Augmented reality (AR) is already taking the business world by storm and is well on the way to revolutionising multiple industries. In the space of just a few years, advertising processes and business development plans have become increasingly diverse, significantly contrasting the strategies of previous decades. What exactly does this transformation mean for the future of some of the biggest business sectors on the globe? With such a complex innovation still in its’ relative infancy, it would be naïve to think we can foresee its’ full capabilities just yet. However if there is one thing we know for certain, it is that the future is here – and it’s virtual.

How can AR drive customer engagement and sales?

Twenty-seven years on from its birth into the digital world, AR is exceeding all expectations. The first properly functioning AR system was thought to be developed and first used by the U.S Air Force in Armstrong’s Research Lab, led by Louis Rosenberg back in 1992. The machine was an extremely complex and seemingly powerful robotic system designed to improve human productivity and compensate for the lack of high-speed 3D graphics. However today’s version of the then-called ‘Virtual Fixtures’ is not only working to improve human productivity but increase sales and marketing efforts with minimum time and spend.

Recent studies suggest that start-ups could be the ones reaping the benefits of these new strategies more than any other business-type in the game. This is most likely due to the fact that now more than ever, new businesses need a unique edge to stand even the slightest of chances to succeed in almost any industry. Whether this is due to the over-saturation of “up-and-comers” trying to prove themselves or our innate desire as consumers for originality and innovation. AR presents a plethora of opportunities to set those bold enough apart from the crowd. If implemented correctly, this technology has the potential to drive engagement and sales through the roof, using strategic techniques allowing customers to connect with companies and brands in a way that up until this point in time has been deemed a pipe dream.

But how exactly would businesses go about utilising these tools and why would it benefit them? Well, with marketing strategies evolving so rapidly, it is crucial to stay one step ahead of your fiercest competitor, and what better way to do this than to combine virtual elements and implement them into the world around us, enabling experiences that exceed anything you can physically encounter. Industries are bound to take different approaches in executing the idea, however it is no secret that this will dramatically improve any current marketing efforts that may be in place to drive optimal results.

What industries will benefit most?

With any business one of the key factors is undoubtedly engagement. Whether it be in terms of education/training or for the purpose of raising awareness for your healthcare brand, there needs to be a unique selling point to set you above the thousands of other organisations with the same goal. Through the use of AR, you can go above just building a website or app for people to scroll through countless pages of information that may ultimately be lost on them in the process. Making sites and mobile applications interactive is a great way to not only captivate your target audience but leave them with a message they won’t forget. Through extensive research it has been found information presented in a visual manner, gets processed 60,000x faster opposed to if it were just text. It is said that a single minute of visual presentation, whether than be a video or augmented animation, is worth an average 1.8 million words.

Having the ability to bring your business values, services or key information to life and create captivating content that is guaranteed to stay with your clients, is an invaluable asset not to be overlooked. Should you wish to find out more about how you can harness the power of AR for your business, you can chat to one of our experts today!