Augmented reality to change the face of retail

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The launch of Apple’s ARKit, and the announcement of Google’s ARCore, has put retailers under more pressure than ever to implement some kind of tool that would allow consumers to preview products in their own homes before buying them.

 

Despite this rise of technology in the retail sphere the question remains, are retailers actually making the most of new technology available to them?

A new report published by Digital Bridge, a computer vision and machine learning company, reveals that most retailers are not providing the kind of immersive or interactive experience modern customers now expect. In fact, the majority of shoppers think retailers are failing to take full advantage of all the technology available to them, and surprisingly it’s older shoppers who would like to see retailers making better use of these platforms.

‘Augmented reality has been developing almost in the shadows of virtual reality in recent years, but Apple’s release of ARKit and Google’s ARCore have completely changed the dynamic of the conversation,’ said David Levine, CEO at Digital Bridge. ‘Consumers are now seeing the benefits of being able to place objects over a picture of the environment in front
of them and are increasingly expecting retailers to offer them the ability to do this.’ The next 12-18 months will see AR become more mainstream, he added.