Technology NEWS Archives - Augmented reality on demand platform

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020

Hollywood, Say Hello to my [not so] Little Friend: Augmented Reality

As the title tells, this blog post talks to you, people of Hollywood. Originally dubbed the seventh art, cinema has been superiorly popular ever since its inception. For sure, a major reason behind that is the constant innovation from the pioneers of this industry. From the Lumière brothers’ invention of the cinematograph to the insane VFX of today, filmmakers have innovatively kept us hooked all throughout.

Though, a substantial question to ask now, especially with the Oscars being right around the corner, is: what’s next? Which disruptive advancement is going to be the bigger boat we need to take cinema to new heights? By all means, Hollywood isn’t at a stale position currently. But, why wait till staleness sets in?

With that said, it’s high time we properly introduce Hollywood to Augmented Reality. And, Hollywood, frankly, my dear, you’re going to give a damn about AR (oh I could do these movie references all day). Here’s why:

1- AR is an Extraordinary Tool for Promoting Hollywood Releases

So here’s why the word ‘properly’ is in bold above. Hollywood is actually well aware of AR. That’s evident by the plethora of AR campaigns that accompany big movie releases these days. From Game of Thrones to Detective Pikachu, every top franchise is currently safe and sound on the AR bandwagon.

Of course, we boast AR’s efficiency in marketing all the time on this blog. And since film companies seem to have that figured out well, let’s save the talking for AR wonders they’ve yet to discover.

2- AR is a Fertile Land for Hollywood Plots to Revolve around

To an extent, one could argue that AR as a tech was born out of movie fantasies. In 1988, sleeper hit movie They Live featured entertainment icon, Roddy Piper, donning AR glasses. These glasses showed people for who they really were (mostly aliens). Nobody really knew what AR was at that time or what it could be used for. It just came off as a super cool tech to viewers. A few years later, AR was just as cool when T-800 wore AR glasses in the Terminator 2.

Fast forward to 2012, AR became way more established. Tech visionaries started realizing how this tech could change the way we live and worked on it accordingly. But, they weren’t alone; filmmakers too came to that realization. Mostly, their response was to depict futures where AR consumed humanity and led to dystopias. Award-winning short film Sight was one of the first to touch on that.

Not too long after, Black Mirror released episodes such as Nosedive, Playtest, and Men Against Fire. Being Black Mirror episodes, they all showed horrific worlds. In said worlds, AR was the main culprit. All aforementioned Hollywood productions showcased solid plots. Yet, all of them presented futuristic fantasy settings.

But in the year 2020, we don’t need to imagine (and be scared of) the future AR has to offer.

AR is here and everyone is already using it. In fact, a stat shows that an estimated 1 billion human beings are currently AR users.

Hence, Hollywood plots need to take more in-depth looks at how AR is presently factoring into our lives. Also, they need to deviate from these dystopic narratives because we now have data on how AR affects us. Easily, this data can be translated into stories and brilliant works of art.

I’m no screenwriter, but how about a movie focusing on a couple that met through Pokemon Go? Would their relationship be fragile? Or would they hold on to each other strongly to escape the loneliness they both used to suffer from?

To sum it up, AR plays many central roles in our lives today. But Hollywood has yet to capture that in a thorough and realistic way.

3- AR Offers Thrilling Previsualization Possibilities

Previsualization is an essential part of any Hollywood production. Normally, that starts with storyboards that lay out scenes in drawings for crews to imagine and to stay aligned. As wonderful and handy as they are, storyboards could use an AR boost.

Imagine storyboards that are scanned to bring the scenes to life. That would be a form of augmented print which is so easy to create. At the same time, such storyboards could prove to be invaluable. That’s because augmented storyboards could help directors see and adjust their scenes in real-time before shooting.

Not to mention, prop stores such as Prop Heaven and HPR could make a fortune using the same concept. All they need would be to integrate AR into their services and create 3D models of their props. Definitely, that would be a major edge to lure filmmakers in. It would allow them to see props right in their movie sets before buying.

