Augmented Reality: The Next ‘Big Thing’ in Retail

How retail chains and manufacturers can take advantage of augmented reality apps on consumers’ smartphones to boost sales and build brand loyalty.

Augmented reality is the next ‘Big Thing.’ As the technology for it continues to advance, we see it being implemented across all strata of industry and society: social media, entertainment, medicine, design and engineering, and, of course, retail. Like virtual reality before it, AR gives retailers a greater opportunity to connect with their costumers, through a far deeper understanding of product and an optimized shopping experience.

AR is actually considered more promising than VR, despite VR tech being more advanced at this current moment. While VR brings the individual into an enhanced world, it closes them off from the real one. AR, on the other hand, brings that same enhancement to the world around us, by adding ‘graphics, sounds, haptic feedback, and smell to the natural world as it exists.’

This is one of the reasons that many influencers and titans of industry have recently become so bullish on the technology. Apple CEO Tim Cook, for instance, is the person who has dubbed augmented reality the next ‘Big Thing’, stating that it has the potential to change the world in as seismic a way as smartphones have.

One of the reasons behind his thinking lies in what, exactly, AR is. Augmented reality is seen as a ‘core technology’, rather than a single product. Right now, smartphones (along with video game consoles) are the drivers of AR tech, which means that, unlike VR devices such as the Oculus Rift, access to it is already in place for a larger segment of society.

This is where retailers find themselves in a most advantageous position. While virtual reality displays have proven successful for automotive and home improvement retailers, they require expensive displays and software (both in-store and online), all of which must be provided by the retailer. With augmented reality, the customer provides half of the tool, via mobile apps.

Those same customers will be able to go look in-depth at any given product on shelves by seeing ‘into it’ (what it is made of, or from, when and where it was produced, etc.), while quicker merchandise views and functional support make navigating those aisles all the easier.

From home, consumers will be able to use ‘magic mirrors’ and ‘shoppable windows’ to virtually try on clothing and accessories, take test drives, or explore an entire digital recreation of a real brick-and-mortar store.

Augmented reality is without a doubt the wave of the future when it comes to how consumers shop. As the technology continues to advance, it is up to the retailers to take full advantage of it. That means investing in it by uploading their products and locations into existing apps or creating their own. This will be a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process, but it is also an essential one. Augmented reality will not only help them move more merchandise, it will strengthen their connection to their customers, while building up brand loyalty. Augmented reality is one of the central pieces to the new mobile world; smart retailers will hear the call and answer.