Future of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in Marketing

Augmented reality and Virtual reality in Marketing

Digital marketing encompasses knowing the needs of your audience to offer them a splendid experience. The landscape of digital marketing is evolving, and so is the way brands are interacting with their customers.

Today, consumers receive constant updates about a particular brand via emails, ads, or social media. They are surrounded by all manner of noises that are almost becoming ignorant. Digital marketing is meant to engage consumers and raise brand awareness. The use of new technological solutions to achieve this is becoming a new and rising trend.

Regarding marketing strategies, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technologies are relatively untapped resources comparing them with conventional methods like emails, SMS, ads, et al. But due to the curiosity of technology, these solutions are on the rise.

These technologies have caught the attention of businesses and consumers and have sparked their interest. Notwithstanding, the solutions are still in the instant phase and their popularity is expected to skyrocket in the future as more businesses are eyeing them as new outlets in their marketing strategies.

As the world of technology is increasingly becoming more sophisticated, so are the consumers. Consequently, it’s becoming absolutely impossible to engage the growing number of consumers’ expectations. This is why businesses are opting or are advised to incorporate both VR and AR in their marketing strategies.

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) in marketing implies that sights and sounds are substituted by a virtual (unreal) environment that is computer-generated. The sort of environment can be anywhere, your image can be taken to Disney world or in a fantasy world where dragons and elves furnish the place. VR evolves an object in three dimensions such that it appears like it’s completely immersed in another world.

Also, it’s possible to navigate through the experiences of Virtual Reality and by the use of hands to change things. On the other hand, technology is used in Augmented Reality (AR) to extend (augment) sounds or graphics over the actual environment.

Here, there is no introduction of other dimensions, only new aspects are brought to an existing environment. While Virtual Reality usually requires a handset, Augmented Reality can be experienced by just holding a smartphone and running an application.

The New solutions are making brands appear cool

Coca Cola - Augmented reality advertising
Coca Cola – Augmented reality advertising – Image source: ARPost

Gone are the days when VR and AR sounded like jargon to many. Consumers are looking for the presence of VR and AR to tell the mighty of a brand. Marketers are as well recognizing these technologies as valuable assets of competitiveness from their rivals.

The modern reality is setting apart from conventional methods of advertising because consumers are caught by the excitement of these solutions and are open to them. By the time they become ubiquitous, brands and marketers will be far ahead of their rivals.

VR and AR enable brands to build trust with the customers by showing them the process behind how their products were made. As their growth continues to thrive each day, marketing is becoming more consumer-based.

Today, in the marketing world, both Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies are becoming more common and brands have the chance and machinery to craft experiences, engage with customers, and allow conversions in better ways than before. More than ever the world of marketing is being driven by customer needs.

With the advancement of technology, customers are eyeing brands that deliver the experiences that they want. This implies that it’s extremely important for brands to march themselves with advances to meet the expectations of consumers. Consequently, marketers are considering the possible ways through which AR and VR can improve their marketing strategies.

A study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit shows that 26 percent of senior marketing professionals believe that VR will play the greatest role in the future world of marketing.

For them, AR/VR solutions imply an entire modern (virtual) niche of marketing technologies. For example, it’s believed that Virtual Reality systems will enable consumers/marketers to participate in immersive tales that comprise sights, sounds, and touch technologies.

Nevertheless, it isn’t in the future anymore as marketers are using these technologies to increase their sales and customer engagement. Apps on smartphones and tablets are making it possible for users to experience Augmented Reality. Also, some special apps enable consumers to virtually “test before purchasing” which is very important for virtual (online) buyers.

Sayduck Furniture Visualizer, an application that allows users to place furniture virtually in their houses, helps buyers to visualize how these pieces coordinate, match and fit with the existing space and decor.

That way, buyers are comfortable with what they intend to purchase. Some educational facilities have started using these solutions long back to market their services to potential applicants.

For instance, Savannah College of Art and Design is sending VR headsets to selected but not enrolled students to make them experience the campus virtually before their reporting date.

VR for future marketing

Forecast augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market size worldwide from 2016 to 2020
Forecast augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market size worldwide from 2016 to 2020 – Source: Statista

Some people think that VR technology is meant for gamers and that huge sums of money should be invested to enjoy the experience. But this is not true. Access to smartphones implies that any average person can enjoy VR experiences.

Marketing with VR enables businesses to close the gap between action and experience. VR can be used in digital platforms to replace physical ones in a bid to promote sales. Besides using VR to promote existing products, it can as well be used to showcase the ones in progress.

Customers can be invited along the journey as new things are being developed and encourage them to invest in items being created, as well as giving the developer some sort of feedback.

Virtual reality is immensely used to change dynamics between brands and customers. Instead of using ad blockers and clicking ads immediately as they appear, consumers are looking for VR brand experiences.

This implies that the rates of engagement improve as more people are attracted to the brand. Also, using VR to make brands distinctive serves as an important competitive edge. Embracers of this technology as their marketing tool can test and improve their products and even innovate them with modern tactics.

With VR, language is a thing of the past. For instance, Atos and Theatre of Paris created VR solutions where the audience could see subtitles at the same time as the show.

The intersection of events and technological solutions is anticipated to span over other entertainment sectors like sport games and concerts, making them understandable to those who don’t speak that particular language.

Both AR and VR are said to eliminate the last frontier of a lack of physical contact with people. The prospected future outcomes of VR are that people would be able to share locations, visit their dream destinations, or even converse and understand one another in foreign languages.

AR for future marketing

Snoop Dogg AR Wine Cali Red - 19 Crimes
Snoop Dogg AR Wine Cali Red – 19 Crimes

Today, businesses can apply Augmented Reality in the testing of products before offering them to consumers; augmented shopping experiences are becoming popular amongst many buyers. Also, AR is offering the potential for brands to add digital components atop where they are physically situated.

AR solutions are constantly used to make innovations on branding materials, such as brochures and business cards. Today, users can scan printed text on materials using their mobile gadgets to access a variety of features, offering them information about a particular brand.

What’s happening today? What does AR hold for future marketing strategies? Truly, in the business world, AR is an emerging trend for companies to handle their sales and marketing strategies.

It’s allowing businesses to offer their customers’ unique experiences with the convenience of being available on their smartphone devices. Also, it’s offering brands the tool of driving sales as well as boosting their brand value.

This technology is considered being more than just a frontier in gaming as it stands as a critical driving force of sales and marketing inventions in the future. With the help of AR, brands would upgrade the levels of convenience they give to their customers, attracting more opportunities and sales.

Augmented reality is the modern way to advertising through brand awareness, as it has the personalized feature of social media. For instance, in Poland, the Coca-Cola brand boosted its brand recognition with the Oculus Rift, where users could become the famous Santa Claus.

The solutions are as well used by celebrity brands like Michelle Obama and Sr. Paul McCartney. Fans of these great personalities can experience being with them on stage thanks to AR technology. In the future, brands are going to become strong if they properly harness the energy of AR. These solutions will become mainstream in marketing laboratories globally.

Conclusion

Digital marketers know very well the benefits of adopting these technologies in their marketing strategies. Where people would once ask what VR or AR has now become, where can I get them?

With the demand for these technologies continuing to become crazy. Also, the industry is attracting some of the renowned tech giants like Samsung, Oculus, HTC, etc. Most importantly, these technologies are helpful for all businesses regardless of their level.

Image source: Freepik Premium

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