Last but not least, startup ARwall is aiming big with AR for previsualization. The company has created AR screens which Hollywood filmmakers could use to eliminate post-production. They are screens that enable instantaneous VFX. That way, they also allow actors to live right in the moment and struggle less with imagination. Promptly, ARwall is making waves and Netflix and HBO are just among their partners.

4- Hollywood’s Future Blockbusters Could be AR Films

Now, this is the most exciting part of this blog post. Here, we’re talking about a brand new medium for Hollywood to tell stories; a brand new way to watch movies.

But first, let’s digress a bit and talk about AR filters. While they haven’t been around for very long, these things almost define our times now. This begs the question: why are they that popular? Well, the easiest explanation is that filters put the spotlight on users and on their environments. On their own, they are rarely the center of social media stories. Instead, it’s how users interact with them and how they place them within their surroundings that matter.

But at the end of the day, filters don’t really go under storytelling-based content. Despite that, their immense popularity calls for experimentation with AR content that does tell stories.

Enter AR films!

In 2018, two Stanford undergraduates created Snowbird, the world’s first-ever AR film. The plot is simple as it follows two characters, a bird and a snowman. But, the beauty of it is that it unfolds right in the viewers’ environments. It’s an experience unlike any other and it comes with a heartwarming soundtrack.

Now, who’s to say the top movies of the future won’t be shot in AR? Obviously, there are some movies that will always be better experienced in cinemas. The Joker comes to mind just because of its unique setting in Gotham.

But imagine if a movie like Marriage Story was created as an AR film.

The story of Nicole and Charlie is an incredibly relatable one. And the arguments they had are sadly a lot like the ones that take place in our homes every day. So why not literally take them to our homes, then? How amazing would it be to have Nicole opening jars in your kitchen? Or Charlie punching holes through the walls of your very own house (well not cool but still amazing)?

Here at Augmania, we see a highly prosperous future for Hollywood AR productions. Thus, we’re taking initiative! Right now, you can log into Augmania’s AR creator and start creating your AR movies. All you would need is to create alpha channels of your assets (characters and objects). Then, upload them onto the creator to composite them in your AR experiences.

As we’ve hinted, AR film production is pretty novel. So if you’re still looking to make a name for yourself in Hollywood, becoming a pioneer of AR films could present an outstanding opportunity.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our powerful WebAR creator!

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019

2020 Awaits: Top 5 Goals for AR in the New Decade

It’s a new year; yes, it is! Or, well, it almost is. But, how could anyone not be super excited? 2020 brings with it not only a new year but also a new decade! The 2010s are gone with their good and bad and now we’ve got ourselves a fresh start for everybody.

And, you do know what that means, folks. It’s time to discuss new year’s (decade’s) resolutions!

At Augmania, we’re aiming big with 2020. We tried that in 2019 and it mostly worked with a highlight being Augmania starting an office in Germany. However, we’re not here to talk about our 2020 resolutions.

Rather, we want to canvass 2020 resolutions for Augmented Reality as an industry. And we’re inviting everyone involved in this avant-garde industry to take part and to aim big.

So without further ado, here are 5 goals we hope AR reaches in 2020:

1- Break Free from Current Boundaries

In general, this is the one goal we devote most of our effort to at Augmania. In 2020, that won’t change. You see, as disruptive as AR is, some still insist on building barriers around this novel tech. Essentially, what these barriers do is keep new users from exploring the wonders of AR.

For instance, one of these barriers is the choice of publishing AR experiences through apps. There are countless reasons as to why this decision is an unwise one. To put it simply, the clock is ticking on the age of apps. Today, the average American spends 80% of app time on only three apps. In part, this stat may be attributed to multiple factors, including the fact that apps require storage and time for downloading. Honestly, we believe engaging in AR experiences should never be that invasive.

