Why Including Augmented Reality in Your Holiday Marketing Strategy is Essential

The holiday season holds great significance for retailers, offering opportunities for increased consumer engagement, higher spending, and the chance to leave a lasting brand impact. However, as the retail and marketing landscape constantly evolves, fresh strategies are crucial to capturing audience attention. Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a game-changing tool in this regard. AR enables users to become active participants in your brand's narrative, immersing themselves in captivating stories. This technology allows for the creation of meaningful connections that amaze, delight, and provide genuine value. Thanks to web-based augmented reality (WebAR), achieving all this is now effortless within a web browser, eliminating the need for app downloads and ensuring easy accessibility for users.

Boost your sales and improve conversion rates

Previously, customers had to choose between shopping in physical stores or online. However, with WebAR, the shopping experience becomes more convenient and accessible, no matter where customers are. Using their smartphone cameras, customers can interact with digital versions of products that appear overlaid on their surroundings. This allows them to try out new jewelry or visualize how a festive decor piece would look in their living room.

These experiences offer brands the opportunity to provide a highly personalized and intimate online shopping experience, with the aim of increasing conversions and reducing return rates. For example, Bloomingdale's partnered with Rose to bring their 150th Anniversary Collection to life using 8th Wall WebAR. More than 400,000 households received AR-activated catalogs that brought the exclusive items to life. Customers could scan the AR-enabled pieces in the catalog to see how they looked and moved in real life, and even make a purchase within the experience. This initiative resulted in a 22% higher conversion rate and a 38% higher engagement rate.

In addition to alleviating holiday stress, research has demonstrated that customers are willing to pay up to 40% extra for a product that can be previewed through AR. Moreover, the utilization of AR empowers customers to make confident purchases, enhancing their satisfaction after the sale and reducing return rates after the holiday season.

Enhance foot traffic and improve in-store experiences

AR technology has become a game-changer for brick-and-mortar retailers, extending beyond online campaigns to revolutionize the in-store experience. By incorporating AR-powered scavenger hunts and interactive challenges, customers can now access hidden discounts and exclusive in-store experiences through their smartphones. This gamification of the shopping experience not only makes it more fun but also keeps customers engaged for longer periods, ultimately leading to more frequent purchases and stronger brand loyalty.

Microsoft, in collaboration with the Intergalactic Agency and Big W stores across Australia, introduced "Minecraft Quest," a WebAR scavenger hunt. Utilizing their smartphones, players accessed the game in Big W stores and embarked on a mission to locate Minecraft characters displayed on point-of-sale signs. By scanning these characters with their smartphones, a portal linked to the enchanting world of Minecraft would be activated, allowing players to embark on a search for a concealed gem. Upon successfully collecting all five special gems, players were rewarded with an exclusive Minecraft prize pack. This captivating promotion lasted for a duration of 30 days and attracted a remarkable number of 12,500 players, thereby amplifying SKU sales by an impressive 250%. 

with the help of augmented reality technology. By incorporating AR into your store, you can create a captivating and interactive wonderland that goes beyond traditional shopping. This innovative approach will leave a lasting impression on your customers, enticing them to come back for more.

The holidays present a chance for brands to establish strong connections with customers through meaningful and captivating experiences. AR provides a distinctive opportunity to achieve this goal. Whether it's creating interactive AR showrooms, engaging games featuring brand mascots, or offering exclusive discounts and promotions, AR allows brands to elevate their connections with customers.

These types of experiences deliver significant outcomes. In accordance with a report by Accenture, 50% of consumers have a better recollection of brands that engage them with immersive technologies, and 47% feel more connected to products through immersive technology. In a crowded holiday marketing landscape, the key to standing out and forming lasting connections lies in crafting memorable brand experiences.

One example of this is Coca-Cola, which brought the magic of Christmas to festive greetings through Treecording. Treecording is a WebAR experience that converts users' unique sound waves into virtual Christmas trees that can be shared with others. By activating the experience with a Coca-Cola bottle, the innovative project combines 3D design, AR mapping, and sound-reactive programming to transform sound waves into individual Christmas trees. This unique and personal touch adds a heartfelt element to holiday exchanges, encouraging people to dedicate sincere messages to their loved ones and creating a more genuine digital space. Treecording was successfully launched across South America, achieving remarkable results. It garnered over one million unique visits with an impressive 80% completion rate and an incredible 143% share rate. The collaboration between Happy Finish and AKQA made this project possible.

With the holiday season just around the corner, brands have an excellent chance to capture consumers' attention in new and exciting ways. By utilizing 8th Wall WebAR, your marketing strategy can be elevated to new heights, adding a touch of enchantment to the experience. This versatile tool enables brands to create engaging and immersive encounters that will captivate and connect with their target audience. It is the perfect addition to your holiday marketing strategy, whether you are planning interactive showrooms, branded experiences, or blending the digital and physical worlds in-store.