Why has Covid-19 boosted the use of augmented reality?

Digital has become almost mandatory during covid-19 to stay in touch with consumers

When the first containment was announced, all public places had to close and so did shops. This made it impossible for brands to communicate in the traditional way and stay close to their customers.

With digital being the only solution, many brands developed their digital strategy to extend their reach. Brands started to discover all the possibilities that digital offers, including augmented reality.

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Augmented reality for businesses

Augmented reality technology has been ready for a decade or so but it is thanks to the game Pokémon Go that it began to be democratised little by little.

On the communication side, social networks are promoting augmented reality simply through filters and effects. Thus, a brand can send a message, connect with its community or carry out a product activation through Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat filters. Because of the simplicity of use and the virality of the effects, a brand can reach many more people than by communicating in a traditional way.

In addition, during the lockdown, many retailers who sold products online realised the benefits of augmented reality. Indeed, AR makes it possible to project objects in 3D into one's environment and this makes it possible to view products without going to the shops.

2021: the year of Covid-19 and augmented reality

The democratisation of augmented reality has taken some time to get going and there is still a long way to go. But with the sudden change brought about by this pandemic, we can be sure that this technology will really become part of everyone's routine.

Google is a case in point. The American giant wants to implement an augmented reality system directly in its search engine. Thus all e-tailers will be able to integrate AR more easily on their website.

With the development of technological capabilities of smartphones such as LidarAugmented reality will play an important role in everyday life but also for brands.