AR & Interactive Print for Product Marketing
For product manufacturers, the buyer experience ranks high in their sales and product marketing strategies. It has always been of the utmost importance that consumers understand what your products are about, understand how to operate and apply them, and how they fit in and improve your consumers’ lifestyles. Traditionally, TV ads, print ads, in-store demos, and knowledgeable sales staff have helped shoppers on their journeys to purchase products.
As e-commerce platforms have outpaced brick-and-mortar outlets, product manufacturers have added hi-res imagery, videos, more detailed content, and reviews to their e-commerce websites to engage consumers. Then Augmented Reality (AR) was introduced to provide more immersive and engaging shopping experiences. Once thought of as a novelty, more product manufacturers, such as IKEA and Sephora are finding that AR overlays are adding up to increased engagement and streamlined customer journeys.
AR is changing the way people shop
According to XR Today, 57% of AR users say they’re more likely to buy from a brand offering AR. Customers are more likely to purchase products from a company that offers an immersive AR experience.
As Augmented Reality experiences are changing the way consumers shop, with 3D animations, 3D modeling, videos, online catalogs, and other techniques that emulate in-store experiences, marketing, and ad agencies will benefit significantly from incorporating AR functionality into their omnichannel product marketing strategies.
For product manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, AR for products provides customers the ability to seamlessly view products as they would appear in their own spaces, to try out and try on products, and to better understand how products could work for their purposes, from the comfort of their own homes or offices. A recent Snap report found that around 64% of consumers believe the ability to use AR in their shopping experience increases their sense of loyalty toward a brand.
According to a Harvard Business Review article, Customers who used AR spent 20.7% more time on the app and viewed 1.28 times more products on average. Their likelihood of purchasing the session was also 19.8% higher than customers who did not use AR, providing some evidence that AR can help businesses increase revenues.
Product Marketing and Interactive Print
One of the many ways to improve product marketing is through Interactive Print and product brochures. Interactive Print and product brochures bring the power of highly engaging and interactive digital AR content to a channel that is not only highly trusted but embraced through its tactile form: print and direct mail. Print overlaid with Augmented Reality product content can transform static traditional media into engaging and highly interactive experiences, where consumers can access informative product videos, 3D, and animations from postcards, brochures, magazines, and product packaging.
Furthermore, Interactive Print campaigns powered by Augmented Reality seamlessly direct customers from the AR experience to website landing pages, online stores, contact forms, and other online environments for further information or the ability to purchase. Interactive print powered by AR is also the perfect enabler for comprehensive omnichannel marketing journeys and as an initiator of both digital and direct retargeting programs. Among the many possible ways product manufacturers and sellers can promote products using AR-enabled print include:
Product Representation
Augmented Reality in catalogs and brochures allows product manufacturers to offer customers the ability to interact with and try out 3D product models and animations from the comfort of their own homes, essentially bypassing the need to visit a brick-and-mortar premise to make an informed purchase.
Retail companies are finding many ways to engage their customers in shopping experiences, with AR:
- IKEA Place uses Apple phone technology to allow visitors to view over 2000 products in users’ spaces.
- Cosmetic brand Sephora started a trend that allows customers to try lipstick colors and other products, with smartphone filters.
- Warby Parker Eyeglasses launched the practice of trying on different eyeglass frames, via smartphone technology.
Product information
Industrial product information can be complicated to communicate to customers without in-person demos. B2B machinery manufacturers can inform their buyers about how their products work with step-by-step how-to AR-enhanced videos, accessible on direct mail pieces and brochures. Some manufacturers want to provide ways to give their customers more information about their products, use, servicing, etc. Automotive companies, tasked with conveying information about their products can use AR to showcase the inner workings of their vehicles.
- BMW iVisualizer used AR technology, via smartphones to view real-size BMW models in customers’ driveways or favorite parking spots at work, customize exterior colors and rim types, and customize the interior of vehicles to customers’ tastes.
- Toyota, in conjunction with Brandwidth, enabled customers to ‘see inside’ their C-HR model with a new hybrid AR experience, using AR technology with object recognition software to overlay graphics of the C-HR drivetrain onto physical vehicles, to assist customers in gaining a better understanding of how their hybrid system works.
Supercharge your product marketing
Engage your customers through the power of AR to enhance your print marketing—from magazines and catalogs to postcards and direct mail campaigns. AR technology platforms, such as UnifiedAR, enable enhanced AR marketing campaigns that engage your customers and increase ROI. Breathe new life into printed product postcards, brochures, and other printed ads with interactive AR video content.
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 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.
Contact Us if you’d like to learn more about AR & Interactive Print for product marketing and how your business can benefit from Interactive Print marketing, powered by Augmented Reality.