NRF 2016 trends (4/4): The rise of Augmented Reality : “Seeing is believing”

There are many reasons to think Augmented Reality  – AR – is going to be big. This technology allows to overlay 2D or 3D virtual elements with the real world, offering the user an immersion in a mixed environment in real time.

Not only is AR getting more reliable and less expensive, but it is also a great way to provide an amazing “Wow Factor” for retailers. Many of them know that they have to use cutting edge technologies to provide the kind of smart, digital experience for their highly digitally-savvy clients.

More and more retailers are investing in Augmented Reality to improve the customer experience, the industry being expected to worth more than 100$ billion by 2020. Augmented Reality can be used mainly as a “try before you buy” or to create augmented showrooms that allow stores with small physical footprints to “display” their catalog in-store.

With their respective AR mirrors for testing makeup in-store, and augmented reality catalogs to give a virtual preview of furniture in a room, Sephora and IKEA were both pioneers in this sector.

The other trends :

Mobile First if not Mobile Only (1/4)

Data & Retail Analytics: Data is king (2/4)

Clienteling and enhancement of the POS (Point of Sale) (3/4)

 

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Our insights from the NRF 2016

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