Due to recent breakthroughs in AR technology, mobile AR has suddenly become valuable for several specific use cases. These use cases include employee training, product visualization, visual search, and communication. Enterprises that adopt AR today stand to gain significantly in cost and time savings, customer engagement and retention, as well as reduced time to close deals.

The skepticism around mobile AR in 2017 and 2018 is justified: can you think of a single AR app you use on a daily basis? Probably not. However, the reasons for this are twofold:

1 - Mobile AR lacked multi-user capabilities until very recently

Until recently, mobile AR was a single-device experience. However, the recent introduction of AR Cloud capabilities has enabled millions of devices to communicate with each other about where digital content persists in the real world. This has enabled an entirely new type of communication to be possible.

(source: SephoraVirtualArtist)

2 - AR has been subtly introduced as an add-on to existing platforms

AR has already been successfully merged into existing platforms such as SnapChat, IKEA, Sephora, and Amazon. While none of these apps are uniquely AR focused, they show that AR is being successfully introduced into products as add-on features that deliver real value. This trend will continue in other large scale applications as consumers, particularly in the Gen Z and Millennial markets, adopt AR in their daily lives.

The enterprise stands to gain significantly from ubiquitous multi-user AR capabilities. In this piece, Xmartlabs’ expert AR and AI team dives into how the enterprise can capture value in this blue ocean opportunity.

Rapid and effective employee training

The introduction of AR Cloud capabilities on smartphones means that digital content can persist in the real world. This means that assets such as video tutorials for how to use and maintain equipment can be “pinned” to specific locations in a worksite, for employees to access and view precisely where and when they need information.

For example, a manager at a retail shop can record videos of current employees properly using the cash register, folding clothing, restocking shelves, managing new delivery orders, and then “pin” these tutorial videos to the precise locations where those tasks need to be done. As such, new employees can be trained faster and more efficiently without having to consult the manager or other workers. Instructional videos can be recorded once and then syndicated/pinned into thousands of retail branches worldwide.

Moreover, computer vision technology can help the enterprise automate inventory tracking, so that these tasks no longer have to be done manually by humans. This can lead to increased efficiency in operations and better management of logistics.

It’s possible to adopt AR training and inventory tracking capabilities across an enterprise as a new internal tool or as an add-on feature to an existing company-wide platform.

To learn more about how AR can improve employee training, contact us today.

Close deals faster with AR visualization

AR has already been successfully adopted for product visualization by companies like Amazon, IKEA, and Sephora - as demonstrated here:

The ability to showcase digital representations of products in the real world is particularly valuable in the real estate industry. Stakeholders in real estate deals, such as tenants, landlords, buyers, sellers, and agents can use AR to “virtually stage” a property with digital assets such as furniture and appliances. This helps to easily communicate a vision of how a space can be transformed and close deals faster.

Since it’s possible for various digital layouts to persist in that space, AR users can switch between different room designs with a variety of products and designs laid out - with a simple click of a button. This ultimately saves substantial time and money, because stakeholders don’t need to purchase and physically stage products in the property.

Like employee training, AR visualization can be implemented as a standalone application or as an integration with existing company-wide platforms.

To learn more about how AR visualization can help close deals faster, feel free to contact us with your questions.

Boost e-commerce sales with visual search

AR can help remove a layer of abstraction from e-commerce purchasing decisions. SnapChat has collaborated with Amazon to implement a creative example of this capability:

By using innovative computer vision capabilities, users can visually search, recognize, and purchase products from within applications. This removes the need for customers to go find products via more traditional routes, such as manually searching on Google or Amazon.

E-commerce companies can benefit from these capabilities by enabling customers to more quickly identify and purchase their products, at the exact moment when people encounter their brand.

To learn more about how you can boost e-commerce sales with visual search, reach out to us today.

Save time and boost productivity with AR communication

For industries and situations in which workflows require communicating about a physical location, either in real time or asynchronously, AR can be a substantial value add. For example, a major renovation project for a commercial property requires multiple stakeholders to communicate effectively about changes that are planned or currently in progress on the worksite. This can include tenants, multiple teams of contractors, the landlord, buying and selling agents, and city inspectors.

A communication tool that leverages AR’s persistence capabilities would enable all stakeholders to pin private digital content, such as documentation, pictures, and videos, to specific locations of interest to other people collaborating on the worksite. This would enable teams to work and communicate asynchronously and not have to physically meet in the same place at the same time.

Content can be tagged with a specific date, time, and context for other team members to later find and respond to. Moreover, managers could remotely access and view content that has been pinned at the location and respond immediately, without having to physically travel to the building.

These capabilities would result in significant cost and time savings across these teams, as tasks could move forward without stakeholders having to spend time and capital traveling to the location.

To learn more about how AR communication can make your team more effective, reach out to us today.