That’s why the Augmania creator has been a WebAR platform from day one. Being web-based encourages users to try our AR experiences because everyone has a browser. From there, it becomes way easier for them to fall in love with AR. In addition, the Augmania creator is entirely code-free. That makes it just as easy for users to create their own WebAR content with no coding skills.

These are just a couple of the boundaries surrounding AR that we’ve overcome. But, we hope to overcome more and allow AR to shine bright enough in 2020 for the entire world to bask.

2- Infiltrate more Industries with Innovative Use Cases

Unfortunately, a harsh stigma has been following AR wherever it’s gone for years. And that stigma is that AR is solely an entertainment device. Well, there’s no denying AR’s extraordinary ability to captivate the masses. We see that all the time with marketing campaigns now. Yet, in no way is that the endgame for AR. We believe AR can play crucial roles in all kinds of industries. All we need are pioneers with the bravado to create game-changing use cases.

An example of these use cases is the Driver’s Best Friend. We came up with this use case in hopes of decreasing the scary number of accidents. We call it so because it familiarizes the driver with all parts of the car he/she is driving quickly and efficiently through an AR system. All he/she needs to do is scan the car part with his/her smart device. Then, all needed info would be triggered in an instant. It’s a super simple idea, but we believe it can be lifesaving. Promptly, we’ve had clients such as car rental owners reach out to us to implement the idea.

3- Fight Climate Change

Sadly, AR may not be strong enough to take down climate change on its own. However, it sure can raise awareness about the dangers of climate change. Carbon dioxide concentrations in the air are the highest they’ve been. Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate. And we’re seeing new temperature records every summer.

Luckily, AR has already been in use to inform people about climate change. One of the best examples is a collaboration by WWF, Netflix, Google, and ArtScience Museum in Singapore. The AR experience in play here was titled REWILD Our Planet.

Participants got to watch footage coupled with AR content about the harms mankind has brought upon nature. But, they also got to learn how they could reverse these effects.

4- Improve the Quality of Education

The potential for AR in the educational scene is mighty intriguing. We’ve seen pretty impressive use cases such as turning educational books into scannable ones that unlock amazing additional content.

Again, that might be fairly simple, but it truly could elevate the way we learn. A recent study revealed that the brain area responsible for encoding memory gets almost three times the activity from AR content than from non-AR content. The chief explanation behind that is the unparalleled interactivity of AR experiences. AR content invites users to play with it, move it around, and dictate their own learning pace.

Thus, we hope to see more AR educational initiatives in 2020 and beyond.

5- Bring us even Closer

Of course, there’s this old cliche that the world has become a small village. It all started with the birth of telephones and the transfer of audio through magical wires. Then came along the internet and the transfer of all sorts of data, including audio, images, and videos. But why stop here?

Why not teleport ourselves too? At this point, the closest we can get to that is using AR. AR can one day transform us into 3D models that travel around everywhere. We can’t overstate the impact that will have on the lives of remote workers. Actually, remote work might even become the norm.

Here’s a peek at how AR could transform our workplaces in 2020:

We wish you a year full of joy, love and AR magic!

October 21, 2019October 21, 2019

FaceApp & 4 Other Experiences you Didn’t Know are AR-Based

Last July 2019 was quite an eventful month. Most of all, it marked humanity’s discovery of a rather unorthodox way to travel to the future. Using a revolutionary mobile app, people went crazy as they stood face-to-face with their future selves. Of course, you all know which app I’m talking about; FaceApp. But do you know of the unsung hero of a tech that powers FaceApp?

In case you don’t (which is the case with many), it’s called Augmented Reality. FYI, AR can do a whole lot more than depict how father time will affect your looks. Yet unfortunately, not enough people are aware of AR. Actually, we’ve discussed before how this very lack of awareness hinders AR on its way to full mainstream adoption.

