Introduction to Augmented Reality
What if there was a way for growers and retailers to have interaction consumers for longer periods of time and increase the prospect of a sale, or generate multiple sales? What if this connection was entertaining, educational, and interactive? The technology to satisfy these questions will not be in a galaxy far, distant; it’s already here. It is augmented reality, and it’s able to take us to the subsequent dimension.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality, or AR, is the mixing of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. It superimposes digital scenarios on the physical world through mobile devices. This differs from virtual reality where the user is solely in a synthetic environment. Unlike quick response or QR codes which can be two-dimensional (2-D), taking you to an online page for instance, AR is a 3-D experience.
How AR Works
AR can add digital content into what consumers see with their phones and immerse them in a brand new, real-time reality. The digital content could be in the shape of videos, sounds, games, and more, adding other layers of interaction for an all-encompassing experience. But AR isn’t limited to simply games like Pokémon Go. It is big business getting used by multiple industries. Business Wire states AR is predicted to be price greater than $60 billion by 2023.
Using AR within the Gardening Industry
For higher or worse, most individuals’s lives revolve around their smartphones, that are the go-to tools for immediate information. Eighty percent of Generation Z (people born from the mid-Nineties to the early 2000s) use a mobile device when shopping. As AR currently exists, you download an app reader to scan and open up the AR experience. Downloading apps is common. A Synchrony Study, for example, notes that 67% of shoppers download and use retail apps.
Targeted and Seasonal Messaging with AR
Our industry has the right conduit to link brands and their messages to shoppers. The plant tag, pot, and/or signage are logical targets for introducing AR and supply an revolutionary and effective, one-of-a-kind experience at point of sale that engages gardeners in ways in which influence purchase decisions and reinforce brand awareness. In a nutshell, AR is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
- Download AR app.
- Scan a goal product with a wise device camera.
- Engage with relevant, digital content that’s entertaining or educational and tailors an in-store message encouraging consumers to purchase your product.
Seasonal and Location-Based Content
AR content can change seasonally and mechanically on a given goal to repeatedly refresh the experience. In spring, a hydrangea tag might show the right way to plant it, after which in the summertime it changes to cutting and drying hydrangea blossoms. You may provide specific growing assistance by geographic location. For example, the cultural advice for a plant sold in Northern states is likely to be different than what an individual receives who purchases the identical plant within the South.
Promoting AR to Consumers
Independent garden centers and staff have quite a few ways to tell and persuade consumers to take part in AR reminiscent of signage, social media exposure, enews, coupons, discounts, rewards, etc. According to Gartner Inc., a number one research and advisory company, greater than 100 million consumers will use AR to buy in the long run.
Conclusion
It appears developers’ promise that augmented reality will change the best way we live is becoming real. With the power to supply interactive, educational, and entertaining experiences, AR is ready to revolutionize the best way garden centers engage with their customers. To try augmented reality for yourself, download the Arilyn app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Will you jump on board the AR starship or remain earthbound? The way forward for gardening retail is here, and it’s augmented.
