Augmented Reality Retail

Sneaker Store benefiting from Augmented Reality technology

Information

Marketing

Augmented reality in physical stores is bound to drive sales and could even help with customer support.

Walking through a store, using a smartphone for information on products, availability, prices, and so on is part of a new trend in retail.

Customers could find products much quicker, be made aware of promotions and instantly locate the nearest salesperson. In fact, a sales assistant could show up as an avatar at the click of a button right where the customer stands. Possibilities are endless.

Benefits

The interactivity AR offers is its biggest strength. That’s what will boost customer engagement. It can also help make stores more modern, decluttering it of price tags and signs.

Another benefit could be efficiency. Customers will be able to navigate through big stores quicker and find products instantly. Apps could let customers create shopping lists and then navigate them straight to the products.

Challenges

The implementation may require specifically trained staff and there is a learning curve for customers as well. One might also struggle with adapting the technology to a series of stores that are different in design and product range.

Take away

Augmented reality in retail will be big this decade, no doubt. Shopping hasn’t changed much over the years, therefore change has to come to physical stores. AR is becoming more accessible and will even make its way into smaller stores. Big brands will have endless possibilities to push sales with the help of augmented reality.