11 Retailers Rolling Out AR

Augmented Reality (AR) is quickly becoming one of the hottest trends in the marketing world, it is already recognized as a creative and innovative way of greatly increasing engagement. AR can be used in almost every single field and has an almost limitless potential and power.

When it comes to AR for me, I strictly am focused on conversions, and when it comes to retail engagement with AR or VR, the level of engagement – helping consumers visualize (or compare) products in order to boost their confidence enough to complete the sale – is by far the most mature. Retailers aren’t just experimenting here. They are rolling out solutions. Here are a 11 examples that nail it (their are more showing up daily, so this is relative to the time of publishing):

• One of my favorite examples is American Apparel. They use AR elements to enhance the shopping experience and offering all kinds of choices and information at the customer finger tips. Makes self-guided shopping a joy.

• I really like how Coca-Cola is using AR in their business, selling and customer service. Notice the comments from the buyers about how they are enjoying this medium in their experience. Also, how much time is saved by using AR to place and resize units.

• The biggest retailer in the world, WalMart, is actively embracing the full potential of AR and VR to keep them ahead of their competition. Using some gamification elements really proved to be attractive to customers, especially the young at heart.

Although I prefer Don Julio, Patron has created The Patron Experience: Mix your reality with theirs and go inside the Hacienda Patrón distillery and experience tequila like never before.

• Beauty products companies Sephora, L’Oreal, Cover Girl, and others are jumping in on the AR beauty effects game and are killing it.

• While IKEA and Wayfair have cool AR experiences (I talk about them next), Build.com offers even more immersive elements, like trying different spray patterns that come on different faucets, and other excellent AR elements that pull the customer in for the sale.

• Ok, home furnishing companies IKEA and Wayfair were among the first to use AR for furniture and home goods retailing, letting consumers place and manipulate catalog items at scale in consumers’ homes. Consumers have proved to love this.

• Shoe company Foot Locker used an AR app to create a scavenger hunt in Los Angeles, which led sneakerheads to a location where they could purchase an early, limited-edition drop of the LeBron 16 King Court Purple court shoes. The shoes sold out in two hours.

• A final example for this article is Vegas’ “Alter Your Reality” campaign. This was a 360 marketing experience that popped up in destinations across the world to promote Vegas travel. The pop-up destinations included London, Canada, and Brazil. The virtual exhibit featured various artists’ take on their experience of Sin City. The VR experience turned users into an alternative reality and left them longing to see the bright lights of Vegas. Studies show that 13% of those who experienced the tour went on to get in touch with hotels to book a trip.

Businesses, not just the big boys with plenty of cash, but businesses of all sizes can benefit greatly by integrating AR solutions into their operations. As we see, AR enhances customers’ online shopping experience and boosts sales. We all like the sound of that.

My Summary

The minimal learning curve and easy accessibility through smartphone devices make augmented reality the perfect tool for in-store shopping. (Remember, 87% of US consumer households have smartphones). I'm excited to see what's coming next as these AR experiences advance!

Do you see brands that are changing the in-store experience through AR? If so, please drop a link into the comments below that I can use for my next article.