These days it’s not uncommon to see people meandering into traffic or darting down dark alleyways with their eyes fixed on their smartphone as they hunt down Charizard or Pikachu. The Pokémon GO craze has taken the world by storm, and its popularity has pushed augmented reality (AR) into the spotlight.

Once considered futuristic, AR is now a mainstream concept, and consumers want more of it. For retailers, this opens up a new realm of possibilities for enhancing the in-store shopping experience and melding digital and physical retail experiences. Today’s shoppers expect digital experiences in stores –according to Forrester, 68 percent of customers use mobile devices while in stores to assist with purchasing decisions, and AR provides another opportunity to meet shoppers’ expectations. But two questions remain: What will in-store AR look like, and how can retailers implement it successfully?

An AR Shopping Experience

Imagine walking down the cereal aisle and being greeted by a lifelike image of Tony the Tiger and a “grrrrreat” offer on your next box of Frosted Flakes. With AR, retailers can give shoppers instant product details and promotions through their smartphones. When retailers point their phone at a product using a retailers’ app, they will see an overlay of information detailing facts like nutrition, color options, product availability, online coupons, and more.

For example, let’s say a shopper is looking at a dress in-store, but it isn’t stocked in her size and she’d prefer a different color. By zeroing in on the dress with her smartphone, she can see if her size and preferred color combination is available at another nearby store or online. She might even be able to see recommended accessories for the dress and a detailed map showing her where to find them in-store.

AR can also gamify the shopping experience. Playing off the Pokémon GO craze, retailers can create an in-app game that challenges shoppers to capture digital characters around the store for a prize. Or, they can offer a kid-friendly scavenger hunt that corresponds with a customer’s shopping list to keep their children occupied while they shop.  One of the top three challenges retailers face in shopping is boredom, and this could be an invaluable tool to any parent who has had to deal with a bored and cranky child on a shopping trip.

Laying the Foundation for AR

In order to effectively implement an AR strategy, retailers must first understand where every item is in each store at all times. This digital index is the first step, providing an up-to-date view of the ever-changing retail store.

Digitally mapping a store provides the critical context needed for accurate product location and indoor navigation, which is the backbone of any good AR experience in retail. It enables retailers to connect the physical location of products with digital information, unlocking the opportunity to show shoppers personalized deals, product suggestions, local and online inventory information and other valuable messages based on the shopper’s preference, location in the store and the product they are viewing.

Let’s circle back to the example of the shopper who couldn’t find the dress she wanted in the right size or color. When she opens the store mobile app and points her camera at the dress, the screen will display information from the store’s digital index to inform her of whether her size is in stock and point her to similar product options based on her preferences. Without the foundational element of the product’s precise location, AR engines previously relied solely on image recognition and failed to provide a compelling experience. Marrying precise product location with AR capabilities finally makes these new in-aisle experiences a reality.

Similarly, in order to create a compelling AR scavenger hunt, retailers need to digitally index their stores so they can show a shopper the exact product location of any product they are promoting and offer navigation that directs shoppers along the most efficient path for the game and the shopping list, integrated into a single hunt. Scavenger hunts that require retailers to customize content for every hunt simply won’t scale with the speed of consumers who expect personalized experiences at every turn. Stated another way, the whole world is fair game in Pokémon GO, and that’s one of the big reasons it is so fun and successful.

If the success of Pokemon GO is any indication, augmented reality is going to play an increasingly large role in consumers’ lives. “Retailers have become inspired by the overnight phenomenon of Pokémon Go,” reports Leslie Hand, vice president at IDC Retail Insights. “They will use this inspiration to inform multi-screen digital experience and marketing programs that all start with understanding consumer location and context and culminate in personalized experiences. Utilizing AR to connect the dots between what the customer wants and what is presented to the consumer to improve relevancy just makes sense.”

Retailers should start preparing for this reality now by laying a solid digital foundation that will set them up to execute a successful AR strategy in the future.

Point Inside provides in-store mobile shopper engagement technology.

Favorite