on one
application that needs to be downloaded only once,
which simplifies the overall process enormously and Some 41% of respondents said that bulky hardware
increases the willingness to use AR eventually. and technical glitches were one of the main reasons
Ultimately, customers expect receiving product VR hasn't reached mass adoption, and almost as many
information and prices from AR. Around one third are (39%) said the same for AR.
also interested in product recommendations, which
provides retailers with a high cross-selling potential to
take advantage of. Retail itself has the task of generating Lack of quality content—and the amount of content out
real added value through AR, as well as ensuring the there—was another hindrance, as was consumer and
most user-friendly application possible. business reluctance to embrace both technologies,
which is kind of contradictory to the study of the
German research firm. Anyway, the American law firm,
According to surveys, the use of augmented reality is Perkin Coie, comes to the conclusion that there is no
particularly suitable in the food retail trade and for point in investing in a device that's lacking in quality
clothing stores, where appropriate AR functions can help content and a good user experience.
increase sales and strengthen retail, but the technology
clearly didn’t reach mass adoption, yet. Cost is certainly
a factor, but it's not the only one. Poor user experience I prefer to look at VR and AR as disruptive digital
among many other things is hampering widespread technologies that are useful to interact with customers,
appeal, according to a recent report of emarketer.com. helping marketers to understand more about their
behaviors and preference. Despite their still limited
A January 2018 survey of 140 US AR and VR spread, they help without doubt to improve the
professionals by law firm Perkins Coie indeed identified customer journey. ◊
several obstacles hindering mass adoption. The biggest
one is as expected “user experience. By Daniela La Marca

6 April 2018 - Strategic Social Media & Augmented Reality (AR)