3 Reasons Why Augmented Reality is So Appealing to Businesses in 2016

Are you just about to go to the park to catch Pokémon or have a battle against other users at some gyms?

According to a notable figure from Slice Intelligence’s data, the paying population of Pokémon GO reached its climax on July 15th. Amazingly, the game had 56 percent more paying players than all other mobile games combined!

Needless to say, Nintendo has to give augmented reality credit for bringing them this remarkable success. For every business and brand today, no matter which industry, it is absolutely worth the time and effort to think about how to utilize AR and integrate it into your product and service.

But if you’re still sceptical towards AR thinking “Isn’t this just another short-lived craze?”, the following three arguments should eliminate your last doubts regarding why augmented reality is so very profitable on a long-term basis.

1. Lucrative Market

Digi-Capital forecasts that augmented reality market is going to hit $120 billion by 2020 while only $30 billion for virtual reality.

As for the Smart Glasses market, AugmentedReality.Org expects the shipments to reach 10 million by 2016, 50 -100 million shipments by 2018. At the beginning, Smart Glasses are mainly for company usage. As soon as enterprises kick out the technological obstacles, it will eventually capture the mainstream consumer space. And at the turn of the decade, it is estimated to cross 1 billion shipments.

The report also predicts that “as the Smart Glasses market matures and early winners emerge, by the end of 2016 the market will experience a “shakeup” with mergers, acquisitions, and significant investments”.

So if you want to become a leading player in this competitive augmented reality ecosystem, now is the very moment to take action! After all, you don’t want to fall behind with this big tech party, right?

2. Affordable Devices

The AR smart glasses may still need to cost you an arm and a leg today. That’s why its target market is still a niche such as competitive sports and entertainment. Take a look at the ‘Google Glass for Cyclists’ developed by Solos!

However, the impact of augmented reality is already happening in our daily life. As long as you have a smartphone or tablet, you can eventually enjoy the AR experience via multiple applications. For example:

Use Field Trip to receive a pop-up card with information about your preselected location categories when you’re nearby.

Enjoy a starry night with an augmented view and details of other planets provided by Star Walk.

Place your smartphone in front of the text. And get a real-time translation from a variety of languages using Google Translate.

3. Various Uses

Augmented reality takes over more industrial uses than just providing a more immersive adventure in entertainment such as 3D movies and gaming. It has already been put to use and transformed the way we learn, work, shop and receive brand message.

Although before the mass adoption of AR, there are some barriers still need to overcome. For example, the mobile internet connectivity and privacy issues. Nonetheless, the enormous potential for augmented reality is undeniable. And as a business or brand today, we all need to be prepared for augmented reality everywhere!

How Will Augmented Reality Change Our World?

Imagine a world like this: a holographic notification appears in front of you to remind you to get off the bus. And interactive promotional signs keep popping up when you walk through the aisle in a supermarket.

Watch this six-minute film called “Hyper-Reality” created by Keiichi Matsuda to get an idea of how augmented reality could possibly change our world:

Would you find it exciting living in a world like this? Or would you feel completely overwhelmed by the overlapping pieces of information coming towards you endlessly?

Whether you like it or not, augmented reality has already taken a huge leap during the past few years. And it combines digital information with the real world generating lots of really cool uses:

Education…Take learning to a whole new dimension!

With cutting-edge augmented reality applications, you can create a more engaging learning environment with physical demonstration. They can stimulate students to have a more innovative thinking. Students can try different approaches and actually learn from the mistakes when practicing.

Companies can also benefit from utilizing AR on employee training. It is far more effective compared to an oral or paper-based instruction. For example, this “SPP Pumps Augmented Reality Brochure” eliminates any confusion between the manual and the real equipment.

Shopping…Try on everything you like with just a click!

When shopping online, your biggest concern might be never knowing for sure whether an item really suits you. Now with augmented reality and a webcam, you can try on glasses, jewellery, clothes, or shoes in a virtual fitting room! The system can produce a 3D view on your device screen by matching the items with relevant body points. For shop owners, it could certainly mean higher conversion rates and lower returns.

Watch how Zugara’s Virtual Dressing Room works and try it now!

Marketing…You won’t believe what you see!

Create a fun and surprising product experience for your targeted customers to boost brand visibility! It can be a 3D scenario where customers can explore the product’s feature with a well-known movie character, or play interactive games associated with your brand message.

Integrate augmented reality with your brand, website or brick-and-mortar store. Once your customer is amazed by this journey, they will be more than excited to share it with friends on social networks. And here comes your traffic!

Industrial Maintenance…Transform the way we work!

Combining augmented reality and wearable devices, technicians or site managers can virtually view the whole working environment, track machine’s real-time data, and do on-site monitoring remotely. With the precise support and instruction from experts, machine operators can increase productivity and reduce errors.