Have you ever been furniture shopping and wanted to see if the couch you were buying would look good in your house? Or forgotten to measure the size of the space that you want to furnish? IKEA has included a way to solve this customer hassle with a new marketing strategy using a new product called IKEA Place, an augmented reality (AR) room planner that allows consumers to visualize what products will look like in their homes. AR technology like IKEA Place allows brands like IKEA to create more revenue and maintain consumer purchases.
Augmented Reality (AR) technology is “the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real-time. This digital technology allows its users to visualize many different things virtually that aren’t there in our real reality. Customers who use AR spend 20.7% more time on the app and view products more. Their likelihood of making a purchase is nearly 20% higher showing that AR can help marketers increase revenue.
IKEA uses AR to help consumers pick the right product
IKEA Place is constantly used by consumers to make more well-informed decisions on their products like furniture and décor. It continues to be “one of the most popular apps of its kind, with nearly 8.5 million downloads,” Using AR technology allows for more users to not only be introduced to AR technology but also allows for more companies and brands to introduce this technology into their marketing efforts.
SnapChat Spectacles allow brands to develop AR experiences
AR technology isn’t only used in brands like IKEA. Snapchat allows its users to use AR technology in a multitude of ways. While things like their filters and lenses have been around for years, we all remember the flower crown filter that took the world by storm, Snapchat recently introduced a new product, their fifth generation “Spectacles.” These glasses allow their user to “display visual information and applications directly on their see-through lenses, making objects appear as if they are in the real world.”
This is very similar to an app like IKEA Place because it allows you to see what images or products would look like in the real world. AR technology is continuing to enhance the marketing world around us and allowing consumers of many different products to see how brands and products can enhance their everyday lives before purchasing so they will have a higher and more solidified opinion on these products before buying them. “When customers are unfamiliar with a product category, they rely more on AR to reduce the risk of making a potentially disappointing purchase.”
Brands should continue integrating AR technology into their marketing efforts because it allows their customers to make more mindful and educated choices while also allowing the brand to get more exposure to more items that they are selling. IKEA Place and the Spectacles allow for the use of AR technology to be positive for their users while also not wasting consumer or company time on disappointing purchases.
Teaching Social Media 