AR Has Arrived

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Augmented reality has hit a milestone. It is no longer a niche technology used primarily for entertainment and brand-building. Thanks to simple games on fast food packaging or the ability to take selfies with virtual celebrities and share them on social media, it has evolved into a true revenue-generating tool. For printers looking for opportunities to build new revenue streams, AR has arrived.

Why AR and why now? 

AR has moved to a web-based environment. While app-based AR offers the most robust experiences, most consumers don’t want to download a new app or launch an app every time they want to engage with an AR experience. WebAR allows people to engage with AR scenes by clicking links or scanning QR codes. This makes AR readily accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. 

And AR tools have become easier and more affordable. Creating AR scenes used to take significant resources and expertise. Today, depending on the solution, capturing the assets needed to create AR experiences requires only a mobile phone or, for AR portals, a consumer-level 360 camera. With some AR platforms, converting the video into an AR experience is as easy as drag and drop.

Take creating a holographic “twin” using WorldViewAR, the AR creation platform from RealityBLU. Any type of video capture device, even a cellphone, can be used to take a video of that person speaking in front of a green screen. The PSP uploads the video to its WorldViewAR account and follows the prompts. Within seconds, it receives a QR Code or hyperlink that leads to an AR scene. 

“Once the video is shot, it take a matter of minutes —through our platform — to create the actual AR experience,” said MJ Anderson, chief experience officer for RealityBLU. “Then, once printers and agencies have the QR code or the link, they can add it to their clients’ print or digital marketing pieces, and they’re done.” 

With so many advances in AR technology, the ability to create a new revenue stream by offering in-house video production for AR experiences has become a practical reality. Products like Ricoh’s Theta 360 camera, which can be purchased for a few hundred dollars (and a full business set up for around $1,000), let printers and agencies get into video production at a very low cost.  

With popular features such as “try before you buy” and “view in room,” AR has become a normalized aspect of the shopping experience. AIthority, for example, has found that products using AR can boost conversion by 40%. If the experience allows shoppers to inspect the product more thoroughly—turning it around, zooming in to see details, and changing colors or features—this gives shoppers a better sense of the product and dramatically increases conversion to sale. 

According to MADE.com, customers who view a product in 3D are 25% more likely to make a purchase, and Forbes found that shoppers engaging with 3D images are 40% more likely to convert than those shopping in 2D images. Since adding AR’s “view in room” feature, Ikea Place has actually seen its conversion rates double. 

Not only this, but according to AR Insider, AR-guided shopping reduces returns by 25%. Build.com, for example, is seeing a 22% lower return rate for shoppers that use its AR product visualization features. This ability to reduce returns has become a huge selling point for printers and agencies looking to show that AR truly benefits the bottom line. 

AR Experiences That Sell

What types of AR experiences translate into hard sales? Those in which interaction and engagement are critical to the sales process. CB2, a mid-range furniture store using AR’s “view in room” feature, reports seeing a 13% increase in order size per visit thanks to AR.  Ikea Place has seen its order sizes increase by 10%. 

AR is also being used by PSPs to help colleges and universities “close” on key recruitments for their sports programs. One nationally recognized football program is working with its print provider to deploy AR scenes of its coach delivered to recruits through email or text messages. By scanning a QR code or clicking on a link, athletes can listen to a pitch from their prospective college coach right in their homes. 

Do you have clients who offer training? Training organizations are increasing their reach and offering free samples with AR training videos. Lacrosse legend Kyle Harrison, for example, recently retired from professional play and is using AR to promote his youth lacrosse training organization, Team Eighteen. Athletes drop an AR portal into their bedrooms or living rooms and “walk” right onto the field with Harrison. There, they can turn around, get a 360-degree view of the field, and watch Harrison demonstrate techniques as if they were actually there. 

You can check out one of Harrison’s training videos here: 

Nonprofits are capitalizing on the power of AR portals, as well. Instead of sending a link to a video, nonprofits are encouraging donors to drop portals into their homes or offices, then walk “through” them into the location where the work is being done. There, they can experience the sights and sounds of the people, communities and environments supported by their donations. Other nonprofits are adding “donate now” buttons to holographic twins to drive donations directly from AR experiences. 

The key to AR is finding those opportunities where the ability to handle a product, visualize the product in someone’s home or office, or to “be there” dramatically enhances sales and acts as a closer. Why? Because experience sells, and as AR technology increasingly streamlines and simplifies the process of creating these experiences, these are salable products that can be in the toolbox of even small to mid-sized shops.