[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/#Article","articleBody":"Augmented reality has come a long way from being a wildly futuristic technology most commonly associated with gaming \u2013 remember the Pokeman Go craze? Today, AR is transforming customer experience, and is making its way into more of our day-to-day lives, shaking up traditional ways of doing business across multiple industries.\nSimilar to virtual reality, AR transports us beyond a 2D view of the world into a 360-degree, 3D experience. While VR immerses users into a virtual environment, AR overlays virtual objects to the real world.\nGartner identified immersive experience as one of the top 10 technology trends for 2018. Global Market Insights estimates that the AR market will jump past $50 billion by 2024, driven by adoption in retail, automotive, medical, and other industries looking to boost operational efficiency.\nFive key ways AR is transforming customer experience\nRetail shopping:\u00a0Pundits like to predict the demise of brick-and-mortar retail, but AR is poised to rejuvenate the industry. The technology can help retailers not only enhance the in-store experience with detailed product information, but also bring the in-store experience into the homes of consumers. Major retailers like home furnishing giant IKEA, fast-fashion chain H&M, and cosmetics purveyor Sephora have developed interactive ways for their customers to shop and test their products. For example, IKEA\u2019s Place app allows customers to see how a sofa or chair will look in their homes. H&M Group last fall began testing high-definition human holograms that customers access via a smartphone or tablet to see garments in detail.\nTourism and travel:\u00a0When you\u2019re traveling in an unfamiliar place, wouldn\u2019t it be nice to have guidance at your fingertips? AR enables travelers to point their phone at a sight and get information. Yelp, for instance, has an AR feature called Monocle that provides data on local places. Hotels can use AR to provide guests with wall maps that offer information about the local area, or enhance their advertising with immersive videos. Global Market Insights expects growing adoption of AR in the travel industry to drive AR market growth.\nCustomer service:\u00a0Imagine pointing your phone at your malfunctioning WiFi setup and receiving guidance through a troubleshooting process, or learning detailed information regarding the make and model number to provide customer-service agents, thereby speeding the resolution time.\nHealthcare: While healthcare workers can use AR applications to learn about anatomy via 3D representations of bodies, patients also can benefit from AR. For example, doctors can use it to help patients understand surgical procedures. AR can also help ease the pain of procedures. AccuVein, for example, provides a map of veins on the skin\u2019s surface to make it easier for a healthcare worker to access them while avoiding discomfort for the patient.\nPublishing: Augmented reality can make reading an immersive experience, bringing books and magazines to life. By pointing your phone at a printed page, a character could appear as a 3D image, a landscape could manifest, or you could instantly glean more information about a topic.\nLearn what effects the current health crisis might have on business strategy, digital transformation, and the future of e-commerce HERE.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Marcia_Yusavage-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Marcia Savage","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/marciasavage?lang=en","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marcia-savage-9489411\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/marcia-yusavage\/"},"dateModified":"2020-11-06T22:20:37+00:00","datePublished":"2018-08-28T11:10:18+00:00","description":"Set to surpass $50 billion by 2024, industries are clamoring to adopt augmented reality as they recognize how AR is transforming customer experience.","headline":"The top 5 ways AR is transforming customer experience","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/thumbnail-7aa8c678c8886cf1b54fbd85408c14ed-1200x630.jpeg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/","name":"The top 5 ways AR is transforming customer experience","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/#Article"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"28","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/08\/\/28\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The top 5 ways AR is transforming customer experience","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/08\/28\/top-5-ways-ar-is-transforming-customer-experience\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]