AR: Retailers An Edge To Help Consumers Save Time And Enhance Decision-Making

Only a few years ago, AR exploded on the scene, and we were even thrilled to see how this technology was going to develop. AR has seen broad adoption, ranging from education to retail, in various sectors so far. Almost 70 percent of consumers expect AR from distributors in the first two quarters of the year and start an application. This growing trend is already being picked up by savvy marketers and retailers, with many of their customers already having an AR interface to decide on the product line more essentially.

The challenge for retailers who run small margin companies and don't need much additional cash for experimentation is trying to decide when the time to "take in" new technology is right. When it comes to AR, this challenge is no different. Retailers are not excited to have another touch point to deal. At low VR and AR penetration rates, consumers do not seem hurried to experience any mixed reality, not to mention the retail sector. The adoption lag nevertheless hides a degree of enthusiasm that retailers should heed. Seventy-three percent of the one-third U.S. customers who reported using AR said they were happy. AR has the benefit compared with VR because the hurl factor doesn't induce high chances, so AR promises to be overall higher than VR.

There are several reasons why consumers do not use XR faster than today. It's still a novelty for VR, and while customers can get VR at a low price, it's an enormous budget investment for the actual, immersive experience. The market remains highly fragmented with many walled garden areas. Going with one VR brand means that you don't have access to content from another brand. Similarly, the content of AR requires an application that has to be downloaded, logged in, maintained, and remembered for every AR experience. And it's still a significant devaluation to know when the AR is available.

Right now, customer experience cases with AR and VR tend to be very specialized–whether the couch fits in the house, what the colors on the walls or a newly designed kitchen seem to be. Makeup and fashion are also available with a virtual attempt to makeup appearance and colors and 3D clothing visualizations to get a better fitness assessment.

AR and VR offer the retailers, an edge to help consumers save time and enhance decision-making. As we are in 2019, more dealers can be expected to sail the AR bandwagon. Moreover, people with the advantage of a first mover have the chance to stay ahead of the competition for raising brand awareness.