AUGMENTED-REALITY-AR-IN-MARKETING

Augmented Reality in Marketing

At the moment, Augment Reality (AR) is still new and under-explored. This novelty makes it the latest solution for sharing information. It is set to beat the amount print, online, and TV advertisements combined. AR can capture people’s attention for at least 85 seconds, raise interaction by 20%, and raise the click-through rate to buy by a further 33%. Soon it will be the mainstream and competition will rise—as is the case with all other industries.

With time, there will be more companies focusing on AR-inspired experiences. A rise in people incorporating AR into marketing will yield an equal rise in competition. The quality of campaigns will improve in quality as companies seek to impress audiences. Creativity will determine the best performing products. You will, therefore, need to improve your ingenuity and innovativeness to retain relevance.

Here’s Why Apple Acquired a Small Augmented Reality Startup

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook predicts that AR will become part of our daily lives. It is, therefore, of vital importance for marketers to learn how it works. Let us explore companies that already utilize the technology. These leading companies focus on innovativeness and are keen on taking risks on future technology.

Sephora

Purchasing products online is continuously easy and convenient for most people. However, there are certain products such as makeup, which needs trying on first. Women make up the target group for beauty products and face a problem of having to try on desirable products.

 

Sephora’s Virtual Artist App with ModiFace is an AR tool responsible that helps you view makeup on a similar face. Not only does the app reveal how your face will appear when you apply that product but also suggests tools you need. It also shows the appropriate equipment for application and things you would need to accompany the product.

Virtual Artist also reveals the long-term effects of the consistent use of skincare. This is not possible with beauty professionals.

 

Timberland

Many people are not fond of utilizing dressing rooms when shopping. They prefer to try outfits in the comfort of their homes. Most stores allow returning dresses, shoes, hats, and other items if they do not fit. As a result, many shoppers choose to purchase items but retain the right to return them if they are not satisfied. No one likes to carry a pile of clothes into a public dressing room and wait in a line.

Timberland created a virtual fitting room to help people who want to avoid the hassle in stores. It is, therefore, designed for convenience and comfort. Using Kinect motion sensing technology, the AR lets shoppers view their image. You can see a model body with your size in various outfits.

 

Home Depot

Decorating homes is trendy and exciting but very cumbersome and involving. It is not easy to predict the outcome of a color, for example. Working on your house requires a predictive image to confirm if you will like the results. Products may seem impressive online but fail to give you the level of satisfaction you expected. You may end up with a bathroom that is too bright due to the wrong kind of paint.

Furniture can also go wrong. A piece of furniture may fail to impress you. For example, you may purchase a bulky coffee table at a high cost that does not fit in your living room like you wanted. Going through the hassle of acquiring and transporting an item that does not fit is demoralizing.

Project Color App is Home Depot’s AR tool. It uses patent technology to depict the outcome of colors in rooms. The technology is capable of incorporating a variety of conditions. For example, it takes into consideration, the lighting, objects, and shadows in the room of choice. You can see the real version of your room and share with friends to help you assess it.

 

StubHub

For Super Bowl lovers, StubHub provided an AR feature on their mobile app. The app allowed ticket buyers to view a virtual 3D model of the U.S bank stadium. They could visualize their experience at the stadium before purchasing it.

The different views helped them select seats. Hesitant buyers could not resist the offer. Sales increased tremendously.

 

Pepsi

Pepsi is responsible for designing one of the most exciting tools with AR technology. The tool was made in a London bus shelter. One side of the structure appears as though thrilling objects such as flying saucers, and a tiger is headed for the commuters.

This AR technique was used to amuse the public. It reveals the playful personality of the company. It entertains the Londoners with an exceptional experience. A video of the shelter’s exceptional design made 6 million views on YouTube. This became the most viewed advertising campaign ever.

 

AMC Theaters

AMC Theaters sought to enhance delivery of latest movie trailers in time. When movie lovers come across a movie poster in a theater, they can launch the AMC app and scan the poster. They will instantly receive information about it and a trailer too.

Technology accuracy and timing has given mankind a vital piece of technology of the future.

Artificial-Intelligence-AI-in-Marketing

Can Artificial Intelligence Help Marketing Your Business?

Artificial intelligence or cognitive technology is by far the next big thing. The applications are limitless from retail, banking, finance, marketing, manufacturing among others. But, the adoption of artificial intelligence is being met with fears of job replacement.

For the online business person, Artificial Intelligence will bring a new dimension to how you do business. It will take over the process of marketing, leaving you to focus on providing customer support, and driving your business forward.

Will AI replace humans

How Does It Work?

The technology is powered by big data available on the internet. It searches through, billions, of unprocessed data, to draw insights, which you as a marketer can use. Unlike, existing software tools, limited by the data they can access, Artificial Intelligence will have access to all digital channels, and provide comprehensive insights into your marketing strategy.

What are the Potential Applications of Artificial Intelligence?

Cognitive technology is here to automate tedious task marketers do: These may include:

Selection of the Marketing Channel

Through new algorithms, you can know which marketing channel is most appropriate for the business. It analyzes the website and the products, to determine where to run your marketing campaign.

The new artificial intelligence tools only require your site’s URL to function. By making this process automatic, it can save you costs of using channels that don’t generate traffic.

Image Recognition

Pictures are the first thing the customers see before engaging with the ad, by reading the copy. New algorithms can analyze separate objects in an image. For, instance, the AI can allow customers to search for a dress they have spotted on a model.

AI Shopping

The algorithm will comb through pictures on the web, and provide users with a list of online businesses selling the item. Also, the AI can recognize objects in a video. This feature could change the way users interact with your ads and website.

Content Creation

The AI can allow marketers to generate an advertisement automatically. It can come up with ad banners, select the image, and write the copy. This feature can reduce the time you spend creating the perfect ad, and hasten the implementation of the marketing strategy.

During content creation, the cognitive technology will write content that is not plagiarized, and readable; however, the quality of writing is not that good, but they are available services that generate articles in seconds.

Customer Support and Chat Bots

Part of your marketing strategy must involve creating better engagements with the customers. Once you drive thousands of people to your website, they have many questions which a chatbot can answer.

The chatbots have machine learning capabilities and grow smarter with each user interaction. However, there is the need for human supervision, to provide extensive replies.

Sales Forecasting

Before launching your marketing strategy, you must predict future sales. The AI can use historical data to know your business and potential customers for generating scenarios, analyzing risk and prediction of outcomes of the strategy.

Sales and AI

The cognitive technology is not aiming to replace markers but to automate tedious, time-consuming and complicated tasks. The technology is still at infancy but, in the future, it will be the real deal. For example, Google is perfecting their algorithm to create a personal assistant.