Believe it or not, a billion human beings will be AR users by 2020. That’s about one-seventh of the entire population and most of them might not even know they’re using AR. Such statistic calls for a moment of ponder. If people are already that infatuated with the wonders of AR, then think of the possibilities when they learn more about AR and about how they can leverage it. Hence, we need to shed a prominent spotlight on AR.

And that’s exactly what we’re about to do! Here are 5 AR experiences you may have engaged with without knowing they’re AR-based:

1- FaceApp

Without a doubt, FaceApp has taken the world by storm throughout the past few weeks. Everyone from Drake to Gordon Ramsay rushed to see how FaceApp would age them. It got to the point where my grandma actually sent me her FaceApp picture for when she “grows old”.

Despite the recent outstanding popularity of FaceApp’s aging filter, the app has lots of other filters. These filters include a gender swap filter and a filter that reverses aging. No matter the filter, though, it’s important to note that all of FaceApp’s innovations are AR-backed. In fact, so are all non-FaceApp camera filters that you love using daily.

2- Adidas and Marcelo’s Tango League 2018 Campaign

Who doesn’t want to brag about athletic skills? Certainly, not soccer fanatics. Making superb use of that fact, Adidas launched an extraordinary campaign to promote its 2018 Tango League in LA. There are two reasons we deem the campaign extraordinary. First, it featured Real Madrid’s, Marcelo Vieira. Second of all, it deployed a cutting-edge AR technique.

Basically, the campaign consisted of a set where Tango League participants were invited to show off their skills. But they had to do so in front of none other than Marcelo who was there in AR. As participants executed cool soccer tricks, Marcelo cheered them on vigorously. On the other hand, when they faltered, Marcelo let them know it—making crushing disappointed faces. See for yourselves:

The technology in play here is called Broadcast AR. While FaceApp is a mobile AR experience, Broadcast utilizes a bigger vehicle for AR content. The setup for any Broadcast AR experience includes a large screen. That screen is almost like a mirror, except it’s not inverted. Oh, and it can also display all sorts of virtual content! In Adidas’ aforementioned campaign, a highly energetic Marcelo was that virtual content. However, other campaigns have displayed different kinds of virtual content—including our next experience.

3- Pepsi Max Unbelievable Bus Shelter Campaign

As the limitless medium it is, AR gives marketers the space to go wild with their ideas. In this campaign, the people of Pepsi Max did that and more.

The campaign ran at bus shelters so the screen in that experience was the glass of the bus shelter. As commuters sat there waiting for their buses, they got to meet some terrifying creatures. Of these, aliens, monsters, and tigers made their presence eerily known.

Unlike Adidas’ campaign, this campaign utilized covert screens. None of the bus riders could have seen these frightening experiences coming. It’s this element of shock that earned this campaign considerable virality. In fact, a video from Pepsi Max showcasing the campaign received 4.7 million views in one week.

And of course, who could forget the horrific memories these poor bus riders will have to live with? Some of these unlucky fellows may have had their hair turned white at the hands of Pepsi Max. In a way, that makes the campaign a predecessor to FaceApp in showing how people age. But perhaps, it didn’t do so in the most endearing way possible.

4- AccuVein Vein Visualization

While FaceApp and Broadcast AR maybe just for fun, this next AR novelty solves a genuine pain. Literally.

If you’ve ever had a blood sample drawn from you, you know how the process goes. Before the actual drawing, the practitioner must locate a vein first. Inserting the needle anywhere else may lead to pain or other catastrophes.

Thankfully, the chances of successfully locating veins have increased with AccuVein devices. Quite simply, the mechanism behind AccuVein is brilliant. The devices use Near Infrared light which is absorbed by hemoglobin in the blood. The absorption pattern gives these devices information about the environment under the skin. In turn, AccuVein devices project AR images of available veins. Hence, the devices aid practitioners in locating where to collect samples from or where to administer drugs.

Notably, AccuVein devices are valuable to patients with diabetes, cardiac problems, or weak veins. As such, they are available at over 2000 hospitals in the US today.

