Use of immersive technologies by brands has increased over the years. Leveraging the 360-degree space to create a new reality has been helping them in modifying their operational and marketing strategies so as to cater to the changing needs and preferences of modern consumers. Such technologies are not only helping them in reaching one step closer to their business objectives and their target audience but also helps them in communicating with their customer base effectively and in influencing their purchasing decisions.
Immersive technologies connecting the brands and the consumers
As per a global study by Accenture, a leading consulting firm, immersive experiences in digital commerce using Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and 3D technology push consumers to choose alternative shopping channels. It further states that consumers connect more with products that make use of these tech-savvy solutions and also helps brands drive their sales.
Immersive technologies imitate the physical shopping experience and provide the shoppers a similar in-store experience in the virtual setup. They not only help bridge the physical divide between the store and the customers but also help the brands to enhance their customer engagement by replicating in-store experiences in the online world.
The shopping sprees of consumers in the virtual space have become enriched, engaging, and satisfying all thanks to the immersive technologies. They help in extending a good customer experience along with helping the brands in tapping unexplored markets at the global and increasing their conversation rates. AR and VR help brands increase their awareness in the market as well as give them a competitive edge in the market and provide the buyers an opportunity to interact with the brands in the virtual space before they can make their purchasing decision.
How brands use immersive technologies to connect brands with the world
Brands are utilizing AR and VR not only help to organize virtual tours but have also been using these for enhancing their advertising and marketing activities. They have indeed given a new definition to the term ‘online shopping’ and helps brands to reach customers at every stage of the sales funnel.
Customers can be in their bedrooms and could try the product or scroll through the 3D catalogs and imagine how the product would fit in without visiting the store. This real-life simulation of the brand’s product offerings in the virtual space helps them to virtually try the products before they make their quick and smooth purchasing decisions.
The brands using immersive technologies can benefit as the customers can look, touch, feel and try the product in the virtual space and this increases their credibility on the brand and its offerings. These solutions have made the online shopping experience for the consumers all the more convenient, smooth, easy, and engaging. When brands use tools of AR, VR, and 3D content in their messaging, they are likely to attract more customers and connect them all the more with their offerings in the online space.
The brands can utilize these technologies and modify their communication and make it all the more personalized and customized in order to attract new customers. Be it virtual showrooms created via VR technology, AR-enabled content, 3D models on product pages, personalized makeup products, and palettes, VR-based test drives, and in-store experiences, AR-enabled gaming and make-up try-on services, almost each and every industry has been increasingly making use of these technologies.
Immersive technologies help consumers to try before they buy in the online space and hence help brands to persuade the customers to buy the product or the service. Passé are the days when these technological advancements were just a mere option. In the present times, when the competition is cut-throat, being tech-savvy is indeed the need of the hour for any brand in any sector to have an edge over the other players in the market and for it to rise and shine.
How can brands create and adopt immersive technologies?
To create such state-of-the-art and tech-savvy solutions, brands need to have a clear business objective. They then need to conduct in-depth research and identify the required technological tools that could be feasible and effective for their business keeping into consideration their target consumers, the licensing guidelines, the supported devices, and operating systems, along with the capacity and the benefits of the chosen tool/tools. Once this list has been curated, the brands then need to market their technology so that their consumers are aware and educated about its existence and usage.
Since brands can’t create and incorporate these technologies on their own as doing so could cost them finances and time, they do so via the assistance of firms specialized in creating these techie solutions. These dedicated organizations help in providing high-end immersive technologies to the brands so as to help them achieve their business goals, boost the business’ growth and also help them interact and engage effectively with their existing customers and tap the potential buyers as well.
Summing Up
Immersive technologies with their plethora of benefits have been paving the way for Industrial Revolution 4.0 and are indeed here to stay. They are also carving the path for a myriad of opportunities to be explored by the brands and are enabling them to technologically connect with their existing and target consumers. Brands have been using these cutting-edge technological solutions to enhance their offerings and customer experience which will further elevate customer engagement and will help the brands connect well with their customers and will also drive their sales. It is these immersive technologies that will evolve all the more in the times ahead and will contribute majorly in the growth and development of brands across industries in the future and will enable them to connect seamlessly and efficiently with consumers across the globe.
By Uttam Kumar Pandey, founder and CEO, Perceived Design
