Creating New Retail Experiences With Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are poised to strengthen the retail sector in the coming weeks or months. These are one of the most sought-after technologies that can benefit the retail industry through improved customer experiences. Several retail companies are already using AR VR app development services to enhance their marketing strategies and build customer relations. Besides, these technologies are set to revamp the shopping experiences of millions of customers worldwide. Goldman Sachs predicts that the global market for AR/VR in retail is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2025. 

This blog post highlights the key elements of AR and VR that can benefit a large number of retailers, merchants, and online/offline shoppers. 

Increased Customer Engagement

The AR VR techniques are primarily being used to enhance customer engagement by delivering immersive user experiences. Augmented reality, when used in retail stores, can provide customers in-store navigation to easily find the products they are looking for. Additionally, customers can use AR-powered apps to locate a store that sells a particular commodity while roaming in their neighborhood. 

An increasing number of retail brands have launched AR apps to increase their customer engagement and build loyalty. These apps provide instant updates to customers about exclusive deals offered by a retail store in their locality. A large number of retail brands also use AR applications to run promotional campaigns and customer loyalty programs. 

Virtual reality takes customer experiences to a whole different level. The VR-powered virtual tours are gaining traction these days they provide immersive in-store experiences to customers even from a distant location. 

Personalized Shopping Experiences

A majority of retailers have experienced a significant increase in product sales after implementing AR VR techniques in their marketing strategies. A large number of e-commerce brands and retail companies use personalized marketing strategies to engage their target audience. They formulate their strategies in accordance with the increasing requirements of their customers for effective targeting. 

Augmented reality app development services can significantly improve their marketing efforts by delivering personalized customer experiences that maximize engagement and interactivity. With three-dimensional VR simulations, retailers can provide immersive in-store experiences to their customers from the comfort of their homes. VR marketing enables retail brands to promote their stores or a range of products and pull in more customers. 

Augmented reality has also become an effective marketing medium that provides customized shopping experiences. AR apps enable customers to easily locate a store, find products, and compare them on several quality parameters.   

Better Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is the ultimate key to build healthy customer relations. A large number of online/offline businesses (especially in retail) are thriving on their customer experiences. A majority of customers make their purchasing decisions based on product reviews posted by other shoppers. In short, customers are more likely to return to a retail store if they had a pleasant shopping experience during their previous visit. The personalized shopping experiences rendered by AR and VR technologies are effective at improving customer loyalty and building healthy customer relations.  

Several retailers use AR-powered apps to run customer loyalty programs where they offer unique rewards based on the customers’ previous purchases. Such reward mechanisms are effective at retaining their customers and building long-term customer relations.

Employee Training Programs

Training the staff is a tedious and time-consuming process. Companies spend a huge amount of money every year in employee training programs. Additionally, in the absence of real-life simulations, these training programs might not give the desired results, causing major financial losses. 

In retail, using AR/VR techniques in staff training programs can provide greater benefits by significantly reducing training costs and minimizing human effort. Virtual reality enables retailers to train their staff in a virtually created real-life environment using 3D simulations. These types of training programs are more effective as they prepare the staff to efficiently handle a real-life situation. 

The Future of AR and VR in Retail

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have made headway in the retail sector. These technologies continue to make significant progress with new developments in their underlying algorithms. A large number of retailers in various countries have successfully launched AR-powered apps to boost customer engagement. A majority of them are also using VR techniques as part of their marketing campaigns. The positive response from customers has enabled these retailers to significantly boost their sales and revenue. 

Boost Your Retail Business With AR VR App Development Services

We, at Oodles, provide full-scale AR and VR application development services to boost customer engagement through immersive user experiences. We are experienced in building feature-rich mobile applications with AR capabilities for maximum interactivity. Our AR VR app development services enable businesses to build healthy customer relations through effective marketing strategies.