Because unlike its relative, Virtual Reality (VR) – which requires a headset to immerse yourself in another world – AR uses your smartphone’s camera to transform the real world around you into a canvas that can be enriched with interactive virtual objects.
Despite the potential of this technology, it has been easy to dismiss AR as a mere gimmick. The applications to date have not been convincing in terms of quality. A real change for the world of retail? Far from it.
Until now.
Augmented Reality: not entirely new, but significantly improved
The term “augmented reality” was first coined and put into practice in the early 1990s. It was developed by the U.S. Air Force’s Armstrong Labs and required a complicated setup that looked like this.
Since then, poland email list there have been several attempts – such as Google Glass – to develop lightweight glasses that allow you to experience augmented reality on the go. However, these were never really intended for the masses. Neither the technology nor the market were ready for wearable AR.
Mobile AR is different. Snapchat’s lenses and the popular location-based game Pokémon Go have introduced users to the idea of interacting with virtual objects through their smartphone’s camera. These are the first two use cases that show that consumers are embracing the technology.
Source: GIPHY
But here too, high pressure weather is followed by low pressure parade the technology was far from perfect. When players moved their camera, the objects did not always stay in place or did not scale realistically in size.
As a result, players could still easily distinguish between real and augmented reality.
That all changed, however, when Apple announced iOS 11 and ARKit, giving developers the tools to create better, more realistic AR experiences. The games and fun tricks of the past have become more immersive, hands-on experiences for consumers and businesses alike.
Bringing products to life virtually
Perhaps the biggest commercial opportunity within these enhanced AR experiences is that they give customers a better sense of the size of products and allow them to evaluate them as if they were right in front of them.
“Will this sofa fit in the corner of my living room?”
“How will this vase look on my table?”
Shopify’s AR team worked with Magnolia to integrate ARKit into their native app. 3D models of select products were created in-house to capture as much detail and realism as possible, so shoppers could see a product from the front, switzerland leads back, top, inside – whatever angle.
This was the result:
“This technology allows users to get up close and personal with our products and examine the subtleties that make them special and unique,” says Stone. “We always want our guests to leave feeling inspired by their experience. And thanks to the new Magnolia app, they can do just that – no matter where they are – in the comfort of their hands.”