During the last couple of years, augmented reality or AR have become one of the most discussed marketing trends. After the launch of Pokemon Go, marketers realized that AR can be successfully used for promoting various products or services. In case you are wondering how augmented reality apps could be used to engage customers in the near future, we have some answers for you.
First of all, in order to understand how to use AR apps to engage with customers, you have to understand the power of the mobile world. From game apps to picture apps and educational apps, the mobile world is the best tool for business owners to promote their businesses as long as they know their target audience and their lifestyles and preferences.
Second of all, you have to learn about augmented reality. When people these days think about augmented reality, they think about Pokemon Go but just a few people actually know what AR really is and what it can do. Basically, augmented reality is any type of virtual interactive experience layered over the real-world surroundings and that can include absolutely everything. Naturally, an augmented reality app is an app that uses AR as the main premise. An augmented reality app is depended on the environment but it also adds something to it.
How Augmented Reality Apps Can Be Used As A Marketing Tool?
The best way to use augmented reality apps to engage customers is using them as marketing tools. Your main goal might be engaging in a conversation with a customer or potential customers but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see the augmented reality app as a marketing tool you can later use for promoting or selling your products.
Before you start working on developing the app, think about the type of experience you want to offer to your users and the best way to do it. Augmented reality apps can be as fun as a game or can be educational tools. You can also use augmented reality apps to provide your customers with information about your product and to receive feedback from them after they interacted with your products.
Augmented reality apps have a lot of potential and they already have been used by some brands who recognized their potential. For example, retailers who use these type of apps created virtual catalogs for their users. Some went even further and created dressing rooms where people were able to try on clothes and shoes.
There are also brands like Ikea that decided to use augmented reality to allow users to bring Ikea furniture to their homes by picking it from a catalog and placing it into their home using the app. This allows users to see if the furniture fits the style of their home and the brand will end up with fewer returns. However, an augmented reality app used as a virtual showroom allows users to interact with the brand, to give feedback, to give suggestions, to test numerous things and that can increase the sales because if people like how something looks in their home, they will be more likely to buy it while in the shop they might have second thoughts about a product.
Location-based augmented reality apps allow users to check out businesses before deciding to visit them and they gave users the possibility to see the businesses visited by their friends. These type of apps brings word of mouth to a whole new level since people are not only able to see what types of places their friends visit but can also visit them virtually to see if they like them or not. Location-based apps are perfect for businesses with a physical location and they are especially great for businesses that are located in tourist attractions because tourists are not familiar with their surroundings and they usually turn to the internet for near-by suggestions. Allowing them to discover your place before welcoming them in will give you an advantage over your competition.
The opportunities for augmented reality apps are endless but, before launching an app, you have to learn as much as you can about your customers and potential customers in order to be able to offer them an AR app they will be willing to use.