Use cases for immersive technologies are wide-ranging and are evolving at pace; from 3D models of sofas, plants and kitchens for online retailers; AR filters and games for entertainment brands; XR learning in the classroom, enterprise training and human resources uses; 360 property, car, and hotel tours; to VR content in healthcare for dementia patients, during surgery, or training nurses.
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Retail: AR gives customers the ability to try before they buy, providing an invaluable means for guiding individuals to interact with a product and triggers a greater likelihood for follow-through purchases. More AR capabilities are being added to mainstream apps, Amazon, Etsy & Pinterest, while brands like L’Oréal develop more sophisticated capabilities to drive sales.
Training: Especially in life-and-death circumstances, MR can provide training tools that are hyper-realistic that will help soldiers, healthcare professionals, pilots/astronauts, chemists, and more figure out solutions to problems or learn how to respond to dangerous circumstances without putting their lives or anyone else’s at risk. The AUGGMED (Automated Serious Game Scenario Generator for Mixed Reality Training) project has developed an online multi-user training platform for joint first responder and counter-terrorism training.
Remote work: As more organisations develop remote-work policies, VR is emerging as a tool with collaborative capabilities that extend far beyond the offerings of video chat-rooms and onscreen meetings. Two sectors, in particular, illustrate VR’s collaborative power: architecture, engineering & construction (AEC) and healthcare. The Johnson & Johnson Institute introduced VR to reduce the stress on orthopaedic surgeons and residents as they learned to perfect their skills collaboratively in virtual operating rooms.
Marketing: Connected packaging using WebAR is increasing as a way to engage customers post-sales, and drive loyalty. Brands are quickly catching up to customer’s adoption of QR codes and realising the possibilities of everyday AR. From Yeo Valley Organic’s recipes, to Amazon’s Halloween themed delivery boxes and Unilever’s beauty tips, initial product purchases are used to further sell-in the brand story, bringing the interaction from the supermarket aisles into the home to drive loyalty and brand love.
Real estate: Finding buyers or tenants might be easier if individuals can “walk through” spaces to decide if they want it even when they are in some other location. Savills took property viewings digital during COVID-19, partnering with Matterport to show properties to existing clients and to market properties to prospective clients in 360.
Entertainment: As an early adopter, the entertainment industry will continue to find new ways of utilising XR. 2020 saw physical events turned into 360 immersive experiences with the first virtual festival, and Travis Scott became an avatar in Fortnite resulting in 45m streams, providing brands with virtual retail, product placement and sponsorship opportunities.
Businesses increasingly turn to immersive technology to solve problems, empower the workforce, and improve performance. Here’s our Guide to Extended Realities and 5 Ways to Get Started, get the guide here.
For those who are already taking advantage of the benefits that XR has to offer, now is the time to take things one step further with access to our global marketplace of immersive creators. And for those who are not yet adopters, now is the time to consider how XR can help your brand or business to reach audiences in a very real way. Talk to us about your XR project or idea and get started today.