In the last blog we talked about the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and the real-world use cases, primarily pertaining to service related industries and industries with a service component, such as appliances, automobiles or electronic equipment. These industries are already adopting the use of AR as part of their training component for reasons that include:

• Increased efficiency and safety
• Improved training (hands-free) and knowledge transfer
• Better collaboration
• Easier remote training with lower travel costs

The IDC study of May 2018 also found that AR is being adopted for customer facing opportunities in Sales and Marketing. This is not surprising when you consider that most people have a more positive reaction to more engaging visual stimuli such as that provided by AR. In the past, sales involved a lot of brochures and paper catalogs. For companies that have adopted the new technology, products are being digitized as 3D assets and can be served up in AR via a tablet, a phone, or even through AR goggles.

This is a win for the sales people who can’t necessarily haul around or demonstrate the capabilities of large items but who can present that information for the items via AR. 62% of the respondents to the IDC survey chose "product demonstrations without the hassle of transporting the item" as their primary reason for using AR. Another 59% responded that placing a digital version of a product in a client’s environment and offering virtual customizations was an important tool for closing deals.

Not surprisingly, customers were also interested in the digitized instruction manuals offered with the product sales.

Sales people will adopt the best technologies to assist with the sales cycle, and in the May 2018 IDC study 65% of those who responded to the survey felt they saw a positive return on investment with the use of AR as a sales tool. More than half the respondents cited shorter sales cycles with customers being able to visualize the products remotely. Reduced travel costs on the part of the sales person also contributed to a positive ROI.

For those of you who are still skeptical about the validity of AR for business use, it’s beginning to look like a no-brainer. Maybe it’s time to get on the bandwagon and adopt the technology. We can assist with constructing a plan to incorporate AR into your business as well as provide help with your 3D content.

Whatever your use case may be, call 800-803-1050 or Contact Us to see how easy it is to get your business AR ready. We are enabling digital transformation for everyday business.