The Impact of Augmented Reality on Retail

How Augmented Reality is Changing Today’s Shopping Experience

If you think that augmented reality is a far-flung idea that will have little impact on the world of retail, think again. Current projections indicate that augmented reality will generate $120 billion in revenue by 2020*, so retailers have every reason—and opportunity—to leverage this enhanced experience with shoppers.

To best explain it, augmented reality is a live view of a physical, real-world environment where the view is augmented or supplemented by a computer-generated input such as sound, video, graphics or even GPS data. In today’s retail environment, shoppers can use AR to easily envision the item they are considering buying, whether it’s bringing together ingredients for dinner or envisioning a cozy new sweater or a modernized couch for their living room in a variety of colors and styles – all effortlessly seen and experienced through augmented reality.

To further explore the ways in which augmented reality is shaping people’s shopping experiences and preferences, Interactions conducted a study with 1,062 people across the United States, seeking to learn the ways shoppers perceive augmented reality and how they prefer to engage with the technology as they shop. Results from the survey show that shoppers enjoy using augmented reality, and they see it as a fun and novel way to explore their options as they weigh out which purchases to make. Utilizing the data in this report, retailers can build on the popularity of augmented reality in ways that engage customers, provide a unique and memorable experience, and ultimately drive sales.

*Source: Manatt Digital Media

Retail Perceptions explores shoppers’ insights on the trends affecting retailers and manufacturers today. The report pairs Interactions’ advanced reporting and analytics system with its insights capabilities in order for retailers and manufacturers to make more informed decisions.

Founded over 25 years ago, Interactions executes approximately three million events each year. As the global leader of product demonstrations and event marketing, we are able to employ our research capabilities to better assist our customers. By providing insights into shopper behavior, we provide the tools necessary for our customers to make smarter business decisions — driving significant sales increases.