With the approach of Black Friday (and Cyber Monday), our thoughts likely turn to shopping. Whether we do it in a store or online, we’re generally familiar with how shopping works…but technology is working to change our shopping experiences in some very fundamental ways.
One of the most immediately visible ways is how some companies are now integrating augmented reality (AR). If you thought AR was purely for Pokemon Go (or the forthcoming Harry Potter AR game), guess again. As long as augmented reality can help to level up profits, companies are going to use it to level up our buying experiences.
- Amazon adds an AR shopping feature to its iOS app [TechCrunch] “Amazon today is introducing a new feature called AR View that lets customers visualize online products in their own living space, using their smartphone camera. Launched today in the Amazon app for iOS devices, AR View offers the ability to view thousands of products for the home or office – including furniture, electronics, toys, games, home décor and more – in augmented reality.”
- Target uses augmented reality to help you shop for furniture [Endgadget] ” Target calls the feature “See It In Your Space,” because, like Ikea’s Place app for iOS, you can literally use it to see what a piece of furniture would look like in your home.”
- Williams-Sonoma places $112 million bet on AR shopping [CNN] “Williams-Sonoma, which also owns West Elm, Pottery Barn and its namesake kitchen brand, announced on Thursday it is acquiring augmented reality and 3D imaging startup Outward for $112 million. The acquisition is part of a larger retail trend to help shoppers visualize what products would look like in the home.”
- Augmented Reality (AR) apps is about to become more integrated in our lives [Medium] “Apple’s goal is to create the largest AR platform in the world and put it on equal footing with the smartphone.”
From the Ohio Web Library:
- Why Every Organization Needs an Augmented Reality Strategy (Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2017). . Harvard Business Review, 95(6), 46-57.)
- Seeing the Realities of Augmented Reality (Del ROowe, S. (2017). S CRM Magazine, 21(11), 22-26.)
- Augmented Reality Goes to Work (Dickson, B. (2017). PC Magazine, 90-102.)
