Do you know that during this summer months a series of events are celebrating the first anniversary of Pokémon Go, the game that changed the world due to its effects based on Augmented Reality (AR)? But games aren’t the only sector in mobile ecosystem where AR provides a lot of advantages. Join us to discover how useful this technique can become when it is applied for all types of applications on mobile devices.
Image Source: http://bgr.com/2017/06/08/pokemon-go-anniversary-event-gym-update/
How Augmented Reality Works
Augmented reality is the ability to combine real landscapes with virtual objects due to enhanced GPS systems and camera. With the help of computer-generated graphics augmented reality can change the entire experience offered by a certain environment.
Image Source: https://www.slideshare.net/funk97/augmented-reality-for-furniture-shopping
Benefits of AR For Mobile Marketing
If you are curious to discover why augmented reality is so great for mobile marketing then you will be happy to see that it has the power to change the way customers feel when they observe marketing content.
Improved Brand Recognition
In case you focus your strategy on increasing brand awareness then AR could be the solution for your company. When people engage with the ads they pay much more attention to the visuals presented. This way they will be impressed by your innovative campaign, like the one built for McDonalds. Of course, everybody can recognize the famous M sign but after interacting with a small AR game, customers will enjoy it even more.
Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHuwaqwyDN0
Eased Experience
Augmented reality can make our lives more interesting and it helps us to complete our activities in a simpler way. Take for example Heinz, which offers also solutions for customers to use their product. Who would knew that a simple bottle of ketchup will tell us what to cook for dinner?
Image Source: https://blippar.com/en/solutions/blippar-for-brands/
Improved Expression And Personalization
With augmented reality you will have the chance to offer your customers the feeling that you know them personally and that you were waiting for them to present your app. Imagine how people feel when a product calls them by their name, just like in the app launched for the Share – a – Coke campaign of Coca Cola.
Image Source: http://www.8digital.co.za/
Engagement With Try Before Use Apps
How can you know if something fits your style if you don’t try it first? This is the reason why try before use apps were invented. Take for example Ink Hunter, the tattoo app that allows you to see if a certain design is suitable for you before doing something that you will probably regret for the rest of your life.
Image Source: http://www.noriskseo.com/augmented-reality-can-fit-small-business-marketing-plan/
Create Buzz Effect
After people engage with an ad enhanced with augmented reality it is almost impossible not to spread the word on their favorite social network, just like it happened with this Taco Bell ad which gathered 224 million views. It is really impressive if you think that everybody wanted to see their heads as a giant taco.
Image Source: https://contently.com/strategist/2016/06/01/best-branded-content-may-snapchat-mvp-advertising/
Enhanced Content Quality
If you want to discover more content on your phone, now you have the chance. When you go into a store wouldn’t be amazing to observe all the special offers right in the moment you enter the door? Now, it is possible to save money and time with the help of AR.
Image Source: https://www.marxentlabs.com/augmented-reality-examples-for-retail-in-2014/
Increase Retention Rates
When people interact with an ad in a playful manner there are minimal chances to close it and never coming back. With augmented reality, you can rest assure that both your app and the ads presented will remain in their mind for a long time, just like the ads offered by Starbucks for the winter holidays.
Image Source: http://mashable.com/2011/11/08/starbucks-ar-app/
Different Uses Of Augmented Reality Apps
One of the trends predicted for 2017 for mobile environment is augmented reality; let’s see some domains where AR makes the difference between ordinary solutions and great results.
Advertising
We already talked about the improvements added in advertising by augmented reality. There are plenty of successful campaigns which not only reached their target audience but this type of apps also changed users’ opinion about ads in general.
Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=597j6zL0DOs
Virtual Assembly
There are certain mechanisms which require extra skills and augmented reality provides the proper answers for manufacturing processes, such as building automobiles, planes or robots. But this is not available only at industrial levels because, with the help of mobile apps, people can avoid the struggle of understanding hard instruction manuals, just like with this Easy Assembly app.
Education And Training
It is very hard to improve your knowledge or to assimilate new concepts especially when they are presented in the old-fashioned way. This is the reason why many mobile apps provide impressive learning opportunities with augmented reality elements.
Image Source: https://www.quora.com/How-can-we-improve-learning-and-education-through-Augmented-Reality
Travel And Tourism
In case you often travel in foreign countries then you know how difficult is to understand other languages or behaviors without a little help from AR apps. In the same time you can take advantage of virtual tours for a better vision of what you buy before spending your money on expensive holidays.
Image Source: http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/top-10-augmented-reality-travel-apps-569570/
Gaming
Obviously, games are the core of augmented reality. It goes without saying that Pokémon Go is the most popular AR game of all times, but the main app stores are filled with this type of apps that combine real environments with virtual elements. An interesting selection of the best-augmented reality games listed by different categories is presented by ThinkMobiles. Be careful because when you let yourself caught by one of the extraordinary adventures provided by these creations, they will literally take over your world.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a virtual journey through augmented reality apps. Their effects are beneficial not only for creating a wonderful experience for all types of apps but they also offer impressive enhancements for mobile advertising. It is mandatory to mention that the wanted results will be visible only if you use the best tools available in the industry. For this reason, we will present in our next article some of the most popular platforms that can help you build mobile apps based on augmented reality technology. So, see you next time!