Augmented Reality (AR) has excelled in the demonstration stage and has become a vital part of today’s product and retail strategies. Along with Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality is one of the fastest growing technology trends that are on everyone’s mind in today’s time. It is a superior version of reality created by using the technology to overlie digital information on an image of something being viewed with the help of a device. In simple words, AR creates an illusion such that virtual objects that are produced using AR are in the same place as real, physical objects by overlapping them.

AR technology has a lot to offer. Due to its interesting features, AR is considered to be more appealing to the market. This technology can be applied to an assortment of industries including Fashion and Retail, Real Estate, Interior Design, Tourism and Navigation, Training and Education, Healthcare, and many more. As per statistics, by 2020 Augmented Reality is anticipated to attain 1 billion users. All-inclusive shipment of smart AR glasses is expected to reach approximately 5.4 million units by the year 2020. Moreover, the augmented reality market is expected to have a growth of about 90 billion US dollars by the year 2020. Among the various industries which are getting benefited from AR, the gaming industry is one of the most benefited ones. For instance, PokemonGo. As per statistics, it is expected that the VR and AR games will have a growth of 216 million users which worth 11.6 billion US dollars by 2025.

Most businesses share a common goal of getting as many clients and customers as possible to buy their products or services. In order to accomplish this goal, businesses are required to inform their potential customers about their products and services. Meaningful engagement with potential customers can help to create long-term connections for future transactions. By creating a whole new world of possibilities, AR technology is changing the shape of businesses, as a result, many businesses are adopting AR technology to enhance their performance and efficiency.

Benefits of AR Technology for Businesses

Here are some of the key benefits of implementing AR technology for businesses:

• It provides a new way of interaction with customers

• It attracts a broader audience as there is no need for additional devices

• AR can be used to provide smart training at work and on-site

• It’s a buzz worthy and noticeable technology

• It ensures freedom of movement and increases efficiency

• Makes the user experience memorable

• Interaction increases customer retention

• Creates personalized content to improve engagement

• AR helps to save time and costs

Implementation of AR Technology

Today, many businesses are harnessing the power of AR to boost efficiency. Many businesses are already using AR in several ways, such as:

• Designing new products:

When designing a new product, there are numerous considerations to look at. Apart from achieving the desired style and innovation, the most important factor to consider is the functionality of your product. Well, the whole process can be made easier with the help of AR technology. With the help of AR, you can visualize different features of your product without actually commit to building a model. Various industries, especially the automotive industry is already using AR for this purpose. So, there is no need to design an actual product to see the advantages. What businesses can do is any new product that is expensive to design can be easily visualized and tested using AR before they actually invest in the next steps.

• Improving efficiency:

AR can be extremely helpful in identifying efficiency improvements within organization operations. AR systems can be used to test the efficiency of their manufacturing process while allowing businesses to concentrate on improving the safety, durability, and various other features of their products.

• Helping customers to choose the right products:

Nowadays, many customers prefer buying products online. However, one thing that prevents them from making a purchase is, they get confused about whether the product they are planning to buy will suit them or will fit in their space or not. To solve this issue, businesses are utilizing the power of AR. With this superior technology, customers can now try on clothes, jewelry, glasses and more by just overlaying them onto their image. This can be accomplished online or through a Smartphone camera. Similarly, many other products can be tested for size, color and look before actually buying them.

• Professional Training:

AR technology can be used to provide professional training. It offers team members a faster, practical and more detailed experience instead of just theoretical knowledge. Moreover, it helps to generate better overall results and faster learning. Showing employees trying out new skills virtually before them in the real world can save them a lot of anxiety, at the same time it saves you a lot of time and money.

• Utilizing AR for B2B:

AR not only can be used toward customers and their entertainment but rather it can also be used to create a stronger bond between businesses and their internal connections with each other and their vendors. The technology can be utilized to convince potential business clients to do business with your company. For instance, AR can be used in business meetings instead of wordy speeches or PowerPoint presentations. This will present a great new innovative dynamic to data. This further provides everyone an opportunity to interact and witness the lifelike representation of the product, service or idea in 360-degree, 3D form or with the help of a chart and graph.

Conclusion:

Augmented Reality (AR) is undoubtedly one of the best technology trends this year. Blending the lines between the physical and digital world, AR has lots of scope for existing as well as upcoming businesses. This technology provides a fantastic way for businesses to interact with customers, colleagues, and others. Offering enormous market potential to businesses, the latest AR technologies can be utilized to improve business productivity.