Many industries stand to benefit from the rapid rise of augmented reality and other immersive technologies; particularly the fashion and cosmetics industries. Many of the world’s top beauty brands are already at the forefront of integrating this technology to promote themselves and add value to their customers. Facebook launched its first AR advertisements to both the Messenger and News Feed sections of its social media platform earlier this year. Michael Kors, a world renowned fashion retailer, was the first brand to launch a test augmented advert on Facebook.
Make-up giants L’Oreal recently acquired leading AR make-up experience provider Modiface in a move that demonstrates the industries’ adoption and future plans to embrace the technology. “L’Oréal’s acquisition of ModiFace provides an incredible opportunity to innovate on beauty augmented reality and artificial intelligence at an unprecedented scale, the results of which will shape the beauty industry for the decades to come,” said Parham Aarabi, CEO of ModiFace.
Customers are beginning to expect AR Experiences
The addition of interactive installations to physical retail spaces can drive footfall and repeat visits. A report conducted by Retail Perceptions showed that 61% of shoppers prefer to shop at stores that offer augmented reality over ones that don’t. The same study also found that 71% of shoppers would shop at a retailer more often if they offered augmented reality.
Consumers are quickly starting to embrace immersive technology and now expect retailers to use it in their promotions. Augmented reality allows consumers to interact with a brand on an entirely new level and facilitates the discovery of new products and instils purchase confidence.
In-store Augmented Reality
Top fashion and beauty brands have already had great success with in-store retail augmented experiences. Last year, vStream partnered with Lidl for the launch of their clothing collection designed by supermodel Heidi Klum. We built a custom augmented reality mirror specially for the promotion of this new clothing line. This in-store installation allowed users to “try on” clothing items and accessories in augmented reality before making a purchase.
Most notably Timberland, Topshop, and Sephora have also used AR Mirrors in their physical stores to allow customers to virtually try on some of their products.
We are already seeing a rapid increase in the number of global brands embracing augmented reality and using it to engage with their fans. Many multinational companies such as Audi, IKEA and L’Oreal have added value for their customers through the innovate use of augmented reality and other immersive technologies. This trend is only set to continue in the coming years as consumers now expect these kind of experiences from their favourite brands.
For more information on our experiential services: contact info@vstream.ie