AR is a hot topic this year in mobile apps, but is it worth the investment? Stats says 40% of consumers will pay more for AR.
Mobile applications were a $101 billion industry in 2018, with users spending upwards of 3 hours per day using their devices according to a new report from analytics firm App Annie. Augmented reality is a key tool that is helping make mobile apps a larger part of our daily life than ever before. E-commerce companies are now able to place a full-scale product virtually in your living room with augmented reality. Even if you’re not selling or thrilling, there are many reasons to include augmented reality in your next mobile app build.
What’s the Difference Between Augmented and Virtual Reality?
In virtual reality (VR), a user is brought into a holistic world that is completely virtual. Virtual reality often includes the use of a headset such as Oculus Go, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR and many more. These headsets are used to block out external stimuli and replace the user’s reality with one created by the mobile app developer. While VR can be used for mobile applications, it’s more applicable to gaming than commerce.
Augmented reality (AR) generally uses the camera of your mobile device to make something appear to be a part of your reality. Recently, eCommerce stores are getting extremely creative with providing full-size replicas of their furniture or home decor items that can then be virtually “placed” into your home to judge spacing. Remember the Pokemon Go craze? That app leverages AR to pop Pokemon into unexpected locations around your home or out in the world — and allowing you to interact with the characters in real time.
While AR and VR have both been around for many years, it’s only been in the past 5 years or so that app developers are taking full advantage of the possibilities with their programming. Fortunately, creating an augmented reality experience isn’t out of sight for many businesses. There are two leading AR platforms that allow you to build the immersive experiences. ARCore is the software development kit (SDK) for Android, while iOS developers have access to ARKit. Each of these options can be leveraged to create a vast ecosystem of augmented reality to surprise and delight your shoppers.
5 Reasons to Use AR in Your Mobile App
1. 40% of Shoppers Willing to Pay for AR
Mobile app developers are always on the lookout for ways to more deeply engage their users. A recent study noted that a shocking 40% of surveyed shoppers stated they were willing to pay for an augmented reality experience, and 61% of shoppers preferred having AR available when they were shopping. One of the best ways to keep people looking at their phones is to incorporate their devices into the world around you. This augmentation to their reality encourages longer and deeper interactions which feel increasingly real to the users.
2. Object Recognition Makes Apps More Friendly
Manufacturers are always looking for ways to make their products more user-friendly, and app developers now have a new tool in their arsenal: augmented reality. Apps such as Ask Mercedes leverages an AR interface and suggestions from an AI engine to create an interactive experience for users, showing them how to interact with their vehicle. This essentially turns your smartphone into a knowledgeable interface that recognizes the various parts of your vehicle and overlays helpful information depending on where your phone’s camera is pointing.
3. Indoor Navigation
There are plenty of apps that work extremely well for outdoor navigation, but what about large shopping malls, airports or hotels? Augmented reality is a key vehicle for organizations seeking to aid in the flow of traffic throughout their locations. Your mobile phone is able to deliver your approximate location based on scanning specific marks that are then leveraged to create a virtual map of the location and guide users to their requested destination.
4. Shop Anywhere, Anytime
Want to enjoy the idea of walking through a store and browsing, but don’t want to leave your home? Using AR signage and hardware, shoppers are able to remotely browse through the store while having access to additional information about the products and services being offered at their fingertips. This is particularly relevant for organizations without a local store presence such as IKEA, whose mobile app provides shoppers with a way to interact with the various items before making a purchase.
5. Games People Play
One of the most powerful applications of augmented reality that is still in its infancy is object recognition. Today’s mobile phones provide enough computing power that objects can be recognized in real time, with information overlaid about the item. These mesmerizing games allow users to fight aliens on their own world, find treasures that are hidden in remote locations and leave messages for friends in the real world.
While the eCommerce stats are impressive enough to encourage you to include AR or VR in your next app, consider the enhanced user experience that you will be delivering. Not only will your users appreciate the creativity that went into the app creation, they will also be virally spreading the word about your app when they share their excitement with their friends.