5- Augmented Print

Are you a parent? Then, you must have heard of Disney’s AR coloring books. After kids color their favorite Disney characters in said books, they scan them to bring them to life. That is, the characters turn into 3D models that appear in AR. So far, these coloring books may be the most popular form of augmented print.

Yet, all sorts of traditional print can be converted to augmented print. For instance, think of augmented business cards. As you scan them with your smartphones, you generate all sources of digital contact for the cards’ owners. Thus, the card owner’s social media accounts, website, email, phone number, and more become available in an instant.

What about augmented catalogs? After scanning, they teleport the products they’re showcasing right to your environments. Could postcards, pictures, and restaurant menus get the AR treatment too? Well, absolutely! You can use AR to transform anything print. That way, you’ll bridge real and virtual worlds in the best way possible.

AR can do it all; from time travel to eradicating pain and absolutely everything in between. So you too must get your hands on AR and explore its marvels for yourself!

October 8, 2019December 5, 2019

What We Learned From Obama at Bits&Pretzels 19

“Diversity is an engine of excellence, not an act of charity.”
That’s what former president Barack Obama said during his keynote on the opening ceremony of Bits&Pretezels in Munich last week, and it was all true.

Bits&Pretzels, barack obama keynote — Former President Barak Obama Keynote at Bits&Pretzels19

Yes, you’ve probably guessed it now. We spent our weekend in Munich, at the Founders Festival, Bit&Pretzels until Monday, October 1st. Yes, we did celebrate Oktoberfest, and I don’t remember much to tell. We also had a booth to demonstrate our awesome work along with our dear SAP.iO partner and it was all amazing.

But first, let’s take you back to the opening day of Bits&Pretzels, where it all started at the ICM Munich.

It was 8:00am and the place was already packed. We actually thought we were late. Eventually, it turned out everyone was simply so excited and hyped and they should. I mean, any person checking out the speakers line-up must be either thrilled, … or maybe depressed, for not being able to attend the event! (Sorry…)

Nevertheless, the event kick off was entertaining, fun and inspiring with a clear focus on important themes like Impact and diversity.

We also enjoyed the musical breaks, the genuine sense of humor of Bits&Pretzels founders, and we appreciated them sharing their tactic for reaching President Barack Obama’ team and sending him a personalized video invitation. OMG, that part was super fun. The knowledge shared by great leaders like LinkedIn Co-founder, Reid Hoffman and others was simply worth the long-distance flight from San Francisco.

It’s really the diversity in the speakers themselves and their backgrounds that made the opening and the whole conference captivating. At some point, all of the 8,000 attendees were doing the count down for the next speaker to take the stage. Especially for President Obama …

Eventually, he showed up, he looked a bit tired or maybe jet-lagged, but his smile, optimism, lovely spirit and inspiring words made a really remarkable keynote.

Barack Obama at bits19 — Obama Opening Keynote at *Bits&Pretzels*

He talked about all sort of things. On the subject of stimulating entrepreneurship, Obama stated that “Entrepreneurial culture starts with society investing in children.”When asked about AI and disrupt technology, he explained that the fear of it is rather overrated and we should instead focus on embracing and adopting those advances to improve our lifestyle. Finally, he emphasized on the importance of family, and yes, on how much he adores his beloved Michelle and daughters. Obama mentioned his staff multiple times and everytime he confirmed how a great leader he is.

Barack Obama — *Obama Opening Keynote at Bits&Pretzels*

The next day at Bits&Prestzels, we were rocking our awesome booth with live demos of our recent AR templates and interactive experiences.

We’re still excited and humbled by our visitors’ enthusiasm about webAR and all the demos we showcased and the nice encouraging words they said about our technology’s ease of use. We loved their genuine excitement for signing-up immediately to our platform, publishing their first experience and providing kind feedback.

Rania had to leave the Augmania booth to attend to her talk at the Impact stage on a panel of 4 inspiring, very successful and determined female founders sharing their experiences and advice with the audience.

