At this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, technology accessories company STM Brands launched a new augmented reality app, allowing consumers to try on and experience their brand wherever they are. This technology goes beyond the physical appearance and includes nodes within the app that encourage the consumer to interact with attributes of the product.
Technology has supercharged what can now be experienced. What STM Brands has done is a great example of one of the TMS Trends for 2018: “AR Steps forward.” It is a true example of try before you buy in a completely immersive customer experience, with the opportunity to connect to an immediate sale.
Basic E-Commerce is so yesterday. Now brands must be able to capture that customer by becoming immersed in their customers’ world, completely on their terms. Over the last 12 months we have seen Smart Fridges that ensure you never run out of milk. We are now also able to remove ourselves from the physicality of shopping for a sofa, able to wander the endless aisles of Ikea just by putting on our VR Goggles. These huge shifts in this technology will continue to disrupt and innovate more categories.