In the past few years, investment in Augmented Reality has gradually increased, and more recently, the technology has created refurbished interest from big brands. Facebook declared about the modernization of its Spark AR platform at the F8 conference this May, while Apple and SAP widened their partnership to concentrate on increasing augmented reality adoption among businesses.
Within the perspective of marketing, augmented reality lets brands to offer unique and immersive digital experiences, and to engage consumers in an excellent way. Here are some brands to make Augmented Reality based experiences in recent times, and what are the achievements by doing so.

ASOS – Virtual Catwalk

Asos, the online retailer, has previously included visual search into its highly usable mobile app. Currently, Asos is getting committed with Augmented Reality, launching an experimental new Augmented Reality feature called Virtual Catwalk, which will exclusively test on 100 new Asos Design products.
The feature starts working when a user faces his smartphone camera at a suitable flat surface and clicks the ‘AR’ button on the product page in the app. At that time, models virtually appear, providing the customer a new and closer way of viewing products.

As this characteristic will not essentially help to struggle the issue of returns –there is no way to decide how the product will fit or look on the customer themselves – it brings the item to life in a way that is far more useful than a photograph or online video. After bringing the model (and product) into the space of the user, the online shopping experience becomes much more interesting and attractive.

Gucci – ‘Try On’ Shoes Remotely In Augmented Reality

The reason of investing of retail brands in Augmented Reality technology is to help customers do better and more up to date product decisions. Gucci is the newest luxury brand which recently added an Augmented Reality feature to its app to let users ‘try on’ sneakers.
The user can select to see a digital superimpose of 19 different sneakers on their own by pointing their smartphone camera downwards. He can swipe left or right to change to another pair. The app also lets users to take photos, which can afterwards be shared on social media or in messaging apps.

Toyota – Vehicle Demo

This year, Toyota launched an Augmented Reality app to let customers to grow a better understanding of how its new C-HR vehicle works. The app works by superimposing images of the inner workings of the Hybrid drivetrain onto physical vehicles.

Due to the 3D experience, the customers are able to see how different parts of the system interact, for example energy being passed between them. By tapping on other ‘hotspots,’ users can also discover key information about different parts of the car, including the fuel tank and engine.

Rekorderlig – Mixed Reality Experiential Marketing

Rekorderlig is not new to branded experiences, with the cider company launching numerous successful pop-ups in the past few years. This year, as the brand launches ‘Rekorderland’ – a mixed reality experience location in London’s Southbank for the summer.

There for around six weeks, the concept is based on Midsummer, one of Sweden’s most notable traditions. The experience engages visitors wearing Magic Leap Augmented Reality headsets, to see holographic images and light waves together, blurring the lines between the real and virtual worlds. Additionally, visitors will be able to bring their Rekorderlig drinks to life using Snapchat codes in the bar area.
Connie Harrison, Rekorderlig’s immersive experiences director, described that “Rekorder-land blends the physical with the digital to immerse people momentarily in a magical place.”

Modiface on Amazon

Modiface of L’Oreal is one of the best-known examples of Augmented Reality within retail, with the feature permitting customers to digitally try on make-up through the brand’s app. Just, L’Oréal rolled out Modiface to Amazon customers on mobile, allowing them to furthermore digitally overlay make-up looks onto live photos and videos.
For customers, the technology offers much more assurance over what they’re buying (a product that suits the individual’s skin-tone). In addition, it marks a big opportunity for Amazon as a player in the beauty industry, following on from the retail launching its own beauty line, ‘Belei’, earlier this year.

Foot Locker

So many brands have made use of Snapchat’s Augmented Reality marker tech, which permits physical matters – such as billboards, vehicles and product packaging – to apparently come to life.
Foot Locker is one of the coolest examples to date, with the retail brand using a Snapchat Augmented Reality filter to generate the delusion that LeBron James – basketball player for the LA Lakers – is bursting out of a Nike poster in-store. The 2D image gradually transforms into a 3D digital model, accelerating up into real-time as James transitions into a slam dunk.
LeBron James himself tweeted out a video of the experience, ensuing in 1.25 million views in the first hour. After that, the video has amassed over 2.2 million views, 12,441 retweets, and 50,000 likes.

Adidas – More Virtual Sneakers

Adidas is another brand which has used AR for ‘try on’ purposes. Last year, it partnered with Snapchat to produce an AR lens for customers to virtually glance its new Ultraboost 19 running shoes.
Accessed through lenses in the Snapchat app, users only had to tap on the Adidas logo to launch the activation, which involved a concise unboxing before the option to discover more about the shoes or see them in AR.
This example was the first time Snapchat permit users virtually try on a sneaker with an AR lens. Since, however, Snapchat has continued to merge AR and ecommerce features, launching a ‘Shoppable AR’ feature to let advertisers to add buttons onto any AR lens running on Snap.

YouTube

Make-up tutorials stay a trendy form of video content on YouTube. Currently, the platform is bringing the idea to life, as YouTube begins its ‘AR Beauty Try On’ feature.
Like Modiface, the feature will let users to virtually try-on make-up through the YouTube app. But, it will also work like an ‘interactive ad’, with a split screen permitting users to observe a tutorial and try on the look at the same time.

Magnum and Benefit

Both Magnum and Benefit have tested AR separately before, however, the two brands united in Singapore earlier this year to produce the ultimate immersive experience. Combining beauty and ice-cream, the ‘Magnum Beauty Store’ come up experience concerned seven different zones, where visitors could connect in activities for example the personalisation of ice creams and eyebrow shaping.

VF – Virtual Mannequins

VF – the owner of brands including Timberland and Vans – has opened a new retail space (Axtell Soho) in London to display how it is using technology to bring the stories of its brands to life. One of the space’s key characteristics is avatar-based virtual mannequins, which display a variety of seasonal looks in 3D. Visitors can use touchscreen displays to see products in different scenarios, and alter features like lighting and context.
Reportedly, Axtell Soho is not open to the public, but will be used as a space to test and learn new technology features, and to see how it can enhance the in-store customer experience for VF’s brands.