5 Reasons Why Every Manufacturer Should Be Looking at WebAR
These past few months have pushed digital innovation and adoption by 3-5 years. COVID-19 has required every business to look at how they communicate and sell to customers. Combine that with consumers changing buying habits shifting to e-commerce and their desire to research online before going into stores - now is the time to be looking at Augmented Reality, and more specifically WebAR.
Augmented Reality is still a foreign concept to most C-Suite Executives, but I guarantee they are more open to these solutions now more than ever. At this point, they’ve seen the technology, but they have trouble seeing how augmented reality can help their business.
Let’s be clear. Digital Transformation is critical for the success of any business. COVID-19 required it, but millennials are demanding it. Young homeowners want better experiences and more efficient ways to shop. WebAR can help you deliver on that.
What is WebAR?
WebAR is short for Web-based Augmented Reality, which is an Augmented Reality experience held within a webpage. This means all consumers have to do is navigate to the webpage URL to view an Augmented Reality experience through any iOS or Android smartphone camera.
No dedicated app needed. Works on all smartphones and tablets. Web browser technology has improved so much that AR experiences can be experienced in your browser. So, why is that good for manufacturers? Let’s take a look.
5 Reasons Why Every Manufacturer Should Be Looking at WebAR
1. Cost to Implement | WebAR doesn’t require a native (stand-alone) iOS or Android App, so the cost for development is significantly cheaper. It must be said that mobile apps offer advanced technology for image recognition and displaying augmented reality. Depending on your needs, an app solution might be the direction to go. But with the advances in web browser technology, it’s amazing what can be done with WebAR.
Another benefit to WebAR is the ability to beta test and get data before jumping in with both feet. It offers a lower-cost solution for testing augmented reality and getting real-time feedback from users and customers. You can also scale it quickly without a large investment (compared to a native app).
2. Cross-Platform | You have the ability to target all your customers with WebAR right from the beginning. Typically with App development, you would start with an iOS App and then duplicate for Android. (Check your analytics as there is a high probability that iOS dominates your mobile visitors). Targeting all your customers from the very beginning will provide more data and feedback as you scale and enhance your augmented reality experiences.
This also benefits you from a cost standpoint. You won’t have to develop two apps. Side Note: Be weary of the app developers who say “we can build an app that works on both”. It typically means they are basically building a website and converting to iOS and Android Apps. If you are going this route, you likely don’t need an App, as a responsive website will provide you the experience you desire.
3. Simple & Better User Experience | Having the ability to research products and immediately “See it in your space” without downloading an app is a better user experience. There is less friction between a user and viewing your products in their home. Visualization is powerful, but personalized visualization (in your space, on your home, on yourself) is memorable. Memorable experiences increase confidence and likelihood to purchase.
4. Data, Data, Data | Since WebAR is web-based, it is simple and easy to get real-time data on the experiences. If you offer e-commerce, you’ll clearly see an ROI (return on investment) with products shown in WebAR. If you don’t offer e-commerce, providing a clear CTA (call to action) will help you define your ROI with users.
As with any beta test, data is critical. Data driven decisions eliminate the “oh, this is cool. We must offer AR” syndrome. It provides the “why” behind the power and effectiveness of augmented reality.
5. Proven Results | I get excited when reading about ROI results with WebAR. I am often surprised (and delighted) that some WebAR experiences show proven results when I would least expect it. For example, Mystery Ranch launched WebAR to view backpacks in augmented reality. Something that I think is cool, but wouldn’t think it would drive sales. Well, it did.
“From Jan. 1-Feb. 26, 10% of its site visitors used the augmented reality feature, and of those shoppers, 90% of them made the purchase.
Plus, its conversion rate for shoppers who engaged with augmented reality spiked to 3.74% during this period, up from its usual site average of around 0.7%”
Flooret, a flooring company saw a 20% conversion rate online and 23% in increased sales when utilizing a WebAR solution called Roomvo. Roomvo is a web application that I would consider a WebAR experience as it is browser based.
More Resources & tools for WebAR
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