These past several decades, a host of technological advances have changed how people primarily conduct business. Aside from the Internet giving people access to a wealth of information, it’s also paved the way for new technologies such as cloud computing, network IT solutions, e-commerce, and smartphones to name a few. All these innovations have significantly changed the world of business. Now, small businesses find themselves bombarded with many different tech tools they should do well to implement in their business, one of them being augmented reality or AR.
Why And How to Use Augmented Reality in Your Business Operations
According to a survey published by Small Business Trends, 71% of consumers said that they’d buy more often in stores that offer augmented reality, while 41% of them said they’d be eager to pay a higher price for a product that’s incorporated in a shopping experienced enhanced by AR. Whether these augmented reality experiences enable shoppers to digitally try on clothing right from their homes or see extra details about the clothes just by pointing their smartphones at products in your shop, small businesses have only begun to scratch the surface of augmenting the purchasing journeys of consumers.
Even the home improvement industry is leveraging AR for presenting product demonstrations. In the past, shopping for linens, curtains, or other home furnishings involved a lot of trial and error. These days, however, some apps enable consumers to test what they’re looking to purchase and envision what the products would look like right in their homes through AR.
Augmented Reality is Easy to Use and Implement
Aside from barriers to entry being relatively low, the potential ROI on AR when employed properly is quite remarkable. Virtually every consumer now uses a smartphone that can double as effective and accessible AR devices. Because AR tech is highly scalable, it can easily sync with newer models of mobile devices and integrate with their cameras. Concurrently, you can collect data through analytics software that will allow you to keep track of click-throughs and customer engagement during the augmented reality experience.
How to Deploy Augmented Reality The Right Way
No matter its potential, there’s a wrong and right way to utilize AR for your business. For starters, refrain from using gimmicky tactics and ensure that you provide customers something valuable. You have to communicate crucial information to consumers during their purchase journey and solve a pain point or problem for them. When trying to decide how you should use AR for your business, you need to have specific goals and desired results. Although an agency or consultant could help you create an AR strategy specific to your needs, you have to work with a third party provider that knows the limitations and possibilities of AR.
When trying to figure out how to incorporate AR into your business, the main thing to remember is that you should do so only if it can help your business strategically. Whether you are just beginning to entertain the idea of adopting new tech solutions or have already started using some of the latest techs, consider how you can use augmented reality to further your business goals.