Impact Stage speakers with Dr. Frank Niederlander at Bits&Pretzels

The closure day was stunning with the actress and entrepreneur, Jessica Alba who shared her personal challenges and journey while founding The Honest Company.

She highlighted the importance of promoting work environment diversity and empowering more women to take leading positions within an organization. In her last piece of advice to the keen audience, she recommended the following points:

1. Focus on details as they always matter.
2. Buckle up with optimism and drive.
3. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.

Jessica Alba keynote — Jessica Alba Keynote at *Bits&Pretzels*

The Bits&Pretzels huge team and founders thoughtfully organized the conference to help attendees make the most out of their experience. The place was huge and well-equipped with everything attendees might need to spend a comfortable time. Let’s not forget the delicious food and yummy pretzels!! Also, the Bits&Pretzels app was super helpful, allowing attendees to customize their experiences. All these aspects created an immensely inviting environment. Advertently, this environment gave way to a plethora of networking, especially during the 3rd and final day. After all, it was Oktoberfest Liquid Networking Tables!

Oktoberfest Liquid Networking at *Bits&Pretzels*

So yeah, we did have a lot of fun. This is mainly while discussing our passion for AR and Augmania, listening to great Bavarian music and making toasts for all the great people we’ve met during the day! And we have the Bits&Pretzels team to thank for that.

At last, as our Founder & CEO mentioned during her Bits&Pretzels talk “AR technology is what fills my mind. Impact is what fills my heart” and wherever those two collide, know that Augmania will be in the picture.

Cheers to you and see you next year!

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

How can AR engage and retain guests in the hospitality industry

Without a shadow of a doubt, the hospitality industry is booming in every way possible. In fact, the industry contributes $3.4 trillion to the global economy annually. Largely, this stupendous stat is the result of a lucrative market as well as relentless competitiveness. Lately, amidst this competition, a new trend has taken hospitality by storm. But before we elaborate, take a look at this picture of a hotel in Japan:

Source: Booking.com

Sure, the hotel sorts of looks cute. But, does it strike you as grand? There are certainly no stunning dancing fountains in sight as you would find in Vegas or Dubai hotels. Yet, the hotel is one of the most popular in the hospitality scene today. How so, you ask? Let this picture answer you:

Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Robot dinosaurs work as receptionists in this place. In 2015, Henn-na opened in Nagasaki as the first-ever hotel staffed by robots only. As you can imagine, the hotel caught the eyes of travelers everywhere.

Henn-na hotel is a pristine example of the aforementioned trend the hospitality industry is prioritizing: creating unique experiences.

For proof, a 2018 study shows that 67% of high-income travelers would rather spend money on hotels that provide entertaining experiences than ones with nicer rooms.

And since we’re talking about creating experiences here, then we must talk about Augmented Reality. There’s a reason AR experiences have infiltrated every industry there is. AR merges the real and digital worlds in the most fascinating way. Best of all, AR experiences are as versatile as clay. Do you want your AR experiences to be flashy? Educative? Actionable? Or maybe all of the previous? It’s as easy and fun for you to design them as it will be when your audience experiences them.

While you can use AR for other purposes, such as enhancing productivity among your staff, this blog post will focus on your customers. So, here are five ways AR can augment your relationship with customers throughout all user journey stages:

1- Attracting Prospects

Back in the day, choosing a hospitality provider of any kind was much simpler. A hungry soul would wander in the streets before settling at the first restaurant he/she finds. Today, things are nowhere near as simple.

Thanks to the internet, prospects have become pickier than ever. Perhaps, Google’s Head of Strategic Partnerships Development in Spain, Portugal, and Italy described them best. She called them “super curious, very demanding and impatient”.

Her words came during a gathering for hospitality experts where they discussed the rise of digital in the industry. Nowadays, prospects will use every channel provided to dig up info about places. That way, they can learn the tiniest details before investing in a trip or a meal. Of course, if they stumble upon anything they don’t fancy about a place, there’s always the next place.

