Most people have heard about Virtual Reality or VR, but not so much about the related technology known as Augmented Reality of AR. That being stated, the latter technology promises to be way more impactful in the sense that it can transform the way that businesses across industries have traditionally operated.
Augmented Reality is quite different from Virtual Reality, in that the latter seeks to simulate reality on the computer, while AR deals with actual reality, using computers to add layers of useful information onto it. A good example of this would be how the messaging app Snapchat enables users to add features like caps and moustaches to peoples’ faces to make them interesting
Described in a nutshell Augmented Reality or AR involves the merging of digital information with the user’s environment in real-time.
Leveraging Augmented reality provides a host of benefits to businesses and organizations. Let us look at some of these-
1. Helps create outstanding and unique customer experiences
Augmented Reality by its ability to provide outstanding immersive experiences helps businesses engage with customers in unique and innovative ways that beat interacting with them in person. By merging the best of the digital and the real worlds it lets potential customers interact with products in a manner that propels them to buy.
2. Easy Deployment
AR is quite easily deployable. Anyone with a smartphone can point it at an object and obtain all manner of information about it via an app. Suppose you are thinking about ordering a particular burger and want to know the kind of nutrients it provides, all that you need to do is use an image to get the necessary information.
3. Extremely Interactive
AR is extremely interactive operating as it does alongside the real world, allowing one to get a better perspective about the products or services one is considering buying. For instance, it has led to doctors being able to better diagnose diseases.
4. Economical
This is a technology that can prove to be very economical in certain situations. It can, for instance, help carry out pilot runs for the use of a new product before its launch to provide critical insights about how those would fare in real-life scenarios.
Uses of AR
AR can be effectively deployed across industries to help prospect/customer engagement and sales. Let us look at a few examples here-
1. Healthcare
AR is of great use in the healthcare industry, being able to facilitate MRI equipment operations or help with intricate surgeries. That invariably leads to better health outcomes.
2. On-site maintenance and repairs
AR is tremendously useful in helping with on-site maintenance and repair of equipment like MRI machines, cars, utility infrastructure and so on. By wearing AR headsets and glasses, they can obtain highly useful information about the fixes available to them for potential problems. This helps enhance work efficiency and lower costs.
3. Retail
In the digital world that we live in, one increasingly sees shoppers using their smartphones to compare prices or obtain other details about the products that they are interested to buy. This can be leveraged by brands by developing AR apps that potential buyers can use inside stores to interact with the products in question. A sofa buyer may be able to visualize it in multiple colors with the use of a smartphone app.
4. Logistics
AR helps enhance efficiency and lower costs in the case of business logistics. It can be deployed usefully across sectors like transportation, warehousing and so on. Workers in warehouses, for instance, can wear AR glasses to determine the fastest way to locate the product needing to be shipped.
5. Tourism
AR technology possesses the potential to change the paradigm of the tourism industry. Potential tourists can be provided with very enticing immersive experiences of places they might consider visiting. Imagine wearing AR glasses and getting to see what a Kenyan safari might look like, before actually landing there.
Leave A Comment