Holiday catalogs have traditionally provided retailers with the opportunity to optimize their sales during their busiest season. As more and more consumers started shopping from their mobile devices, the evolution of augmented reality delivered with interactive print in retail catalogs has developed to give consumers fun, interactive, experiences. AR in catalogs has proven to create more engaging experiences with customers, and, as a result, convert customers 2.5 times more than print advertising without AR features.
The Pandemic Propelled Change
The COVID-19 pandemic positioned online shopping as the only way to shop for most retail items, but unfortunately returns on e-commerce products skyrocketed due to shoppers feeling like the products they purchased weren’t well-represented online. To reduce returns and improve customer experience, retailers turned to interactive print to implement AR elements that offered more engaging content that leaps off the page. As a result, customers can deploy smartphone technology to try on eyewear, watches, hats, and other accessories. Additionally, businesses can share short-form videos to educate and entertain customers so they have a fuller understanding of the product before making a purchase.
Augmented Reality is Changing the Rules for Catalog Content
Walmart has been integrating augmented reality into their printed holiday catalogs for years by allowing shoppers to scan their holiday toy catalog pages to learn more about a toy and then make purchase through their phones. Warber Parker, the innovative eyewear retailer, optimizes product photos on catalog pages by letting customers ‘try on’ glasses by layering models over their own images on their smart device screen. Target employed an AR feature that gave shoppers a look at how different images of artificial Christmas trees would look in their homes with their catalog pages enhanced with interactive print, powered by augmented reality.
These early innovators reflect the different and unique ways retailers are connecting with customers through augmented reality printing. And while it may seem that only the big retailers can benefit from it, nothing could be further from the truth. UnifiedAR provides retailers of all sizes with the ability to create immersive interactive print experiences and offers affordable AR solutions for any situation easily managed from a self-service platform.
4 Ways to Improve Catalogs with Interactive Print
- Integrate Print Catalogs into Omnichannel Marketing
Catalogs no longer need to exist in their own silo of 2D print. Retailers can launch unique immersive shopping experiences for their customers from the catalog page with augmented reality printing strategies that connect seamlessly with other marketing channels. According to the USPS, 60% of people who receive a catalog in the mail go to the company’s website after receiving it and WebAR embedded in the print can make it easy for shoppers to move between the printed page and a retailer’s site via a more engaging and interactive experience. AR also provides new opportunities for measuring customer interest and monitoring the buyer journey with comprehensive real-time consumer behavior data.
- Use AR to Keep Content Fresh
One of the advantages of augmented reality and interactive printing is the ability for retailers to easily swap out old AR content for new quickly and whenever desired. The content that the customer sees is always fresh and retailers are saved both print costs and time getting a new catalog out to market. Epsilon reports that 73% of American consumers claim that they prefer direct mail from brands because they can peruse it whenever they wish. Augmented reality print lets retailers keep their customers up-to-date with special offers, and other information that enhance the shopper’s experience no matter when it’s used.
- Use Innovative AR Technology to Repurpose Content
Retailers don’t need to spend huge sums creating new content right away, and can easily use green screen or chroma key technology to make existing content look brand new when deployed via interactive print. This also provides existing content to gain greater reach over additional channels at little to no extra cost associated with content production. Gartner estimated that over 100 million consumers used AR to shop in 2020. Retailers who are slow to capitalize on the impact that augmented reality print used in holiday catalogs can make in sales revenue will be losing out to the competition this season.
- Personalize Through Augmented Reality Print
Augmented reality enabled print adds a new dimension to the old idea of a one-size-fits-all catalog. Retailers can use data gathered throughout the buyer’s interaction with the catalog and other digital channels to enhance the personalization of the AR content delivered throughout the buyer journey. According to Adobe, 89% of marketers see a positive ROI when they use personalization in an omnichannel campaign. Surprisingly, this is especially true with younger shoppers who retailers might not think are influenced by catalogs they receive in the mail. According to a recent Gallup poll, 95% of Generation Y love receiving content in the mail. Smart retailers are discovering innovative ways to create deeper connections with their customers who use catalogs and to establish stronger and lasting relationships.
Unified AR Brings Catalogs to Life
Augmented Reality technology layered on top of products in catalogs enhances a buyer’s shopping experience by providing fun, engaging, more informative, and better representations of the products they want to buy. Contact Unified AR to learn more about our self-service AR solutions. Leave the technology to us! It’s that simple. Create AR experiences that will help your brand standout this holiday season!
UnifiedAR is a world leading provider of white label Interactive Print & Direct Mail solutions for Advertising Agencies, Printers, and Direct Mailer businesses.
Our solutions have been designed specifically to provide businesses with the ability to easily evolve their marketing solutions to meet a growing market demand while reinforcing their position as a leader in the market.
Don’t miss out on the opportunities to attract business by capitalizing on the increasing popularity of AR and Interactive Print. UnifiedAR can help your business easily stand out from the competition and become a leading innovator in Interactive Print and Direct Mail solutions.