AR: What’s next and how can marketers adopt the technology?

AR moved to main. It is already known for some age groups. It is still an encouraging and fast-growing place for the marketing industry, growing rapidly. Over the next six to eight years, the global AR market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 40% + combined. A few years ago, it was allowing brands to create an experience we could not have imagined over the phone for millions of people (or billions – 3.5 billion users worldwide). Even less so, many people have the confidence to take it, play it, share it and create with it. We now deliver hundreds every few months.

Tommy predicts where the evolution of AR will take the advertising industry / Lucria Carnelos via Unsplash

At Tommy, we spend a lot of time designing, working, and drawing AR experiences. This is partly due to the fact that he is an official partner for TikTok and works with several family name entertainment brands. AR can be a great tool for famous characters and their fans, and we will get there, but it is becoming more and more important for the retail sector – 71% of consumers say they will be shopping with retailers soon. Presented AR.

Why is AR so attractive to buyers? For relevant brands, product testing is easy and fast, which is mind-blowing these days. Want to try a new hair color? Click, Done. you like it? Click, it’s in your basket. Want to see that new sofa, in the chosen fabric, in your lounge? Click, Done. It can save two or three trips to the showroom. What has changed is that it is easier to deliver on devices without the need for apps, it is easier to use and more convincing, which has opened up the market. Not to mention the huge number of fashion brands that have tried, tested, or used AR in their shopping spree. Trying, personalizing, seeing things in your context – all of these risk a purchase and give customers confidence to buy.

What else pushes the AR to normal places and sometimes unexpected hands? Social media, of course. The interesting thing about AR in these places is that it is part of turning the traditional influence model on itself. On social media, AR is helping everyday people (not brands or celebrities) tell more exciting, rich stories with unlimited creative opportunities – without a budget or a studio – from their own unique laboratory. Once technology barriers and costs have kept this domain for a few, it is now in the hands of many people. With so many powerful tools and ideas, it takes fiction and sharing to a whole new level.

The younger generations are often stimulant, but all generations are exposed to AR by their peers, friends, and family. It could be through photos and videos using lenses, playing a game at a family event, or a convenient test site on a customer trip. ‘Do you use AR?’ If you ask them, they may say no, but they are part of a people who are beginning to see the integration of digital and physical images as ‘normal’. Of course, Josephine Blogs is not just about making rabbit ears for my grandfather – it is also about creators and brands who are deliberately building an audience that inspires hope and interest for ARM.

What about them? For one thing, the entertainment industry loves ARN, and despite our slightly biased view, it is doing some amazing work to bring their IPs to people in previously unimaginable moments. Combining a fan experience with a favorite character – often seen as a favorite enemy or hero – can go a long way in encouraging people to experiment, create and share. The noise emanating from each major is fed and once again the AR will be much more fresh and more to be expected. They have become irrelevant.

AR is no longer new – and its hopes and aspirations are growing. What does this mean for marketers? Now is the time to start thinking seriously about AR and to determine if it works for your product and your target market. This is not to advocate for the use of this technology in the wrong place, but to encourage you to explore and at least understand how your customers interact with people, products and places. It’s fun, and the potential for inspiring and connecting people in pure entertainment should not be overlooked. But, more than that – the brand and the way we get a product is to stay here.