Most futuristic and sci-fi themed movies are using the concept of augmented reality to portray a world where reality merges with computerized information. You might think regular use of this technology will take place in the distant future but we’re not too far from augmented reality being applied in our everyday lives. If you were to give your customers the option to look at your products and services with the aid of augmented reality, you won’t believe how easy it would be to guide business dollars directly to you. As it becomes more common, using this surreal technology in internet marketing will impact mobile marketing and e-commerce shopping. Executing a plan to integrate augmented reality as an internet marketing strategy will give businesses an edge to increase sales, conversions, and traffic.
Augmented reality is the combination of looking at objects in the real world and then integrating it with computer generated images. Humans have natural object recognition, but with augmented reality we could see beyond the surface and fill in the blanks of missing information.
What is propelling the use of augmented reality is the increase in internet access. We are no longer limited to accessing the internet from a PC or a laptop. The next largest gateway to the internet is through the use of mobile phones, PDA’s and other mobile web products like the Nintendo DS or PSP’s. These products provide a medium that allows users to connect to the internet and since they are equipped with cameras, you can pan through the real world and experience the world through augmented reality. Navigation systems in cars and applications on phones are the first steps, but there is nothing more valuable than having handheld technology that can guide customers to your store and provide them with desirable and useful information.
In marketing, the main objective is communicating the right message to the consumer. Giving your customers a surreal shopping experience with augmented reality will give them a better understanding for your product. Even with a great marketing campaign message, it still might prove difficult to direct consumers to a place of business and to a virtual shopping cart. The essential idea is to look for new ways that will generate curiosity in trying your products or services and influencing product interaction. In other words, Augmented Reality makes virtual reality, less virtual.
via Optimum7
