Virtual reality was all the rage just a few years ago, but consumers quickly tired of the limitations that kind of technology provides. While it’s certainly interesting to explore virtual worlds, these often don’t necessarily map to the kinds of environments that people want to explore in real life. That’s why augmented reality has become so popular. Check out these three reasons that consumers are flocking to apps that include these features, and you’re likely to want to try out a few yourself.
1. They Help Differentiate Software Packages
There’s an old adage about every single database and spreadsheet solution basically being more or less the same thing. There’s certainly some truth to this, since there’s really only one way that anyone could implement these programs and expect users to actually boot them up. Professional augmented reality app development is different, since it helps programmers include a wide array of features that individual users might never have otherwise seen in a program. If they’re shopping for a new app and see one that’s very different from everything else they’ve been toying with, then there’s a greater chance that they’re going to go for that solution instead of another similar one.
2. They Let People Imagine Changes
One of the most popular applications of augmented reality technology has been to allow individual consumers to figure out what things would look like if they made some sort of change in their environment. For instance, think about a situation where someone was shopping for furniture and paint they planned to use in their home. Hardware stores have used remote computer equipment to enable local users to picture themselves in a changed scene. They can hold their phone’s camera lens up to a wall and then experiment with changing the image. Once they find something they like, purchasing it from the same store feels natural. That drives sales while helping consumers get exactly what they need to finish off a project.
3. They Incorporate Advanced Projection Technology
Experimenters were able to use laser projection systems to add virtual elements to real scenes. Others have relied on more humble augmented reality solutions to shift the appearance of movie clips and real-time communications. Consumers like these features because they can help them try ideas out before they actually invest in them. They can also add a bit of whimsy to nearly any scene by doing so. People who’ve gotten used to the idea of throwing certain filters on when they’re trying to video chat with other users would probably enjoy doing much the same with other applications.
Even companies that wouldn’t otherwise invest in augmented reality development are doing so as a result of these and many other reasons. If your organization is thinking of releasing an app, then putting together an augmented reality edition might help attract additional consumers. Depending on the nature of your business, it could even help convert some potential prospects into definite sales. No matter what type of industry your business is in, augmented reality could be used in the design of a commercial app that your customers will enjoy.