With that said, key hospitality brands have used AR to showcase their properties in a novel more transparent way. For instance, last year, Marriott started a campaign which opened AR portals to eight of its resorts.

Users were able to explore everything about the experiences these resorts offered. They saw how rooms were furnished. They witnessed first-hand all the facilities awaiting them at these luxurious resorts. All in all, it was a fantastic attempt at converting those who had never experienced Marriott before.

2- Engaging Guests

After swaying guests to your hospitality brand, keeping them entertained is no easy task. However, AR has got your back. And big hospitality names know it. Specifically, Best Western has mastered the use of AR for the entertainment of guests.

In 2014, Best Western partnered with Disney to promote the movie Zapped. The hospitality icon hung posters of the movie in plenty of its properties. When scanned by guests, Zendaya herself came to life in AR to take pictures with everyone. Needless to say, kids loved the experience.

Of course, AR entertainment isn’t limited to hotels and resorts. Definitely, you could use AR in restaurants too. If there’s one thing that could alleviate the agony of awaiting food after ordering, it’s seeing your order in AR. Famous restaurants everywhere have been using this strategy to keep guests from eating their fingers while orders get prepared.

3- Informing Guests

Generally, AR is looked at as a prime tool for delivering info because of its interactive nature. That’s an edge you could use to educate your guests about anything.

For example, London Covent Garden Hub by Premier Inn has used AR to inform guests about the neighborhood. In every room, there’s a map that generates AR content when scanned. In part, this content displays important info about areas of interest.

Shifting gears, AR in delivering info is also of significant value to Airbnb owners. Moving to a rented place comes with a set of challenges for new tenants. Mainly, learning to use new appliances and devices can be complicated.

If you own an Airbnb, you could ease up that process for your tenants via AR. Simply, you could create augmented printables for each of your property’s devices. When scanned, they explain to tenants how to use them; all in AR. That would be an especially handy addition to your property if tenants don’t speak your native language.

4- Establishing Customer Loyalty

Loyalty programs are commonplace in the hospitality industry. It makes perfect sense to reward clients who keep supporting your hospitality brand. But, integrating AR into your loyalty program could change the entire game.

We’ve all seen the ‘collect’em all’ Pokemon Go craze and it’s all due to AR’s curiosity-arousing ways. Thus, there’s no reason not to apply a loyalty program inspired by the successful game in your hospitality business.

Say you own an extra spacious resort with a variety of facilities. You could easily encourage your guests to try them all to gain points in your AR-based loyalty program. Also, you could do the same if you own an F&B business. The loyalty program would be an incentive for customers to try all your different products.

5- Acquiring and Leveraging Data

Let’s face it. We live in the era of big data. If you go through all the aforementioned stages of the user journey without collecting data, then you’re missing out.

Luckily, using AR you can gather data about your customers in real-time. You’ll be able to learn more about their behavior. Which features and facilities did they like most? What frustrated them the most? What did they think of your AR experience as a whole? These are all critical questions you could answer by gathering and analyzing customer data.

What’s more, doing so would allow you to create personalized hospitality experiences. So the next time that allergic-to-garlic guest visits, you get it right.

So before we cap off this blog post, there’s a disclaimer; one more stat we should bring up.

Over 50% of travel apps are deleted one month after downloading.

Would be a shame devoting resources to integrating AR experiences into your app only for it to be deleted. Wouldn’t it? That’s why you should save your AR innovation for another platform. In that case, there’s no better platform than the Web.

Enter WebAR!

For all intents and purposes, WebAR experiences come with all the perks of AR plus one extra super perk. That is, that users need but a browser to engage in WebAR content. They don’t have to download an app or deplete their phones’ storage.

When it comes to hospitality, a WebAR experience is the most convenient choice because it’s frictionless. It’s the perfect fit for customers who are looking for fresh experiences and are also being targeted by competitors.