The adoption rate of new technologies varies from industry to industry. Some industries are known as eager early adopters of everything new and trendy, such as advertising and marketing. This is due to the fact that its core activity is very delicate: maintaining the consumers’ interest and attention. And consumers are easily bored and distracted. Just like the magician who needs to come up with new tricks to keep the audience entertained, marketing and advertising need to find new ways to promote brands and products.
Enter virtual reality, stage left. This new technology first appeared in movies and video games. And people loved it. As its capabilities and applications grew, so did the number of industries interested in adopting it. Marketers and brand managers welcomed it with open arms. They understood the huge potential of this technology to strengthen the tenuous ties with their customers and prospects.
Here are some ways in which virtual reality can achieve this:
1. Being a Trendsetter Pays Off
Consumers are always looking for something new and exciting to enrich their lives, solve their problems and satisfy their needs. Virtual reality helps them experience products and services before actually purchasing them, and makes them believe that companies embracing these technologies are solid and capable of satisfying their demands.
In fact, studies have shown that 66% of consumers want to experience virtual reality shopping, while 53% would prefer a company using VR over another company that doesn’t.
2. A New, Immersive Storytelling Opportunity
Companies rely on creating buyer personas and telling stories from their perspective in order to build trust with prospects. So far, this has been done by 2D video, audio and text. And it has been working for decades.
Just imagine how intense the experience of discovering such a story becomes for the user when they can “jump” inside it, and experience it from their own personal perspective, through movement, surround sound, and 3D images.
3. Taking Shopping Beyond Geographical Limitations
Many consumers still prefer to shop in brick-and-mortar stores because they want the direct experience of looking at the product, touching it and trying it on. This is something that online shopping could not provide so far. But all this is about to change.
Thanks to virtual reality applications, there will be little difference between an online store and a brick-and-mortar one. This means that all those potential clients who could not be reached because establishing a physical store would be logistically unfeasible, can now be included among the company’s leads and prospects.
4. A New Perspective for Trade Fairs and Product Launches
Some product launches need to be restricted to a small attendance and a specific location due to their characteristics. It is not feasible to bring an innovative factory assembly line or a new high-speed train to a trade fair.
Virtual reality will allow the companies manufacturing such products to create a fully realistic experience for customers all over the world, either at public events or through dedicated apps.
5. Selling Realistic Dreams
The travel industry sells dreams and experiences. It is not about the furniture in the hotel room, but the feeling of comfort and pampering. It is not about the unique characteristics of the landscape, but about those picture perfect moments to capture and treasure forever.
And virtual reality offer precisely the technology the travel industry was waiting for to take their branding and marketing to the next level. Seeing is not enough – soon potential customers will be able to feel and hear what the travel companies have to offer. There is a whole world of possibilities and the travel industry will certainly take advantage of all of them.
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