Organizations may use virtual and augmented reality to boost brand recognition, establish loyal client bases, and engage with their target audience.
Pokémon Go was one of the most talked-about AR phenomena when it initially gained popularity in 2016 with the buzz surrounding it. According to industry analysts, AR/VR is predicted to reach $192.7 billion in revenue by 2022, up from $6.1 billion in 2016.
According to predictions, the combined AR/VR industry is expected to grow in value by more than 50 times by 2022.
A smartphone’s camera may show augmented reality, which places virtual items on top of real-world images. Computer vision-based recognition techniques enhance visuals, movies, and music.
For example, Augmented reality has helped enhance the user experience in various sectors from retail to healthcare and real estate by making the encounter more memorable and boosting client retention.
Many new businesses, organizations, and individuals have already embraced this technology due to its widespread acceptance. There are now 546 companies competing in the AR reality race.
What is augmented reality?
The term “augmented reality” refers to combining the physical world with digitally interactive elements. Users may use a smartphone’s camera to see what’s going on around them in the actual world and then use an AR application to add digital overlays to that environment in any number of ways: a virtual reality experience.
- Incorporating photos, digital data, and 3D models into one another
- Incorporating real-time navigation
- Adding labels to items
- Moving from one shade to another
The Use of Instagram and Snapchat “filters” to change the person’s look or surroundings.
Screens, glasses, portable and mobile devices, and head-mounted displays are just a few devices that can show augmented reality (AR). The list is constantly expanding. It’s crucial to know what AR is an AR for businesses to comprehend it fully.
The immersive nature of virtual reality is not present in augmented reality (VR). Compared with virtual reality, augmented reality allows users to interact with the actual world while immersed in a digital realm.
AR’s Diverse Fields of Application
AR technology may be utilized in various sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing.
1. Healthcare
The healthcare business benefits from augmented reality (AR) technology, which improves patient care and helps medical personnel improve their performance by simplifying complicated medical ideas into interactive 3D forms.
The efficiency of AR for medical training, from conducting complex procedures to running MRI machines, might be improved with AR. MedCognition developed Persim, the first patient simulator for prehospital professionals.
2. Retail
Additionally, AR technology revolutionizes the retail industry with virtual “try-on” experiences that let shoppers see how a product will appear on them or in a room before purchasing it. Cosmetics and eyewear companies have embraced augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance client engagement with their goods, both online and in-store.
For example, in the case of American Apparel, buyers may use an AR smartphone to scan signage in-store and retrieve product information such as available colour variants, pricing, and user reviews. Customers have a better sense of what American Apparel items look like when they can view videos of models wearing them.
3. Gaming
Using AR technology, Pokémon Go became the most popular AR game. Gaming utilizing augmented reality technology increases user involvement via various interactive activities. Because it makes virtual items seem genuine to the user, this technology enhances the gaming experience.
Apps in the gaming and entertainment categories have seen great success using augmented reality (AR). By the summer of 2017, Pokémon GO had amassed a staggering 750 million downloads and $1.2 billion in sales, making it the fastest-growing mobile game. This tremendous uptake shows that smartphone users are using AR all around the globe.
4, Investing in Property
AR technology is helping real estate brokers build virtual tours for home purchasers that provide them with additional information to help them make a more educated choice. Augmented reality has been making a name for itself in the real estate market by allowing buyers to see any vacant space in the manner they envision it being decorated.
An AR app for commercial real estate, for example, enables users to scan nearby commercial premises and get information such as available spaces and amenities and prices right from the app. Real estate agents may also be contacted using this app.
5. Tourism
Users in the travel and tourist business may enjoy a Geo-AR experience thanks to AR technology. Using 3D models and interactive maps, it provides real-time information and directions to renowned landmarks, hotels, bars, monuments, and other landmarks. To view the augmented material in real life, users may use AR’s object identification and automatic picture tagging capabilities.
Markerless AR enables this business to provide improved user engagement by mapping directions, finding nearby locations, etc. Apps like BuUuk allow passengers to see neighbouring eateries in the camera view and provide special offers. New restaurant menus may be seen using Kabaq, an AR application that provides an interactive 360-degree representation of each dish, its components, and its proper serving size.
6. Education
The use of augmented reality in schools and learning centres is gaining traction to help students better comprehend and make sense of the world around them. AR technology has also been employed in the classroom to give students hands-on experience in various areas, including science and math.
Some of the most engaging educational applications, such as Elements 4D, Quiver, and Math Alive, use three-dimensional overlays to enliven students’ daily studies.
Benefits of Investing in AR App Development for Businesses
AR app development is a sound business decision for a variety of reasons.
1. Millions of People Use AR Every Day
A great example of AR’s growing popularity is Snapchat. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believe in the long-term potential of augmented reality (AR). It’s not only Instagram’s parent business jumping on the AR bandwagon, though.
There are many more sectors where augmented reality (AR) is expected to impact positively.
2. AR Is the Best Marketing Technology
When AR is used in marketing, it opens up a slew of new revenue streams. Brand and product loyalty and commitment increase when this technology is employed imaginatively.
It is possible to engage customers while they are in the shop using their smartphones, looking up the pricing and characteristics of various products. Using it, retailers may create a new kind of shopping experience for customers by allowing them to produce customized content tied to promotional discounts.
The place app from Ikea lets users preview how a dining table or a bed will appear in their house before buying it
3. AR Allows for Three-Dimensional Conceptualization
Businesses may employ AR technology to create a 3D impact on their brand or product and give an outstanding AR experience to their consumers. Businesses may now engage with clients directly by creating 3D advertisements rather than 2D ones.
With augmented reality (AR), businesses may create an emotional connection between their brand and their customers with augmented reality (AR). Customers have a stronger connection to a brand when they see related things in the augmented reality version.
To Sum it up
Another benefit of augmented reality technology is that it may be used again. Users of Pokémon Go, for example, play the game regularly, increasing their exposure to the brand.
Since AR apps only need development costs and additional benefits may be gained from repeated exposure, creating recurring engagement is an efficient advertising approach for companies. Unlike ‘conventional’ advertising, this interactive campaign has a unique effect.
This article has shown that businesses stand to benefit much from using augmented reality technology. AR has the potential to speed up development and provide memorable experiences for its consumers.
