Digital technologies Virtual reality (VR) And Augmented reality (AR) have long been planned to revolutionize retail in the coming years. While virtual reality involves moving to closed environments in which you are immersed using VR glasses, AR enriches the real environment with additional information. This is mainly done via smartphones screens, which are now all compatible with AR. Expensive equipment is therefore no longer necessary, which means that the technology has overcome an obstacle to significant entry.
The Viennese company Svarmony Technology is one of the pioneers of these future technologies and has been working in this area for ten years, notably for Porsche, Siemens, Mediamarkt and the German museum.
THE VR and AR possibilities are varied. Szameitat CarstenChief Revenue Officer at Svarmony, explains some of the areas of application:
- Try-on of the product: With AR, customers * can try products such as jewelry or virtually glasses and see what they look like on their own body.
- Applications are no longer necessary. The image of the catalog becomes a physical experience. Advantage: yields can be reduced because the right size can be better estimated.
- Product training and education: Companies can offer integration processes and product training for new team members via AR.
- Repair and maintenance: AR supports sustainable services by digitally guiding customers in self-repair (for example when replacing an interior bicycle tube).
- Technical advantage: An NFC chip in the product communicates with the smartphone to recognize the model and the appropriate components.
AR for retailers and manufacturers:
- Space planning: The retailers can use the RA to view the placement of the products and optimize walking routes.
- Product development: By collaborating with manufacturers around the world, products can be developed without the need to send physical prototypes or trips.
The subject of navigation is also far from exhausted. Although the main head displays are already successfully used in cars, they could always have great potential in sport. “It would be great if your ski glasses could display the route you want to take while you are skiing,” said Szameitat.